Aug 30, 2016
Generous Donors Expand the Making Miracle Babies Fertility Fund
Since 2014, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Hebrew Free Loan Association (HFLA) of South Florida have been working together to support the Making Miracle Babies Fertility Fund. Started by Michelle and Matan Ben-Aviv in honor of their son, the innovative loan fund empowers South Florida Jewish couples with fertility obstacles to pursue parenthood via In Vitro Fertilization. Thanks to a generous donation from Reggie and Jeff Goldstein, whose son and daughter were adopted, HFLA of South Florida has expanded the fund to include interest-free loans for adoption.
The Goldstein Family Adoption Fund will provide $24,000 in interest-free loans, which can be used to cover the birth mother’s medical and living expenses, adoption and attorney fees, social worker fees and court costs. “I saw this story in the Greater Miami Jewish Federation newsletter on the Making Miracle Babies Fund. It touched me so much and I said we need to give money,” said Reggie Goldstein. “We met Michelle and Matan, who are so warm and caring, and we agreed that we didn’t need to reinvent the wheel.”
The Making Miracle Babies Fund provides couples with an $18,000 interest-free loan for IVF treatment. The Goldstein Family Adoption Fund will provide $24,000 interest-free loans. Adoptions can cost from $25,000 to $60,000.
“Jewish tradition places a great deal of emphasis on the concepts of family, children and continuity. But not every couple can have children of their own. That’s why The Hebrew Free Loan Association of South Florida, with a generous donation from the Goldstein family, has launched this newest fund,” said HFLA Executive Director Andrew Weinberg.
The Goldsteins, who are donors to Federation, were introduced to HFLA of South Florida through Federation’s Director of Philanthropic Initiatives, Simon Kaminetsky.
“We knew it was the Ben-Avivs’ dream to one day expand the fund to include adoption,” said Kaminetsky. “Federation is thrilled because we want to help people build Jewish families. We realize it’s not always easy and it doesn’t happen immediately for many people, so this is one more opportunity for us to be responsive to community needs.”
Infertility affects 6.7 million women in the U.S., or about 12 percent of the reproductive-age population.
For more information, please contact HFLA at hebrewloan.org or call 305.933.1187.
