Voices Behind the Mission

Our Model – and What Makes It Work

Ray of Hope has developed a professionally-facilitated, peer-centered support model. It’s a unique hybrid that brings together the rigor of clinical oversight with the irreplaceable power of shared experience. Groups are neither group therapy nor unstructured peer support. They represent a model the field rarely sees, and it is at the heart of what makes Ray of Hope distinctive.
Three things distinguish Ray of Hope’s approach from anything else available to Jewish survivors:
“The support groups allowed me to build companionship and a safe place to share my deepest struggles and pains in a judgment-free zone. Having this group has made me realize that I am not alone on this journey and that there are other people who think or feel the way I do. I made friends, and I feel a deep bond to the women I’ve met.”

— Dena A., Ray of Hope Member

Our Impact

From ten women in a living room in 2019 to a global community spanning 140 cities, Ray of Hope’s growth reflects not organizational ambition but the size of an unmet need. Every number below represents a person who was once carrying their story alone, and is now not.
“Before Ray of Hope, I felt isolated, unworthy and alone. Nowadays, I feel confident and supported, part of a community that truly values me.” Another member said it was “like 10 years of therapy in a single Shabbaton.”
“The greatest gift I’ve received from Ray of Hope was permission to remove the shame, remove the stigma, remove the big ugly rug that never should’ve been there. I have permission to embrace myself as a strong, thriving and surviving warrior for everything I’ve been through.”

— Maya L., Ray of Hope Member

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Active support
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Members
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Cities across the
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Care packages
distributed in 2025
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Care management
calls in 2025
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Member outings and events hosted in 2025

Future Plans for Ray of Hope

Ray of Hope’s next chapter focuses on three core initiatives, each addressing different gaps between where we are and where we need to be.
Initiative One: Expanding Access to Support Groups

Every week, survivors reach out ready to begin their journey, and some must wait until there is room. The waitlist represents real people carrying real pain. The limiting factor is not demand — it is capacity.

Goal: Open eight new support groups over the next 18 months, focused on men’s groups and married women’s groups outside the Tri-State area, while building a formal facilitator training program to reduce the time from need to group launch.

Opportunity: $15,000 opens one complete group for one year, serving up to 10 members. $75,000 brings Ray of Hope to 50 people currently on the waitlist. $150,000 clears the current waitlist and builds facilitator pipeline capacity for sustained growth.

Initiative Two: The Member Center & Community Connection

When a survivor completes their support group journey, healing doesn't stop and the need for belonging doesn't either. Many of our members' deepest transformations happen in the connections that grow from the group.

Goal: Expand the Member Center model to Lakewood, NJ, grow peer-led meetups to new cities, and build an alumni community that ensures members don't lose their connections when they graduate.

Opportunity: $3,000 launches a year of peer meetups in a new city. $30,000 funds one year of Member Center operations. $60,000 opens a second location and launches meetup programs in three new cities.

Initiative Three: National and International Expansion

Ray of Hope was born in the New York metro area, but the need is everywhere the Jewish community exists. The Florida expansion has already proven the model is replicable.

Goal: Bringing Ray of Hope into new regions, including Queens (Bukharian community), Toronto, Israel, and additional U.S. cities.

Developing new programs including a survivor helpline, peer mentorship, and training for Rabbonim and chassan/kallah teachers.

Opportunity: $50,000 seeds a full regional expansion. $80,000 establishes a self-sustaining regional presence and transforms what is available to survivors in an entire community.

Partner With Us

Every survivor who reaches Ray of Hope has already done something extraordinary: they decided to reach out despite the pain and shame. Your investment honors that courage and ensures that when they do reach out, someone is there.

We have named our giving levels after Hebrew words that speak to the heart of what Ray of Hope does.
Giving Levels
Tikvah= $5,000
Funds a full year of care packages before chagim for the members of our community and their spouses. These gifts are tangible reminders that they’re important, valued, and cherished.
Kavod= $10,000
Funds peer-led meetup programming in a new city for three full years – bringing survivors in that community their first opportunity to connect face-to-face with others who understand their journey.
Ohr= $18,000
Funds one complete support group for one full year: the facilitation, coordination, bi-monthly group trips, and care management that allows up to 10 members to move from isolation to belonging, from silence to strength. This is one of Ray of Hope’s most impactful programs.
Refuah= $36,000
Funds two complete support groups, reaching up to 20 members through the formal group journey while building a community anchor for those further along in healing. This giving level also supports bi-monthly group trips and activities for both groups. This gift closes the gap between group graduation and lasting belonging.
Neshama= $54,000+

Provides seed funding for regional expansion, bringing the Ray of Hope model to a community that currently has no culturally competent survivor support. This is the gift that multiplies – because once a community has Ray of Hope, it changes what is possible for every survivor who lives there.

Another Level

Gifts of all sizes are welcome and deeply valued. Ray of Hope also welcomes multi-year commitments, corporate and foundation support, in-kind gifts, and legacy giving. To discuss a customized partnership, please reach out to us directly.

Tikvah

$5,000

Funds a full year of care packages before chagim for the members of our community and their spouses. These gifts are tangible reminders that they’re important, valued, and cherished.

Kavod

$10,000

Funds peer-led meetup programming in a new city for three full years – bringing survivors in that community their first opportunity to connect face-to-face with others who understand their journey.
Ohr

$18,000

Funds one complete support group for one full year: the facilitation, coordination, bi-monthly group trips, and care management that allows up to 10 members to move from isolation to belonging, from silence to strength. This is one of Ray of Hope’s most impactful programs.
Refuah

$36,000

Funds two complete support groups, reaching up to 20 members through the formal group journey while building a community anchor for those further along in healing. This giving level also supports bi-monthly group trips and activities for both groups. This gift closes the gap between group graduation and lasting belonging.
Neshama

$54,000+

Provides seed funding for regional expansion, bringing the Ray of Hope model to a community that currently has no culturally competent survivor support. This is the gift that multiplies – because once a community has Ray of Hope, it changes what is possible for every survivor who lives there.

Tzedek
Gifts of all sizes are welcome and deeply valued. Ray of Hope also welcomes multi-year commitments, corporate and foundation support, in-kind gifts, and legacy giving. To discuss a customized partnership, please reach out to us directly.
Other Ways to Get Involved

Financial partnership is one of the most impactful ways to support Ray of Hope, but it is not the only way. We also welcome:

  • Volunteer opportunities, including care package assembly, event support, and community outreach
  • Community education partnerships, including hosting a Ray of Hope awareness event in your shul or organization
  • Professional collaboration for clinicians, social workers, and mental health professionals seeking to deepen culturally competent trauma care
  • Referrals: if you know someone who might benefit from Ray of Hope, a warm referral is one of the most meaningful gifts you can offer

Join Us in Building a Safer,
Kinder World.

Ray of Hope exists because one survivor’s pain is one too many. Because isolation compounds trauma, and belonging heals it Because the Jewish community has the values, the capacity, and the calling to do better by the survivors in its midst
Your partnership makes it possible for someone, right now, to pick up the phone and find a community waiting on the other end. We are grateful beyond words for your consideration.

Help us reach everyone

What began as one small gathering has grown into 37 active support groups across 140 cities, with more than 800 members who have found their way from silence to strength. And still, every week, the phone rings with someone new who has been waiting years to find us.

We are not finished. We are just beginning. And your partnership is what makes the next chapter possible.

Ray of Hope builds caring and empowered communities to support Jewish men, women, and families in their healing from the trauma of sexual abuse. Ray of Hope Institute, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Tax ID: 85-2872171.