ORT has a miraculous mission that has served 3 million youth since 1880. As a modern Jewish organization, ORT now educates 300,000 young people on 5 continents, including a vital network of ORT programs, schools, and youth villages on the periphery of Israel. ORT offers cutting edge STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education in a Jewish context. ORT changes lives by closing the gap between potential and opportunity. It provides the total student learning experience that gives her/him a Jewish identity and marketable sophisticated skills leading to a great career. This sustains the student as an adult, supports the family, and pulls them all into the fabric of the host community's socio-economic life. This stands as a bulwark against anti-Semitism in the diaspora and a part of the defense of Israel's borders.
ORT in Florida reaches out to members of our community, provides excellent programming, has outstanding dedicated professional leadership, and committed volunteers who love ORT. Whoever denigrated this organization and particularly our steadfast, caring, and highly competent executive assistant, Ilene, obviously showed his/her hand as a disgruntled employee who had insufficient skills to remain as part of our ORT team. In the 33 years I have been a member of ORT, I have never observed nor experienced this kind of anger or vengeance by any ORT employee in the 5 cities in which I have lived.
If you want to become part of something greater than yourself, join our ORT team to help promote Jewish continuity around the globe. Become part of the team that works to stregthen Israel and and the security of students and their families in Argentina, Russia, France, and dozens of countries around the world where Jewish people now live. So come enjoy like-minded people who care about the Jewish world and want to contribute to it. ORT impacts the world and leaves its imprint on each of us.
I have been a member of ORT for 38 years, holding positions of leadership on the chapter, region and national level. This very special organization has offered me the opportunity to contribute to the improvement of our students' lives around the world. I treasure the many wonderful friends I have made and the many staff members I have enjoyed working with and have learned so much from.
ORT is as relevant today as the day it was founded in Russia in 1880. World ORT continues to enhance peoples lives globally through education. ORT graduates develop successful careers
and lead fulfilling, independent lives. They proudly contribute to their communities and make this world a better place.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to support ORT!
Barbara
ORT American is a horrible organization to work for! Having worked in the Florida Region office, the employee with the name of Ilene was a true mean individual as well as a true sourpuss. The individual would do what is ever necessary to make a life a living hell. This is indeed reflected in the organization nationwide. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing...what a mess
My husband and myself have been contributors to Ort America for a long time. We have gone on a number of ORT missions which has allowed us to see the good that ORT does. Because of the difference the Ort program makes in the lives of the students, we have endowed three computer labs. Two of which are in Russian and one in Brooklyn, NY. I was a long time volunteer and served in many positions including a member of the National Board and a delegate to World ORT Union.
As I see it, there are two main factors that contribute to a low quality of life for people: living in poverty and lacking the education to get yourself out of poverty.
ORT America has for decades provided hundreds of thousands of people the education that they need to raise themselves up and out of low socioeconomic situations.
Whether people have immigrated to a new country and need to learn a new language; or a current college grad looking for a career path; ORT's schools and programs help open the doors for new and better opportunities.
I am proud to say that my grandmother was a part of ORT in Iran teaching young children how to read and write; and I find myself honored to be following her footsteps with my association with this amazing organization.
I have been involved with ORT America for about 12 years, as a donor and as a member of the Atlanta board of directors. They are now highly rated by Charity Navigator. I have always found their headquarters in NYC to be very responsive and able to provide whatever I asked for. It is a great charity that helps 300,000 disadvantaged people around the world to get an employment oriented education, especially in the field of computers and science.
DO NOT INVEST WITH THESE PEOPLE. They are very irresponsible. You call for tax information and forms to send in with your taxes, they do not return phone calls, e-mails, etc. It is almost impossible to speak to a real person. They do not send vital information, checks in a timely manner. It is like pulling teeth to get any response. I am the benficiary of a testimentary trust and every year we go through the same song and dance to get tax information. Very Bad business practices.
ORT America is an important and inspiring organization, merged from the two incredible organizations which preceded it. I have been a dedicated volunteer for 20+ years and truly believe in ORT's mission of worldwide education. I also firmly stand by my statement that ORT manages both their donors, and their donor's funds, correctly and consistently. The professionals that I have worked with at ORT have always been attentive to my needs and treated me with the utmost of respect. ORT has always been an organization that I trust to manage money in a way that benefits their schools and programs most. I have had the privilege to see this firsthand. Having been involved for so long, I know that overhead is extremely low overall and that the diligent staff are always taking extra steps to ensure that the maximum amount of funds are being transferred to the cause. This organization has been around for more than 133 years now and I believe strongly that, to make it this long, they are surely doing many things right. I proudly stand by this charity.
DO NOT DONATE. I DONATED $50,000 TO ESTABLISH A FAMILY FUND IN 2008. I HAVE HAD NO UPDATES AND WHEN CONTACTED IT TOOK 3 MONTHS TO CONFIRM THE FAMILY FUND. THEN SILENCE AGAIN. THEY BLAME AUDITS, HOLIDAYS OR ON VACATION FOR NOT RESPONDING TO MY INQUIRY. I AM SAD THAT ORT THOUGHT SO LITTLE OF MY DONATION.
Great organization that trains people for real world skills. Around the globe ORT schools give the help needed in that area and for the current job market.
ORT America works in support of the programs and projects across the global ORT network, all geared to the needs and circumstances of the local communities but all of which work toward a single mission of changing lives through education. But one of the things that I find MOST admirable about ORT (the individual organizations as well as the individual projects) is that they keep working at something long after attention has shifted elsewhere.
They are still on the ground more than five years after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
As the first (and second) wave of Haitian relief begins to recede, they are ramping up, laying ground work for new, "hit the ground running" desperately needed educational infrastructure in Haiti
And now - in that same way - their updates from Chile continue as attention is focused on next steps and future needs.
It shows that they are committed to sustaining programs and continuing support however long it is needed - no easy feat at the best of times but especially now in our current economic climate.
