$340K Thanks to COLlive Readers

14 Friendship Circle branches and three other Chabad organizations from across the United States have been voted to the top 200 in the Chase Community Giving contest.

Over 35,000 votes were cast toward Friendship Circle organizations, with most Friendship Circles securing spots in the top 100 range, led by Friendship Circle of South Bay, CA which made it to 10th place with 8,172 votes.

Three other organizations placed in the top 200, including the Chai Preschool of California, who advertised a raffle as an incentive to voters on COLlive.com, Maimonides Hebrew Day School of Albany, NY and iVolunteer of Brooklyn, NY.

In the final days of the Facebook-based contest, COLlive added an extra push to help Chabad organizations win the cash, posting ads and articles calling on readers to vote.

And the readers came through, ensuring that all the Chabad organizations who entered the contest made it into the top 200.

As the winners were announced, Friendship Circle directors thanked COLlive for their assistance.

“Once the ads went up on COLlive our numbers got a huge boost,” Mrs. Chevi Frankel, program director of Friendship Circle of the Philadelphia region, told COLlive.

Frankel also credits her fellow Friendship Circles. “We all voted for each other,” she said. “It was beautiful to see the united effort.”

Rabbi Eli Laber, Director of the Friendship Circle of the Conejo Valley, said he is amazed that every one of the Chabad organizations who entered the contest will walk away with $20,000. “That alone is a testament to the caring of COLlive readers and the Chabad community,” he said. “The way everyone pulled together to help was really extraordinary.”

He added that a few of the late-joining organizations would probably not have won if not for COLlive’s push for votes. “Those guys couldn’t have done it without you,” he said.

The Friendship Circle International organization released a statement thanking COLlive readers, saying “It was amazing to see everyone pool their efforts to spread the word in their communities and beyond.”

The following is the list of Chabad winners of $20,000:

Friendship Circle of South Bay, CA Rank #10

Friendship Circle of Conejo Valley, CA Rank #35

Friendship Circle of S. Francisco, CA Rank #36

Friendship Circle of Kendall/Pinecrest, FL Rank #45

Friendship Circle of Montgomery County, MD Rank #46

Friendship Circle of Los Angeles, CA Rank #54

Capital Region Friendship Circle of Albany, NY Rank #56

The Stuart I Raskas Friendship Circle of Illinois Rank #57

Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh, PA Rank #58

Friendship Circle of S. Diego, CA Rank #61

Friendship Circle of North Broward & South Palm Beach, FL Rank #68

Friendship Circle of Seattle, WA Rank #72

Maimonides Hebrew Day School of Albany, NY Rank #74

IVOLUNTEER of Brooklyn, NY Rank #76

Chai Preschool of Foster City, CA Rank #86

Bay Area Friendship Circle, CA Rank #98

Friendship Circle of Philadelphia Region North, PA Rank #154