In Crown Heights, Brooklyn’s, Hasidic community, weddings are a big deal. They’re also expensive, and in this largely low-income community, a real challenge. Enter Devorah Benjamin, who wears a bejweled hoodie embroidered with the words “The Wedding Planner.”
Says the New York Times, “The Dutch-born Ms. Benjamin is the founder of Keren Simchas Chosson V’Kallah, a nonprofit organization that pays for and plans the weddings. The foundation’s nearly $500,000 annual budget comes entirely from donations collected at annual fund-raisers and charity drives, and via mailed-in checks.” Benjamin estimates she’s helped over 4,000 families throw weddings and raised $5 million. As she says, “I think I have quite a big say in the community.”
A Wedding Planner For All, Including Those In Need [NY Times]