Please Pay Me Early...
3M = Magic at Lema'an Achai
People often ask me "what makes Lema'an Achai different from other great charitable organizations?"
To begin to answer this question, we have focused on the team of three of our professionals at Lema'an Achai, whose amazing activities give insight into "what makes Lema'an Achai not just different, but Unique".
We call them 3M – Meir Crandell + Meir Jaffe + Motti Weisner
This is Part Two of a Three Part Series...
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"Please Pay Me Early…"
Motti Wiesner's professional background is in Finance, Business Management and Marketing. He worked in management of long term care homes in the
"Part of my duties as a manager was preparing and distributing salaries to the staff at the homes," Motti recollects. "Every month, members of staff would approach me, asking for their salaries to be paid early. After a while, I noticed it was the same staff members who were asking. So I made some enquiries why they were having problems finishing the month….
"I began to offer counseling to these staff members, most of whom did not budget their household income and expenses. I developed my own system, which I taught these staff members, and the results were dramatic. These staff and their families were soon not needing to ask me for advancing their salaries – as they had learned how to budget effectively.
"When I made Aliya, I was looking to apply these skills to helping my friends and neighbors in Ramat Bet Shemesh. I joined Lema'an Achai, who were actively seeking people with my skill-set, and I now head up the Lema'an Achai financial counseling department.
In addition, over 10% of our families are running small businesses. I work intensively with these businesses to get them working effectively – the objective is to generate the revenue which is needed to meet the family's budgetary needs.
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"Mom, Dad….Where Are You……????...
When the L family made Aliya, they had no idea how they would survive financially in their new home. Mr L had $5000 in savings. But that was it.
Mr L is industrious and hard working, and he set about establishing a new business, almost the day they hit Ramat Bet Shemesh. Like all businesses, it did not prosper in those first months and his $5000 had soon disappeared, leaving an increasing hole of debt in his bank account. His wider family wanted to help the L family, but they themselves were struggling including family back in the
The L family sold off what few possessions were sellable, and tried to think of new ideas how to bring the business to a profitable level. But they just went round in circles, eventually becoming nonchalant and then depressed. As the bills piled high and the business kept losing more money, they became desperate.
Their disappointments and failures just became to much for them to bare, they were overwhelmed, desperate and utterly embarrassed. They had a plan … They informed their adult children that they were leaving Israel along with their 12 year old daughter, they would change their identities and not tell anyone of their future destination…..even their family. In plain words, they would skip the country. The reasoning, pleading and crying of their children made no difference. They were resolute.
After their son left the house he flipped his cell open and did the only thing he could. He called Lema'an Achai.
It is now over a year later. The business has been revamped, with Motti's help, and now generates enough salary to fully pay the family's bills – with even enough to repay their debt at the bank.
"I feel so proud," said Mr L, as he wrote out his first tzedaka check since his Aliya. The check was to Lema'an Achai and he made a point of handing it over to Motti. "and I'm so thankful. I want you to use this to help other families, the way you helped me. You literally saved my business, and my life in
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Motti Weisner's work at Lema'an Achai covers these activities:
· Family Budgeting – teaching home budgeting skills, and working with the family to tailor a budgeting solution for each family.
· Debt Management – assessing an appropriate level of debt, and restructuring unaffordable debt.
· Small Business Management – getting started, and improving productivity of running businesses.
· Managing Transition – when a family member becomes ill, or redundant, or other destabilizing events, then the impact of this must be carefully managed to contain and resolve the problems, while avoiding collapse.
· Family rehabilitation – teamed together with other professionals at Lema'an Achai, Motti helps plan out and implement sustainable, achievable programs for helping each family get back on their feet.
To Donate to Lema'an Achai: www.SmartChesed.org
By Phone in Israel 24/6: 02 99999.33
Mail Checks: "Lema'an Achai", 40/7 Nahal Lachish, Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel 99093.
Tax deductible in Israel, USA, Canada and UK.
The guy on the right in your picture looks constipated.
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