Rales JFS receives a $2 Million Transformational Gift from Leon & Toby Cooperman to name the "Toby and Leon Cooperman Therapy & Family Resource Center"

BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (Rales JFS) announced today the launch of the organization's Capital Campaign to open a new Therapy and Family Resource Center. Thanks to a transformational gift of $2M from philanthropists Toby and Leon Cooperman, the Toby and Leon Cooperman Therapy & Family Resource Center (TFRC) is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2022 and will be a one-stop shop for families with special needs.

The Rales JFS capital campaign will raise vital funds to sustain the operations of the new TFRC, which will address an unmet need in the community as identified by a study from Beit Issie Shapiro, and commissioned by the Jewish Federation of south Palm Beach County. The mission of the new TFRC is threefold: to provide children with varying needs and abilities affordable access to treatment and therapies in order for maximum realization of their developmental, educational, and personal potential; equip parents and other caregivers with the necessary information and support to ensure a therapeutic continuum; and provide the education and guidance needed to build stronger families.

While there are many for-profit therapy centers in the area, the TFRC distinguishes itself by providing financial assistance to those families who qualify, making access to much-needed therapies less of a financial burden. In addition, because Rales JFS is already equipped to serve the entire family, another barrier often reported by families – lack of convenient access to services in one location – is removed.  Led by the Coopermans' donation, the Capital Campaign will ensure that Rales JFS can meet the community's urgent need for services now and in the future.

For more than three decades, Toby and Leon Cooperman's extraordinary vision and exceptional generosity have affected the lives of countless individuals, including families raising children with disabilities.

"We are so pleased to be able to support causes and agencies that we care about," said Toby Cooperman. "Rales JFS truly makes a difference in people's lives." Leon continued,  "We believe that agencies like Rales JFS deserve support for the important services they provide, and we are blessed to be in a position to contribute to the creation of this new Center."

The need for a full-service therapy center for the child and family is more apparent than ever. According to the Palm Beach County School District, approximately 32,000 children in grades K-12 have a developmental or intellectual disability. The TFRC concept has received letters of support from the Palm Beach County School District, FAU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, the Adolph and Rose Levis JCC Special Needs Department, and countless parents eagerly awaiting its opening.

"We are incredibly grateful to the Coopermans' for choosing to support our new Therapy and Family Resource Center," said Stephen Mendelsohn, Board Chairman of Rales JFS. "We are hopeful their gift will inspire others to support our Capital Campaign, which has many other naming opportunities available."

Seed funding for the renovation and start-up costs of this new endeavor was provided by the Norman and Ruth Rales Foundation, a long-time supporter of Rales JFS and the namesake of the agency. "Rales JFS continues to grow as a full-service agency designed to support the needs of the entire family," said Josh Rales. "My parents, Norman and Ruth, who came from humble beginnings just like Toby and Leon Cooperman, would be so proud to support the creation of this new Center, which meets a huge unmet need in the community." 

To read the full press release, click here.

To learn more about the Capital Campaign for the TFRC, please contact Rales JFS at 561-852-3333 or [email protected].

About Toby & Leon Cooperman
For more than three decades, Toby and Leon Cooperman's extraordinary vision and exceptional generosity have impacted the lives of countless individuals, including families raising children with disabilities. From humble beginnings, Leon Cooperman, born and raised in the Bronx and the first in his family to attend college, graduated from Hunter College, where he met his wife, Toby, and later from Columbia Business School. Leon went on to pursue an illustrious career in finance, rising to leadership positions at Goldman Sachs and ultimately establishing his own successful investment management business, Omega Advisors. Toby Cooperman, also a Bronx native, has long been a determined, outspoken advocate for children with disabilities and their families. With two graduate degrees in special education, Toby worked as a special education teacher and consultant in New Jersey, where the Coopermans raised their family, for more than a quarter-century, dedicating significant financial resources to serve the special needs community in that state, including establishing The Toby Cooperman Community Support Fund and financing an expansion of Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled's campus. Through the Leon and Toby Cooperman Family Foundation, the Coopermans have also provided generous financial support to many organizations in South Florida, including the Toby & Leon Cooperman Sinai Residences of Boca Raton, the Toby & Leon Cooperman Center for Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease in the Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach, and the Toby and Leon Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion of Boca Raton Regional Hospital currently under construction. Now, the Coopermans have made a transformational gift to renovate the Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services campus, which will house, among other facilities, the Toby and Leon Cooperman Therapy and Family Resource Center.

About Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services 
For 40 years, Rales JFS has provided help, hope and humanity through its comprehensive range of programs that serve people of all ages and beliefs. With locations in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, programs include food and financial assistance, affordable counseling and mental health services, senior services, programs for children and families, career and employment services and many volunteer opportunities. To learn more, visit www.ralesjfs.org or email [email protected].

Media Contact:
Melissa Perlman
561-310-9921
[email protected]

SOURCE Ruth and Norman Rales Jewish Family Services