Local nonprofits win big in nationwide contest

Three Bay Area Jewish nonprofit organizations are among the winners of the month-long Chase Community Giving contest, which had Facebook members vote for their favorite charities nationwide. Voting ran from mid-June to July 13.

The local winners include Friendship Circle’s San Francisco and Peninsula branches, which came in at 36th place and 98th place respectively, and Chai Preschool, run by Chabad of the North Peninsula, which ranked number 86. The top 200 nonprofits each receive $20,000 from Chase Bank.

All told, 17 Chabad-Lubavitch programs from across the country, including 14 Friendship Circle branches, were among the 200 winning charities, for a combined total of $340,000.

Friendship Circle is a Chabad-run organization that pairs high school students with special-needs children. Said Rabbi Ezzy Schusterman of Friendship Circle, “This couldn’t have come at a better time. This money means [we] will hire the long-needed part-time program director to work with the staff on program implementation and evaluation.”

Esty Marcus of Chai Preschool in Foster City, said, “Twenty-thousand dollars can go a long way at our school. The tuition, as high as it is, simply does not cover the costs, and we rely on fundraising to subsidize the school.”