This year marks our 40th anniversary. We are excited to share with you our new logo to celebrate 40 years of saving lives! 40 years of meeting youth where they are, whether it’s on the streets, in schools or online.
It’s hard to believe how many incredible staff members, volunteers and of course youth we got to work with in the past 40 years. Each of them made their mark on ELEM’s story and shaped the organization we are today.
Ann Bialkin, our Chair and Founder recently wrote to our supporters:
“In 1983, a group of social workers sat with me in
my dining room on the Upper West Side in New
York City and brought ELEM to life. We did so
after a visit to Israel moved us to help the sort of
youth we encountered during our visit – homeless
youth and youth facing depression and violence.
Throughout the past 40 years, ELEM has expanded
its services to treat youth in prostitution, youth
recovering from sexual violence, young mothers
at risk, and more. Working nationwide with hundreds
of professionals and thousands of volunteers, we’re
assisting 12,500 youth annually to turn their lives
around.
We’ve become a world-renowned organization in
the field of at-risk youth, and our unique approach
of finding troubled and at-risk youth rather than
waiting for them to find us, is one of the many
reasons we were appointed special consultants
to the United Nations.”
The work Ann started is ongoing. We are excited to do so much more in the coming years, to innovate and help those who need us most. We have many special initiatives coming this year, like our “40 for 40” sponsorship program, as well as a spotlight of people special to us, and our 40th Anniversary Ray of
Hope Gala that will take place this fall.
Stay tuned for all the celebrations and opportunities to become part of the ELEM family in the coming year.
