Dzulo tinataya munthu wokondedwa komanso wokondedwa wa banja la Y, Rita Rosenthal. Mwa iye 108 kwa zaka zambiri anali ndi maudindo ambiri: Wopulumuka ku Holocaust, Wosamukira ku Germany, Wokhala ku Washington Heights, mkazi, wochita bizinesi yodzikongoletsera, amayi, ndi agogo. A Y anali ndi mwayi womuyimbiranso membala wake wa board, wolemba mabuku, wodzipereka, ndi membala. Tidzakumbukira Rita chifukwa cha kudzipereka kwake kwa ena, nkhondo yake yolimbana ndi zovuta, ndi mphamvu zake, kutchulapo zochepa chabe mwa makhalidwe ake olimbikitsa.
Tikuthokoza chifukwa cha 40+ zaka Rita adakhala akubweretsa kuwala ku gulu lathu la Y. Atapuma pabizinesi yaing'ono yodzikongoletsera yomwe adachita ndi mwamuna wake, adakumana ndi neba yemwe amafunikira thandizo kuti apite ndikuchokera ku Y. Rita anayamba kumuthandiza kupezeka pa nkhani ndipo posakhalitsa anali kudzipereka masiku asanu pamlungu. Pamapeto pake anapita kukatumikira m’gulu la Y. Liti, pa usinkhu wa 100, Rita ankaganiza kuti misonkhano ya board yamadzulo yakhala yochuluka kwambiri, adapuma pantchito. Komabe, adapitiliza kudzipereka ku Y, kuthandiza Center for Adults Living Well ndi kusunga mabuku ndi ntchito zoyang'anira. Posachedwapa, adasungabe kulumikizana kwake ndi Y ndimasewera ake amlatho wanthawi zonse.
Ndife okondwa kuti Rita adasankha kugawana zambiri za iye yekha ndi Y, ndipo tikuyembekeza kuti tidzatha kumubweretsera chisangalalo monga momwe adatibweretsera.
Monga gawo la Sabata la National Volunteer Graciation Week, mu 2013 Rita adadziwika chifukwa chazaka makumi angapo akuthandizira Y pamwambo wozindikiritsa anthu odzipereka a UJA-Federation.. Tikutumizanso chidutswa ichi, lofalitsidwa koyamba mu Epulo 2013.
Pa 102, Wopulumuka Kuphedwa kwa Nazi akubwererabe ku Gulu
Kumanani ndi Rita Rosenthal: wokhala ku Washington Heights 56 zaka, mayi wa awiri, agogo, komanso wodzipereka nthawi zonse ku YM&YWHA waku Washington Heights & Inwood. Rita nayenso ndi a 102 wazaka zakubadwa wopulumuka ku Nazi.
Pa April 22nd, monga gawo la Sabata la National Volunteer Graciation Week, Rita adadziwika ndi UJA-Federation, adasankhidwa chifukwa chothandizira kwambiri ku Y kuyambira pafupifupi 30 zaka. Anamulonjera ndi chisangalalo chachikulu chifukwa cha ntchito yake yabwino kwambiri. “Ndimasangalala, nambala wani: kukhala zothandiza ku bungwe, ndi nambala yachiwiri: ubwenzi,” akutero Rita.
Rita anabadwira ku 1910 ku Germany. Iye amakumbukira nthawi imene zinthu zinali bwino. “Pamene ndinali wachinyamata, zinali zosiyana kotheratu. Simunafunse kuti ‘Kodi ndinu Myuda kapena ayi?’ Inu munali [nthawi zonse] kukumana ndi anthu.” Amakumbukira kupita kusukulu ndi ana a Katolika ndi Lutheran, popanda kufunsidwa konse za chipembedzo chake. Koma moyo unayamba kuvuta pamene chipani cha Nazi chinafalikira ku Germany. Kufuna kwake ntchito kunamupangitsa kuti asamukire ku Berlin, kumene abwana ake, nayenso Myuda, kenako anakakamizika kutseka bizinesi yake. Pang'onopang'ono, Rita anaona zonse zikuchotsedwa kwa iye; kuchokera kuntchito yake, kunyumba kwake, ndipo pamapeto pake banja lake. Zizindikiro monga "Ayuda ndi Agalu osaloledwa" zopachikidwa m'mawindo a sitolo zinatumizira Rita uthenga womveka bwino: anayenera kuchoka ku Germany. Mu 1937, Rita ndi mchimwene wake wazaka 16 anathawira ku America, ndipo adakhazikika ku New York. Kenako anakumana ndi mwamuna wake kuno, komanso wopulumuka ku Holocaust wochokera ku Germany, ndipo pamodzi adayambitsa banja ndi moyo watsopano.
M’malo molola kuti zikumbukiro zowawa za moyo wake zimugwetse pansi, Rita wakhala umunthu wofunika kwambiri ku Y, kubwereranso ku gulu lake la Washington Heights. "Ndakumana ndi anthu ambiri ndipo ngakhale mabwenzi ayamba." Rita sanangodzipereka ku Y, koma adatumikiranso m'bwalo. Tsopano kuti ali ndi zaka zoposa zana, Rita wachepetsa ntchito yake yodzipereka kukhala 500 maola pachaka, koma Y amadalirabe Rita kuti agwire ntchito zofunika kwambiri zoyang'anira Center for Adults Living Well @ The Y. Amafotokozedwa ndi Martin Englisher, Executive Director ku Y, monga "matriarch athu a Y. Timamukonda ndipo timamuthokoza pa zonse zimene watichitira.” Poyang'anira zambiri za umembala, kugwirizanitsa zochitika zapadera, ndi kugwira ntchito zina zambiri, amathandiza anzawo kuti akhale ndi thanzi labwino. Gulu lonse la Y limayamikira kutsimikiza mtima ndi nkhawa za Rita. "Ndimasangalala kuchita ndipo ndine wokondwa kwambiri, wokondwa kwambiri komanso wothokoza kuti nditha kuchitabe kanthu [kuthandiza].”
