To whom it may concern
We are writing to you in order to ask you to consider making
a donation to a cause which we believe is very important.
We are working at a clinic that provides treatment to rehabilitated
drug addicts, over the past 12 years. This treatment center
has been operating in the southern part of Tel Aviv since
1999. At first it was located in a small basement, and then
gradually expanded to a deserted building nearby. The staff
has done a wonderful job of making this place a second home
for the patients - sometimes even the first and only true
and warm home, since many of them come from broken homes
and carry family traumas. Over the years, the center has
treated dozens of addicts and led them to rehabilitation
and recovery to work, thereby not only saving their lives,
but also contributing to the well-being of their families
and to the reduction of crime in the community.
Patients here at the center participate in a variety of
activities. They attend individual and group therapy sessions,
animal therapy, sports classes, and crafts activities such
as learning to create pottery. The goal is to impart the
norms of society and encourage each patient to take responsibility
for his or her own life and for others - for example, the
fixed routine is a step in learning to come to work on time
and maintain a schedule; they learn to control their emotions
and interact more constructively with others, and therapy
helps them cope with the pain and traumas that led to their
original fall into addiction.
In light of the importance of the treatment provided here,
one of our highest priorities is making our patients' time
here as pleasant as possible. This is vital, first because
it allows us to give them the feeling that someone actually
cares for them - a feeling that they usually lack, and second,
because it provides them with a positive experience of the
"clean" (drug-free) way of life. We aim to help
them acquire a sense that there is something to live for,
and to reduce feelings of discrimination and neglect that
they have experienced as members of the lowest class of
society.
We truly believe that it is the responsibility of the state
to take care of these people, and to ensure that the center
has all the financial resources needed for its everyday
operation.
However, unfortunately the welfare system in Israel is
one of the lowest priorities for public spending, as security
concerns always take the most urgent postion, and therefore
facilities like ours consistently receive insufficient funding.
The drug abuse problem, although it has grown considerably
over recent years, has a particularly low priority level
in terms of resource allocation. As a result, we are unable
to carry out many of the activities that we feel are necessary,
including more group therapy sessions, day-trips to various
sites and more, and at times we cannot provide even the
basics such as coffee or meals for full-day program participants.
Usually we think that people should be able to cope on
their own, or work harder if they lack anything. But in
this case there does not seem to be any solution except
to turn to kind and compassionate people and ask for their
help, to enable us to keep the center working properly.
It is often difficult to solicit donations for causes related
to drug abuse, as many people prefer to donate money for
children in need, cancer research and other issues. we think
many people prefer not to think about drug addicts at all,
possibly because of their own fears, or due to guilt about
being part of a society that rejects those individuals who
are weak and in need - but with proper treatment, these
people can rejoin society and even contribute greatly to
others based on their experiences. In the center itself,
several crucial members of the therapeutic staff are people
who have been through drug rehabilitation and have now chosen
to devote themselves to helping others who are now in the
same situation that they were in years ago.
Therefore, we are turning to you with this plea for help,
for any donation you may see fit.
We sincerely thank you for taking the time to read this
letter. Of course, you are warmly invited to pay a visit
to our center.
Sincerely, yours,
Zilpa Gitiat,
Chairman of "Rotshild 2 - Drug Rehabilitated Association".
