SAFE Event 2023 - Full Coverage

thank you so much let's get let's get this giant crowd if they can I think that um we have a common theme this morning and the common theme is that cookie Chira the matriarch of this family has allowed safe as you can see by the crowd the care that this community has for safe if if there was if there was an organization cookie that Stanley loved because he loved all of them like me and he loved everyone like me and he cared about the fabric of what this community was but we have to say the truth that's safe was his baby because he founded it and I did that because for Stanley it was just like that because that's the way he did things with ease with his intelligence with that quick wit in mind and who would have known and who would have thought 20 years ago that safe would turn out into the organization that it has I wouldn't have you wouldn't have because that happens to people that have the gift a vision and that's what Stanley possessed the gift of vision he knew so good morning everybody we actually want to have a good time I know it's about safe I understand but at the same time we gotta all thank ourselves for being here for being a part of this for being a part of this community for being so thankful that we could be on the giving end to be so thankful that we have our neighbors our friends our family tonight is Shabbat we have organizations through and through and through this community looking after us from this side and this side and this side and this side and that's why we come out and that's what we're all about so we changed up the program a little bit our President Jimmy I call him the chairman Charlie I renamed them Charlie T came to see me 10 days ago I hope you're going to like and enjoy the program sit back we're gonna start as soon as I step away we're going to start with the video I'm going to start the monument act and put the video in the middle change things up right every year we do something different so we're going to start with the video but I did want to say one last thing before I come back up here and we go through this gorgeous program and that is Jimmy you are brought so much energy I'm watching you I'm watching Charlie I'm watching the board I'm watching the way that stay safe safe is evolving and all the presidents were good actually we're all good in our own way every one of us has immense value but when I see you and when you hug me and you talk to me whether it's on the phone or in person you have this calling that I don't know where God has bestowed on you for safe but we are so lucky we're so lucky to have you as the president you're doing an unbelievable job Jimmy added I want to give you and your family your wife and your kids our blessing I'm going to give it for all of us the whole community that you should have everything that you desire and you know what accept it because we all need things all of us in every which way so we bless you for all the good and the health the peace and the happinessa so you could spend as much time as you need to on this Community Helping to build aiki we love you you were the guy that Stanley met that day you were the guy as I say on the side of the road that he helped to get to this destination God should bless you for I think the most important reason for hanging in there you are resilient young man and we we just tip our hat to you my friend we tip our hat thank you for this guidance Jimmy let's take it today we'll go down in the animals of our community as a momentous day today will be the day that we will look back on 5 10 and surely 20 years from now as they say raised its budget and started to help members of our community in a very large manner so it's 2003 I had just uh decided to leave uh big kofolim to help people with addictions drug alcohol and gambling addictions so I call Stanley and I said hey Stanley it's uh aiki tweck I need to see you he says what do you want I said could we talk in person he goes okay Friday morning you come to the house no problem so I get to the house and we go outside to the backyard and uh I look at him I said stand I I don't know if you know what I do but I help people with addictions he goes okay no problem I'm in I said no I gotta borrow your backyard to have a fundraiser and he looks at me he says I told you it's done I said but we have to have your friends we have to raise some money he goes if I tell you it's done it's done about six weeks ago he says Stanley listen you know some Friday thank you for now on we'll bring a few people to your house to this thing you know what I do right you know safe with kids and drugs yeah whatever you want it's a little more than a few people when Stanley first asked me to do the first annual event didn't even know what he was talking about what is safe and he said whatever it is it's going to be in our house I'm just asking you to be proper then we had our first fundraiser in 2003 the community didn't have any fundraisers of this kind ever and it was really amazing Stanley wrote all his friends all 250 friends we raised about 1.5 million dollars that first year and at the end of the event he looks at me and says what else do you need anything else from me he says all I got to tell you is if any time you need me for anything Count Me In so Stanley just didn't give us his backyard he would pick up that mic and point to you after all the speeches were done and says okay how much are you giving that's not enough they need more you know I'm pretty heavy-handed so you better get it before I ask you and it was really amazing how he would really carry the fundraising alone we didn't know how to make this happen but Stanley had a purpose he knew exactly what was necessary to raise the money to run this organization so when Stanley got involved with safe he went around the room and he made sure that it wasn't a taboo to be there honestly only someone with the gravitas someone with the reputation of Mr Stanley Chira could even get an organization dealing with these issues with alcoholism substance abuse gambling disorders off the ground he did way more than just you know host it and write a check he made it a point to make sure that every single one of his friends that were invited to his house every weekend showed up and he he made it a conversation at every dinner table with his friends he made it as a conversation poolside I remember just sitting around his house and on a Sunday and his friends would be over and they would talk about it and they would debate it some of his friends challenged him saying what do we need this for and you know in true Stanley's style he he stood up and you know he kind of debated it and until they eventually gave in we have a problem it's not about how rich you are what school you attend to it's all about the parents controlling your children it's about peer pressure and opening the doors and speaking to our children and let them come in and talk to us and make it make it not uncomfortable for them to come and speak about their problems my grandfather May rest in peace was Unapologetic about doing the right thing no matter who would have ended no matter who it upset no matter sort of what social repercussions may have come from it um I know that if he believed that something was right he went for it our community has recently been plagued with a number of incidents concerning underage drinking at private parties although one incident involving underage drinking is too much this summer 19 children have been sent or taken to the hospital unconscious or semi-comatos with alcohol poisoning because I don't want to hear the excuses well I made this party and three people got married from it that's baloney they'll get married anyhow they get better than one life lost so Zach Indy was our first president and after he moved on aikishura was the president of safe for 10 years took us through some very challenging times during the recession and was very helpful to get safe onto that next level the first initiative as president I wanted to do was really get a building I really wanted to provide a home for Ike and the team to do the work that they needed to do and I wanted to have a place that people can go with dignity and be able to take care of you know whatever needs they had I sure had a tremendous impact as president of safe we purchased our first building with Ike at the helm as president and he was able to raise a lot of money for us to purchase that building he helped us get through the first recession in 2009-2010 as well as expanding our project safe school program Ike was a big champion of making sure that we educate our community children [Music] the one great part of Stanley was that over the years I always needed some help some guidance and I would pick up the phone at no matter what time he would always just pick up yeah what do you want what do you need when I took on as president he always gave me the confidence and the backbone to push the envelope to have the conversations with people to not back down if it wasn't popular he really never spoke about anything like this to people especially our family he kept everything quiet and that was one of his wonderful traits that he helped people through the years I knew he had many sleepless nights but I he really never divulged any problems that people had since we started in 2001 I was one person for the first couple of years I was doing interventions I was taking people to inpatient rehabilitation centers I was doing therapy I was doing all that kind of stuff you fast forward 20 years to today we have 25 employees at safe doctors family counselors clinicians we have an office in Jersey it's it's pretty incredible to see where the organization has come to today that we've served over 9 000 clients we're operating in two states where operating in 12 schools educating so many thousands of students and the biggest thing [Music] that hits me is that it's no longer a taboo conversation I think we've all seen the tremendous evolution of safe it sort of started as this small you know almost like a most sad type agency where my uncle Ike was really just helping people on a one-on-one basis it then grew and he was able to bring people along and then it became an organization and now I think we're not just an organization that helps people with addiction but there's so many different aspects and a lot of those had some of the same stigma that we saw with addiction early on but you know safe is Built For This I remember giving a speech at my grandfather's arayat and I spoke a little bit about what it meant to have my grandfather's name I realized that it's a responsibility to continue to carry on his legacy after I give that speech at my grandfather's ariad I literally left the school I remember being in Allen Hershel I walked out of the shore and I called my Uncle Ike on the phone and I said I'm ready seeing my grandchildren emulate their grandfather it makes me very very proud I personally am forever grateful to cookie Stanley and the Chira family for all their help love and support of the safe Foundation now that it is the 20th anniversary I felt it very important to do it in memory of family shalom and that it would be very meaningful to do it in our home as it was as the first first safe meeting I can tell you how excited and grateful I am to be back 20 years later from where it all started in 2003 at the home of cookie and Stanley Chira being in this backyard I think a lot of people are starting to see in the last few years what kind of leader my grandmother is and I think that sometimes she got a little bit hidden in the background because my grandfather had such an amazing and large presence but you're seeing that my grandmother is just as much of a leader just maybe with a little bit of a different style and maybe a some softer language but this is this is her backyard this is the house that that she always ran the house that you know she kept running and it's important to her that we do this here and it's just a testament to how amazing she is and she's the leader of our family today and we're very lucky to have her it's a beautiful night I want you all to enjoy some dessert now and enjoy the night thanks for coming although he's no longer here we feel Stanley's impact every day there's not a person that goes through safe that Stanley didn't have a hand and a Mitzvah of helping them there's no doubt that my father is looking down on us smiling for continuing what he started if my father was here today he'd be passing the mic around pressuring you all to give big checks so for those who have given in the past we thank you but we need your support more than ever and give as much as you can because they could use the help today I really pull on everyone to try and help what this very very important project [Applause] one minute actually one day we're gonna do a video because I know a lot of people here in this room would love that like that and then do the fundraiser and send everybody home but this morning we're revolving we have a program um before I call up the president I um these things for me they happen as you can see I saw something and when I put something in this kind of plastic it means a lot and I think that it applies I didn't write it I think it applies to Stanley and I want to put it out there into this universe for him today to you Cookie to hear this and for everyone in the community and when you hear this I think it'll say a lot if not all and some of you have seen it before but this morning it's for Stanley the value of a person is not what he owns but what he gives what matters is not what you achieve but what you contribute what matters is not what was possessed but what you left behind what matters is not how long you live but how meaningful your life is the most important thing is not how many people you know but how many people remember you I miss you so I love that man I now have the pleasure to call up the man I spoke about Mr James come on up Mr President take it from here [Music] [Applause] thank you Harry I want you to believe everything he just said that he read from that card and nothing that he said about me I want to thank Mrs Chira please accept this gift I'm going to call her up from the safe foundation in recognition of our Eternal gratitude to you and your husband Mr Stanley shalom who is steadfast an unwavering supportive safe year after year after year after year saving hundreds of community lives and families suffering from addiction it's inspirational to everyone how you continue to carry the entire community on your shoulders thank you thank you everybody it's a testament to my husband Stanley alava shalom we miss him so much but I know he's here with us and I know he would want me to do this and I'm doing this and welcome you all here with my open arms and my open heart to join me today in this very important safe event I know we would help people through the years with all the help and monetary needs that they need but it's well needed and I know you'll all reach out and make this community a better and safer Community for our children grandchildren and great-grandchildren thank you all for coming I love you all right she's a natural I'm now going to introduce Mr Gill Carney the CEO of bhi Bank I don't know if any of you have noticed but on the screen behind me we're rotating old pictures over the past 20 years and there's actually two constants in those pictures the first is Mr Stanley Chiro the second is it's Bank of walim when it started and it was bhi bank afterwards you'll notice their logo and their support has been steadfast just as well for the safe foundation for the last 13 years they're an incredible sponsor they've donated over five hundred thousand dollars to the safe Foundation over that period of time they're an incredible partner safe's approach to treating addiction is a family-based program bhi is a natural partner you bank with them it's like banking with family as well Gil please come on up thank you so much for your support [Applause] almost speechless after this the words yeah good morning everyone it's an honor to join you today and Mark my third year Daniel's a safe Foundation summer breakfast as you heard before Bank of Pauline is already supporting more than 12 years 13 years this year for me it's the third year and I'm honored to be here this is an especially exciting day as we are here to celebrate safe landmark of 28th year I'd like to extend our gratitude to cookie chera thank you for welcoming us the late Mr chair and Mr chair opened their home for the first safe fundraiser in 2003 and continued to do so for over a Dozen Years bijai is proud to be partnered with safe and we sincerely appreciate the work of the safe Foundation your state for dedication is a truly remarkable undertaking particularly in times characterized by uncertainty the importance of her effort has only become more significant is the need for support and guidance in overcoming an addiction becomes increasingly crucial at the heart of bhi operations both in Israel and the U.S lies from commitment to the volunteerism and meaningful engagement we appreciate the general personnel and Business Connection made within the communities we so proudly say serve as a relationship Bank we recognize that our Collective achievements and future successes are reliant on support of others on behalf of the entire BJ team I extend our heartfelt recognition and gratitude to the dedication professional staff volunteers and member of safe your tireless efforts do not go unnoticed the privilege of getting to know each of you has only reinforced the alignment of safe objectives and Beijing Mission we are proud to be your partner and remain a committed champion of these amazing things you do every day I appreciate the opportunity to be part of this important Journey alongside all of you thank you very much have a nice day thank you thank you [Applause] thank you Gil it's really a special relationship we appreciate it several years ago when meeting with our landscape architect as we were building our home up the road I clearly recall him telling me Mr Haddad you have a problem nothing grows by the ocean well we are here all today standing in living Defiance of that statement 20 years ago on this very spot seeds were indeed planted for a community organization to deal with the growing problem of the disease of addiction [Music] although I'm not so sure that even they realized just how critical it was to get this organization off the ground over the past 20 years safe has treated over 8 000 clients in that time these were incredible truly Visionary men and women who came together to address a problem they were starting to see develop in the community with underage drinking and drug use 20 years ago that was a problem with 18 and 19 year olds jumping the gun by a couple of years to have a drink today safe is dealing with 13 and 14 year olds barely passed their bar mitzvahs getting drunk in their freshman year of high school sneaking alcohol in water bottles drinking at the pregame the party the post party and the post-post party 20 years ago drugs and marijuana were illegal products procured in a street alley on the cover of Darkness not available at your local 7-Eleven in your favorite fruit flavors 20 years ago the threat of death from taking drugs was a result of becoming an addict over the course of years not an instantaneous death from a one-time ingestion of a fentanyl laced pill 20 years ago gambling was an issue at some underground parlor by meeting a shady bookie or a two-hour drive away in Atlantic City not something legal and available at Arm's Reach on your phone and laptop and relentlessly promoted on TV and sports Arenas every moment as I said this special group of men and women were Visionaries but I find it hard to imagine they could have dreamed that these would be the challenges we'd be facing in 2023 two nights ago my wife and I were blessed to welcome our first grandchild into the world [Applause] amid thank you I didn't do the work admits the joy and Euphoria of the moment I couldn't help but also worry the world is changing at a rapid Pace the speed bumps that my wife and I encountered along the way were molehills compared to the mountains our kids will have to face when raising their children when we went home at night we were able to leave the pressures and stresses of the outside world behind today with the Advent of social media being home no longer provides that same Oasis the influences and pitfalls of the outside world come home with our kids in the form of a 24-hour Relentless news cycle in the palms of their hands fortunately safe is there to educate our kids of these dangers to equip our parents with the skills to handle these challenges and most importantly we are there a community organization to treat our family members who are battling the disease of addiction our family-based program has a success rate twice the state average nearly 70 percent I would love to be able to stand here and tell you we succeed 100 of the time we don't it's just not the nature of this disease it does not have a cure it has to be faced and battled and conquered every single day by those that are suffering within its clutches so what do we do we educate 3 000 students every single week in our schools we treat 100 clients active clients at any one moment we reach tens of thousands of community parents with public service announcements and special programming bringing in Industry professionals we try to fight it on every front that we can it's not a battle we're going to win I shouldn't say that it's not a war we're going to win but it's a battle we need to fight I want to be respectful of everyone's time here today so I'm going to touch on just a couple of accomplishments and Milestones that Steve has achieved just this past year alone firstly we received over 800 calls for help it's a staggering figure if we're a community of 50 to 60 000 people it means we're eight to ten thousand families if we got 800 calls calls from people that are in distress that's nearly one in ten Community families that are calling us just this year as I mentioned no one wakes up after having one bad night and decides to call Safe these families are struggling with real and deep-rooted issues safe is there to help our school division is introduced an incredibly successful voluntary after-school program that has really taken off kids are fighting to come to join voluntary after school I don't know it was not part of my DNA when I went to school but it's incredible with these kids they're begging us to change the program from four weeks to eight we've revamped the curriculum and we're touching topics like bullying body image and the dangers of e-cigarettes and I want to really encourage everybody to use that term e-cigarettes I don't want to glamorize it like it's something cool by saying it's vaping it's a cigarette it will kill you if taken enough like a cigarette we've successfully launched the mindful eating project this year we've enlisted 28 clients so far who we've placed into treatment for various eating disorders and we just launched this number is certain to grow as we continue to normalize the discussion around this closeted topic we've begun to establish a collaborative relationship with Mount Sinai who has a special eating disorder clinic in Manhattan safe parenting has put together programming large and small with powerful speakers and experts from a sold out event with 400 people with Dr Becky to small in-home workshops I really encourage the parents here in this room safe can do everything we can ultimately it is the communication between parent and child that is going to make the difference in your kid's life we're in office we're a clinic they're at home every day open the lines of communication finally on a macro level this past year safe has completed the purchase of the building next door to our clinic clinic our current Clinic enabling us to double our footprint in Brooklyn this could not have happened without the help of several people who I am thrilled to thank firstly Mr Sam Sutton and Mr Ronnie Towell of the SEF they need a bigger Applause than that they work their asses off sorry for the language but that's the Stanley coming out of me I love it I wish I was right at home they work so very hard so selflessly for everybody else's benefit that's here today I also have to thank sitting with us today Senator Andrew garnardis Senator granardis has provided us with a five hundred thousand dollar Grant to purchase the building next door incredible impossible to do without him not here today is also state senator simcha Felder Who provided us with a one million dollar Grant to also purchase the building next door none of this would have happened without their involvement their personal dedication to safe and Ronnie and Sam they're really amazing community members and I look up to them greatly I've thrown around a lot of numbers in this speech there's only one number I really want you to focus on that number is one quite frankly alcohol drugs gambling and eating disorders are the number one issues that's facing our teens our tweens our young adults and our married our married children it informs nearly all of their social decisions and their daily routines whether the underlying cause is placing misguided importance on social media trying to fit in trying to keep up the pressures of schoolwork or family Strife at home they all ultimately manifest themselves in self-medicating addiction forming behaviors fortunately through the presence and dedication of people like Mr Stanley Chira lava Shalom and Ike dweck and Community donors like you sitting here standing here in this room safe is able to be there to help prevent and to treat our families and loved ones for the next 20 years to come and Beyond we have a three million dollar budget that is 80 percent covered by your charitable donations please continue to support and donate to give safe thank you not really one for uh sitting still on a mic can I get a handheld yeah foreign relax Harry you know I got here early this morning and uh people walking around setting everything up and I walk to this area over here and I uh I broke down quietly to myself I'm not really much of a crier as you probably all know and I turned around and I looked at Stanley in the sky and I said I know this is all you I'm just a tool that you used me to help others as I sit here right now in front of everybody and look at this crowd the most amazing community most amazing people everybody willing to help everybody willing to do whatever whatever is necessary to help others you are the true winners the true community members helping others I thank you I thank you for everybody else that need your thanks you see my job's pretty easy somebody calls or somebody needs help I go there I yell at them I beat them up put him in rehab put them in therapy they're afraid at the beginning and I always tell them just take one step one step I'll do the rest and thank God it's not a perfect science addiction never is but nothing could be done without everybody sitting here nothing could be done without the support the love from everybody in our community there's no community in this world like our community I wrote a speech just two three pages I don't want to be here I want to go to the beach play golf I'm like you guys I said let me put it away I don't want to read it I just want to talk from my heart and to watch that video to see what Stanley cookie the Chira family will forever ever will be grateful to them and I said it's just going to be me off the cuff so today besides honoring Stanley cookie and the Chira family we're going to talk about honoring Marilyn and Joey cabasso see I met Joey I got a call from somebody in the family about 20 years ago not the same Hollywood Joey a little arrogant messy hair was not done I remember walking into his house he's looking at me I'm looking at him I'm sizing him up I'm saying I could take this guy down he's high he won't even know he looks at me like what are you doing in my house I said Fu I was invited we started talking we started to get to know each other that was 20 years ago not only did Joe come into safe his wife Marilyn come into safe not only did I come into safe they became safe the work that they do on behalf of safe today 24 hours a day seven days a week they're calling me on the way here today Joe would you text me Hey listen somebody got arrested we need help I said Joey just could we wait an hour we're getting ready to honor you they're on call 24 hours a day seven days a week they're helping people they're running Al-Anon meetings AAA meetings people are in their house every Friday summer five o'clock people reaching out for help Joey calls me okay we got this guy what can we do how can we help him Marilyn every day she calls me I got this wife what do you think I said geez where do they come from it's a 24-hour day seven day a week job and they're in hook line and sinker so I know you didn't come to hear me you've heard me before I thank you I'm humbled by this turnout I'm humbled by carrying a torch for safe I'm humbled by the board member James and the rest of the board members I'm humbled to be part of something so great Mission that's what this is I'm grateful to all of you so without further Ado I'd like to ask Joey Marilyn first okay Marilyn the boss has spoken easier thank you aiki okay wow I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today to support the C Foundation which is something that is very close to my heart not everyone knows what goes on behind the scenes of the safe Foundation I want to give you a little bit of what I do for safe because it is so special to me and very dear to my heart I will take phone calls from women who have Addiction in their family I also run Allen on meetings every week in the safe building I want to start by thanking my Aunt Cookie for hosting this very important event and for her generous nature and to my uncle Stanley aleb hashalom I know he is truly here in spirit I would always want to recognize his greatness even though he is not with us I would like to thank my parents Mars and Karen chiera my dad is the one who stepped in that specific night that will never forget hmm my in-laws sister-in-laws and my sister Florence who never judged the situation we were in and always supported us Simone dwe wherever you are my friend I could not have done these Al-Anon meetings without your support also of course my husband Joey who carves out time and effort out of this busy schedule whose phone is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week he's devoted to saving lives and puts his heart into these boys to help them see that life can get better less but certainly not least Ike I would like to thank you as well for letting me help putting your trust in me and for being tough on me at times but only to teach me you giving me this opportunity to help and support these women is so important to me and this community so here we go so about six years ago I became very involved in Al-Anon and safe for those of you who don't know Al-Anon is a support group and network of individuals who may be affected by the addiction of their loved ones I started to form an Al-Anon group because Ike told me there is a tremendous need in our community I realized that just because Joey got sober didn't mean our marriage was going to become rainbows overnight there were years of damage that was done through Joey's Addiction in the first six years there was no marriage bringing up my children was a complete blur we had to start over communicating making regular life decisions and spending time with each other all the normal things couples are supposed to do I was confused on how to have a healthy relationship and how I was supposed to act as a married couple because I was robbed of the early years I want to thank Hashem for giving us the opportunity to have a second chance and making it through the toughest time not every story has an ending like ours [Applause] I realized the benefits of Al-Anon by speaking and connecting with other women who have experienced similar situations to mine I needed to let these women know that it takes work on their part too I have worked with women who are married from two years to 25 years 30 years I have found such meaning in speaking with otherwise struggling with how to live with their addicted husband I identify with them I will offer advice a listening ear and reassurance that they are not alone I will wake up to text messages from the middle of the night of woman texting me I'm scared he doesn't want to get help he won't go away how am I going to get through my day how am I going to get through my life my kids what will they say what will they think are they going to be okay you might be wondering why I'm emphasizing on the idea of woman getting help when clearly your spouse or child is considered the one with the problem when I receive a call from a woman they automatically would tell me well he's the one with the problem why do I need to go for help however addiction is a family disease we did not cause the addiction as wives we cannot control the addiction and we cannot cure the addiction again you could never control your spouse the fear of being alone um the fear of getting divorced are a few reasons why women are afraid to call safe and ask for help the fear that my children will be impacted with difficulty of getting married or they will find out about their parents addiction the fear that our social lives will change if they can't participate in events that involve drinking how will we go to dinner without a drink how will we go on vacations how we go to parties without a drink or a party drug the fear of maybe I'm overreacting maybe his use is not so bad maybe I'm crazy or he only takes something on vacations he doesn't really do it you know any other part of the day through all of this I make women feel comfortable enough to open up to me about everything in which we build a trusting relationship even though sometimes there are unhappy endings there are divorces through addiction they call me up and say Marilyn I'll be okay because Al-Anon and safe gave me the strength the wisdom and the tools to make these big decisions it helped me and my children get through this in the end my goal is to build strength in these women so that whatever decisions they need to make they will always have the courage to do it whether good or bad joining the safe support network helps me grow every day and it can give anyone married single or divorced who is struggling the tools to conquer life's obstacles thank you just one last speech and we're done James right I want to First foremost thank everyone for coming to the 20th year anniversary of the safe Foundation I still want to thank some of the most important people who always and important people always stuck by my side I never gave up on on me through the toughest times of my life my parents my in-laws and my siblings without their support I truly wouldn't be where I am today there is one person in this room that saved my life without him I wouldn't have achieved what I have to to this day you are the one person who made the biggest impact on my life and change it for the better thank you will never be enough finally I couldn't do what I do and to help so many people without a team behind me there are so many people in this room that I cannot name out loud but you know who you are all of you really helped me and our community by stepping up and helping anyone who is struggling last but not least I want to thank everyone in our community everybody here for trusting my wife and I to do the work that we love to do and that's helping people that are struggling in our community and making an impact here at the safe Foundation we continue to remind the community that addiction shouldn't be a stigma addiction is no different than someone being sick with an illness we are all good people but we sometimes get caught up in the grips of addiction at safe we are here to help and we see the good in every single person who walks in the door I want to give you a little back story on my life and what led me to the grips of addiction when I was 13 years old houdin came every year and that is where we had a big party by my house with lots of drinking of course my parents like any others didn't think much about it the drinking continued into the next few years and escalated to fit in and be with the cool crew at 17 I went to Israel for the year and in my mind I never wanted to do drugs I was the ultimate never to me I wouldn't be that person there are there I was on day one in Israel being offered marijuana by the cool crew which I felt like I couldn't say no because if I said no I wouldn't be part of from there marijuana took over just like drinking did I was doing it every day which led me to being kicked out of school and sent back home being from a religious and well-respected family within the community I don't think my parents would think that their son would be kicked out of school for drugs it just goes to show you that it does happen to some of the best people in the community which I witness day in and day out once I came home from being kicked out of school I started to associate myself with another group of friends that did pills again I said I would never touch a pill just like I said it with marijuana but the pure pressure set in and there I was I was hooked if I stood here and told you all my stories where drugs took me we would be here all day and probably multiple days there is one story that stands out most one Shabbat night I went out with a few friends to pick up marijuana from adela's house unfortunately my religion that was always so important to me took a backseat to drugs I didn't care about you that I cared about getting high because that is what addiction does to a person that night turned into a nightmare where there was a raid on the Dealer's house there we were on a Friday night going in the middle of this arrested and brought to central booking without my parents even knowing and that was probably the worst night of my life to make a very long story shorter I sat there and I swore I would never touch a drug again I was let out on Saturday night without any charges against me I was just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time without fail I went right back to what I swore hours prior I would never do again I was sitting there in that dirty jail cell with murderers heroin addicts you name it I was sitting there and I remember praying please just get me out of here I'll never do it again the moment I was released I went and got high that night you would think that I would stop but nothing stopped me what I thought would scare me straight absolutely did not I continued just a few days later on vacation with a boatload of drugs with the boys because I could not say no but now is more of an addiction and nothing was stopping me I was so stuck it almost felt like there was no way out it just couldn't stop I was getting into trouble blacking out car accidents ruining relationships Etc you name it I was doing it at a time in which it seemed like it couldn't get worse it did and it escalated and I found myself experimenting with all different drugs and getting hooked on all of them during this horrible time in my life where it was just partying and drugs I met my wife and oh boy she had no idea what she was getting herself into with me but what she saw was a popular fun guy from a good family she was young as most girls in our community are when they start dating it showed she had no idea like most don't she didn't know about my issues and my addictions she thought it was a little bit of pot a pill here and there at a party after two years we got married without her parents even noticing my drug use I believe they saw what kind of family I was from and would never think that I would be using drugs I was able to hide everything I was doing and not show this side of me this happens within the community every day and I see it constantly and it becomes a disaster of a marriage and I get multiple phone calls is this guy good is that guy good I don't know why they call me but they call me and I get these calls all day after getting married we moved to the city and my drug addiction just got worse she started to realize this wasn't just something I did from time to time at a party there was a problem this wasn't the end of my story but just the beginning 20 years ago is where my my story started with safe my addiction at the time wasn't at an all-time high that summer I had my first born is if you ask me if I remember the birth of my son I'd be lying to you if I said yes this is how strong my addiction was I gave up on one of the most important moments in my life to drugs at that point my family knew they had to come together and deal with my issues the night before my son's breasts is where my whole family was by my in-laws house without zorhar at a time in my life where we were supposed to be celebrating my firstborn but they were done with me sitting there threatening me to take away everything I have including my son my wife and my career at this point was someone who came into my life for a reason he came into my home the next morning and said are you truly ready to change your life or is this a waste of time I had that written but he actually ripped me and killed me and said I'd even want to say the language but I was I was scared and I'm like I gotta just say yes because I was petrified at that moment I knew I was ready but not sure if my mind was ready to give up and the drugs would drink the the drugs and drinking fully and one thing I want to add when I was sitting there and my whole family went down on me all I was thinking about was oh my God I can't do drugs with my friends anymore That's How Strong the peer pressure and the addiction gets you I enter into safe when I when it was a small room in the sbh building I was probably one of the first people to enter into the program I put the work in with the support of safe but a year and a half later I felt like I needed to test the waters and have a drink at that and that one drink led to drinking every night and then turned my life around and back to a full-blown addiction I let my family my wife Ike and safe down what I said I was ready to give up looking back that was just a play to get them off my back for the moment and possibly be able to do drugs and drink in moderation which that never happens and I've never seen an addict come in for help and try to go back and drink and do drugs in moderation never that just doesn't work for someone with an addiction and my life was back to where it was prior to entering safe my wife saw it all happen again and cold Ike back into my life he was there without hesitation and again ripped me at this point I was sick mentally I was sick and tired of being sick but I also I was tired of letting everyone who means the most to me in my life I was ready and willing to do whatever it takes with the safe to get my life back and put the past behind me I want to ensure everyone in this room truly knows what safe is safe is not just for the person with the addiction safe is also for the family of an addict and the people who are closest to them my parents and my wife came with me to save and learned really what happened and why did what I did in the past and had to deal with it I stand here 16 years later telling my story my story is why I'm here safe was my lifeline safe repaired my life and my relationships safe gave me back at purpose safe made me a better father and my three beautiful boys safe made me move forward within our business and be successful this isn't always the end to everyone's story that works with safe this person the person needs to want to do all that safe has to offer and do it for themselves I have seen many different outcomes but that is because the person is not at the point where they need or want to change their own life I have seen many marriages and divorce and in divorce I've also attended many funerals of my best friends that died that did not that didn't want the help and lost the battle to the disease that not everyone wins and I just want to add one thing I promise you I cannot count the amount of people in this community that have passed away from drug overdoses you might not know it the family might hide it because they are embarrassed but I could count at least 50 people in the 20 years and I am not making up a number that have passed away from the age of 20 to 70 in this community and died all of because of a stupid pill and it started only from drinking it's a shame I've seen and got many phone calls that you do not hear of kids overdosing in the community 18 19 and adults overdosing in the community I am dealing with a case the kid overdosed three times he is 19 years old you heard me 19 years old the last time he overdosed was in a shul on Ocean Parkway a couple of months ago so I'm not making up these stories this is a serious situation you just don't hear about it and people hide it they hide it because they're embarrassed but they don't understand that they could be saving their kids life instead of protecting their name I look at my I look at my life now and what it used to be this gives me the drive and determination to help everyone I look back and see that I wouldn't have become who I am today without getting better I know Hashem gave me these prior experiences so that I can stand here today and help others it goes without saying that this job never sleeps and it isn't always the easiest there are days where I get calls from parents in the middle of the night that their child needs help and I step right into intervene to get them what they need like Ike said I was texting him this morning I got a call at 7 30 a.m from a mother crying please help me my son is 28 he's in jail in New York City I have no idea why the court officer called me I need your help please I get these calls constantly daily you just don't hear about it it goes without saying my phone is always ringing and without hesitation I will do whatever it takes I think that anyone here that knows me I put my own life and business on hold just to ensure I can help someone the way I was helped these have been so many there has been so many cases that have come to me that are truly unimaginable things that would make your hair stand up you wouldn't understand it you wouldn't believe that it's happening in our community I sometimes need to step in not only to help the addict but sometimes it is the parents siblings and the wife who need the strength in order to move forward I make this job my number one priority in my life because I know how precious life is and it doesn't need to be taken away by an illness I saw not only my own life being completely wrecked by Illness but my family is also I want to ensure this isn't something that is going to continue within the community that means so much to me next to every man is a strong woman my wife is there to show other women there are also life after addiction and how to manage through the hardest times she's just like I am is there to do whatever it takes to keep other women strong there are some days she will sit on the phone with another wife for hours just because it might be a tough day and I go enough enough this person's calling you six times but she still picks up the phone because she knows what it feels like what she went through and she only wants that person to get better and give her the strength and God bless her me I need to get people off the phone quick give me the information let me know and she'll sit on the phone for hours so God blessed her God bless her she's got patience like a saint she understands more than anyone because she lived it and not everyone knows the feeling as a board member of save Foundation which I never thought in a million years that would be me I never thought I would be honored I never thought I would get the respect I was a nobody I was a drug addict I was a loser it goes to show you people could get better with the help of safe our community is one that needs someone a hundred percent and that is what me and my wife are there for beyond the meetings we open our home ensuring that it is a welcoming and comfortable environment for those seeking help we host meetings twice a week and the countless hours that go into just one meeting couldn't be possible without my wife she really I have to say who opens up their home on a Saturday during the winter without fail gets the food sets up and allows 20 to 30 addicts in our house so we could have a meeting or Friday buys them as a sets it up by the pool and welcomes 30 to 40 guys and that's not just a number a fake number we have 30 to 40 people all different types of people every week different rotation of people looking to get help learning from our own personal experience takes more than just leaving the toxic environment for 30 days it takes support and guidance well after that time safe is there with us ensuring the addict continues on to recovery Harry I'm almost done safe also just doesn't stop with someone who is already battling addiction safe is there in every single one of our community schools teaching our children from fifth to 12th grade about the FX of drugs and how to battle the peer pressure I'm seeing children as young as eighth grade starting to use marijuana which then is leading to the 12th graders use using hallucigens and that's mushrooms all sorts of drugs what I see all day and here I myself speak in every Community School to tell my story so kids can see how much drugs can affect their lives I sometimes find myself telling my story and kids coming to me or calling me after and saying they didn't know that something like that could happen or that they have a problem already this shows me now more than ever how much we need safe as much as safe educates our kids we need the support parents pushing as a positive force behind them not to go down their Road there are parents that are smoking pot and drinking and I get the call of my kids smoking pot I said what what do you want from me your smoking pot and you're telling them they shouldn't smoke pot and the kids know it and there's thousands I mean thousands of parents in the community that are doing it I'm sorry that I have to say this but this thousands and they expect their kid to be good parents should not even take the use of marijuana lightly and be naive and turn the Blind Eye to it because an occasional use of marijuana could lead to my story what I see in this community today is only becoming worse it's scary to say what it could be like in five years without the safe Foundation we have many challenges as a community it is important to celebrate the lives we save I have attended many weddings of people the birth of children and the success in business all who have overcome their addiction this is why we do what we do and why safe is so important it is it is the Moment Like These that remind us of the importance of our support and the impact we can have on addicts families in our community today as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the safe Foundation I know that my uncle Stanley Cheerio I love hashalom though no longer with us is in spirits is joining us in spirits and I am grateful to my aunt cookie for hosting this annual event please give her a round of applause I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today in support of such an important cause my wife and I along with the safe team promise to provide this community with continued support in order to continue the work work for our community we ask that we come together and ensure we can keep our community safe and supported thank you I'm gonna need I'm gonna ask everybody please 10 more minutes we need to do the fundraiser for safe they wait all year long for this please if everybody could give us the courtesy of 10 minutes just to go through the crowd to get the families the way I'd like to do it this morning is once we resettle down I'd like to get Jimmy and Charlie a microphone please I'd like to ask guys please give us five minutes of quiet please five minutes I'd like to ask guys please quiet for five more minutes appreciate your patience so far please we beg you for quiet I I'm gonna have to wait a minute I will not be successful I will not get to do what I believe we need for safe Charlie I'm sorry it just won't happen it'll be drowned out thank you everybody we really really appreciate it we put together our program specifically for this moment it's not working oh okay everybody thank you for coming but please don't leave yet we want to finish the program with success for everybody here please sit down and be quiet and please I appreciate it if you all give Harry a moment of thank you Cookie thank you okay so here's the way we're going to do it I would like to ask one member from each family one person from each family to please call out their family's dedication for safe okay so give me a mic please give me a mic I want to go around and ask a member from each family to give us their dedication for this year's three million dollar budget for safe Jimmy give me that okay I'm gonna try sorry for me there we go let's go the Hadid family Michael and David Hadid breaking the ice eighteen thousand dollars thank you Solomon Marciano just came over to me my buddy Solomon he's renewing and harriage mizana twenty thousand dollars to this year Rochelle and Eli dweck in honor Jimmy ten thousand the belly Jerome and Harvard's families renewing their pledge this year eighteen thousand dollars thank you Joey thank you ladies and Gentlemen please just for one more minute we just ask it's been only an hour and eight minutes hold on Harry I'm Trump Josh please this is such an important moment right now please we need the money we need your help I need five six minutes I'm getting them quiet for you I don't need it Stephen Feldman and Sons ten thousand dollars thank you Elliot and Annie azrak in honor of their daughter and Jimmy Diane 10 000. what Elliott the shaiba Family Foundation thank you Elliot giving us twenty six thousand dollars towards our budget towards our shortfall thank you in honor of his neighbor cookie another ten thousand dollars thank you thank you fortune and David Edelstein eighteen thousand dollars in honor of the Cavazos thank you David ten thousand dollars and another thirty six hundred dollars in order Joey Stephen high in fifty thousand since we've been hiding fifty two thousand thank you I need a minute Jimmy Jimmy the Century 21 family giving you fifty thousand dollars wow and another twenty thousand dollars from Eddie guindy and his family personally so much thank you so much atta boy thank you not Stanley come on Eddie and Monette Miss Sean 18 000. Jack and Lottie terzi in honor of his uncle likey eighteen thousand dollars I put it down wow Rock Harry Ralph wants the mic come on the microphone loves you Morris Ike Morris by Waba and family in honor of his father-in-law put him down for eighteen thousand dollars this morning thank you foreign but he has a little caveat he's giving ten thousand dollars he runs Joey cabasso to know you saved my life Joey Ralph the cash and Sons and family fifty thousand dollars Ralph 50 000 Shoal and or Ariel and Families how much fifty fifty thousand dollars only thank you Harry Here I Am the bracca family is giving us ten thousand dollars thank you thank you thank you go Ralph no next time next time you have the cards [Applause] thank you Renee just give me another couple of minutes thank you please Charles Charles sweat what do you got Charles and Marcel swear in honor of lorraineba thank you a board member of safe and Baby James Haddad 5200 thank you Jimmy put down Alan Jamal and family in memory of Stanley chiro yes ten thousand dollars yes thank you Alan thank you Ariel and Vivian nakash another 10 000 honor Joe in Maryland wow Ariel thank you okay I want to remind everybody that we have the 5K for the DD empowerment coming up in August and I think it's August 12th in my memory of David Duchess and in support of the DD empowerment project which is a program for safe graduates to stay sober through sobriety time Serene and David Azar Jimmy ten thousand dollars thank you David also Ralph Powell whatever he gave yes whatever renew it send them a bill fabulous 5200 and Jimmy yes put me and my wife and my brother down for the moment for eighteen thousand dollars I will give you more privately but put Harry and Alex ask me and their wives eighteen thousand dollars thank you in a moment thank you guys yes his partner Stephen renew them for ten thousand dollars thank you Haber eighteen thousand thank you Jimmy