TORONTO – ‘Sparkle, Sizzle + Song,’ an event organized by Regesh Family and Child Services in support of Chezi’s Corner, will be dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Yitzchak (Irwin) Witty, former executive director of the Toronto Board of Jewish Education.

A residential Safe House in Thornhill, Chezi’s Corner was named in memory of Yechezkel Scotty Goldberg, a devoted youth counsellor and certified alcohol and substance abuse professional. Goldberg, a Torontonian, had moved to Israel. A married father of seven children, he became a victim of a suicide bomb in Jerusalem four years ago.

The event, planned for March 1, at Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue, will feature an upscale auction, delicious refreshments and a musical tribute.

Ed Schild, founder and executive director of Regesh, a non-profit agency, said it’s only natural for his organization to pay tribute to Rabbi Witty, especially in association with Chezi’s Corner.

“Both Rabbi Witty and Chezi like singing,” he said. “Both recognized special-needs youth. Rabbi Witty, together with Rabbi [Joseph] Kelman, founded She’arim Hebrew Day School, for children with learning disabilities.”

Regesh, at Sheppard and Willowdale, began in 1983 as a receiving, assessment and treatment home for teens with emotional challenges. It is now predominantly a non-residential, day-program facility offering counselling, professional consultation and family support. It provides other related group and individual therapeutic counselling, including, for example, anger management, parenting courses for teens, a ‘High On Success’ mentoring program, crisis intervention and diagnosis of family dynamics.

Chezi’s Corner offers youth between the ages of 16 and 24 the opportunity to live in a safe, caring home for a short-term period while preparing to move forward in their lives. It also provides counselling services to youth at risk and their families.

Regesh, respected for its quality care and treatment of children, youth and families of all nationalities, also recently received more than $150,000 in funding, over a three-year period, from the federal department of justice’s Youth Justice Fund, to implement Reconnecting Youth (RY), a community-based program.

RY is an evidenced-based, award-winning, peer-group approach to building life skills that has shown successful results with at-risk youth, some of whom were already in gangs or using drugs. Regesh will be working together with its local community partners, including the Toronto District School Board, in this initiative.

“We are proud that we don’t have a long waiting list,” Schild said. “We try to get help within a two-week period. We also have a sliding scale based on income.”

For more information about Regesh Family and Child services, visit www.regesh.com, or call Schild at (416) 495-8832 ext. 222.

For tickets to ‘Sparkle, Sizzle & Song’ and advertisements in the Regesh journal, or to donate items or gift certificates for the auction, go to the web site or contact Gary Gladstone, director of development, at ext. 225. Proceeds will support the children and families of Chezi’s Corner, and receipts for charitable donations will be issued.