Super Volunteer - Harriet

For a dedicated educator like Harriet Savitz, volunteering for Friends of Karen is second nature. She has been giving her time and talents to the organization for more than 20 years.

Harriet learned about Friends of Karen when staff member, Gwen Salmo, visited the elementary school in Manhattan’s Chinatown where Harriet was teaching. Harriet’s class was participating in a community service program and they selected Friends of Karen as a beneficiary of their grassroots fundraising activities. What impressed Harriet then and still does now is “Friends of Karen’s commitment to helping the whole family, not just the ill child. What makes the organization so special is the art and music therapy for the siblings, the birthday bags and holiday gifts for all the children in the family.”

You can count on Harriet to handle every volunteer assignment with a smile, whether packing school supplies or holiday gifts, greeting guests at special events, tending the gardens at the North Salem headquarters, or calling donors to thank them for their contribution.

“As a volunteer, whatever I do for Friends of Karen, Friends of Karen does MORE for me,” explains Harriet. “To be able to directly help, in some small way, has filled my heart with purpose and joy. I am never conscious of the hours spent at Friends of Karen. Instead, I am gratefully aware of the dedication and professionalism of the staff I have been privileged to know.” Friends of Karen celebrates Harriet and all the remarkable volunteers who make a difference every day. We LOVE our volunteers.