Dearest Volunteers, Donors, and everyone in between,
BH I am happily married almost seven years now. I have been even luckier to bh have four beautiful children since. With the challenges and hardships of life each in its own time, getting married without a mother was up there.
Its been over nine years since my mother and grandmother were killed in a car accident. Its been over seven and half years my father remarried and started a new life with his wife and now their daughter. But not a day goes by where I dont thank hashem for sending his special messengers the ones Ill never know, nor will I see. The messengers who help me at my lowest and highest at the same time.
Right about this time, I found out about Avigdor Helping Hand as an organization that helps orphans, yes me a child a kallah/chossen without one parent. Its not something I ever believed would be where Id be getting married without my mother beside me, and my father somewhat afar not involved nor helping me at this huge milestone. But hashem thought otherwise.
In my joy and excitement I was ashamed broken anxious embarrassed and more so scared. I was marrying someone who made me feel special and beautiful, I was starting my own family according to all jewish laws. But I didnt have a mother or grandmother to help with the preparations. I didnt have a parent unloading the stress of planning a wedding. More so I was planning making and moving on the the best chapter of my life with little guidance support or family. Its not because I didnt have family, its because the family that steps up was not present.
As a mother I look back and thru all my heartache of losing my mother in such a tragic way. The most pain I have is for time of my engagement. A time I was just praying, praying that everything would fall in to place, praying for my mother aching for that sense of security that parents give us, most parents, throughout our lives. Knowing that I didnt have savings nor anyone to step in and take a load off.
Now as a mother, with the never ending cost expenses and hardships. I have a comfort of falling on my husband my security my family. In life there are hardships always. As an orphan those hardships are fears, nightmares and insecurities that hold us back. We think of ourselves as lesser individual, damaged, not whole. Being without a mother, living without a beating heart seems not possible. But being married having a person who can somehow redefine happiness, having children bh healthy children gives a new meaning to happiness wholeness and comfort. The closest comfort possible to the loss of a parent is my own family bh, one that I am lucky to have and build.
Looking back and thinking of the special people who truly cared for me just because they know of some sense of bittersweet happiness, because somehow in some situations this one especially money always comes in the way of making things less painful less stressful, more exciting and doable. More so the money goes a long way, the tears are tears of joy. The thought that a special someone up there in שמים is helping hearing our prayers are cries and is sending a salvation of some sort. A helping hand, thats you Avigdors Helping Hand.
Iyh one day, as an organization there will be no need for you, nor no orphans to help for we will have Moshiach and our loved ones, to stand beside us dance with us, rejoice life with us.. Till that day I too would like to not only be on your list of Kallahs you helped but as a donor who help support those many others out there. Till that day iyh soon, I want to thank you with thanks that you will never truly understand. The thanks of all those who made my wedding more a time of extra happiness.
May hashem bless you each and individually with your personal lives, your families spouses children immediate families friends we as a people are truly איש אחד בלב אחד…Wishing you all health happiness wealth and the koach to do what you do, nachos from your children may you dance at their chupahs and their childrens childrens chupah.
מי כעמך ישראל I say everyday, and you too as you read this please realize the endless gratitude is not limited to just the $$$ its to the though the cause and the help.
Only Simchas
A humble kallah, once an orphaned but more so a recipient of the Avigdor Helping Hand
Dear R’ Eli Glaser,
Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to be directed to you and your organization by ________ ________ as I was planning my son’s wedding in ________ under difficult circumstances. The help you offered at that time made all the difference in how we were able to move forward with the plans.
You may recall that I was widowed almost 6 years ago and left in a very poor financial situation. I work in the office at ________ High School in ________, a job I love, but not very lucrative. I still have other unmarried children. Although we manage to get by month to month, there is just not money for the big expenses surrounding a wedding.
It is never easy to ask for this type of help, but I remember the gracious way in which your organization operates.Thank you
Mrs. ________ ________
Hi! We received the check yesterday and can not thank you enough. We have no words to express our hakaros hatov to you and the organization. Avigdors Helping Hand has taken a tremendous amount of stress off my fathers shoulders. May Hashem bentch all of you and enable the organization to always be able to help all those in need for good things!