Friday Evening Worship Service with Special Guest Danielle Butin of Afya Foundation
Welcome to Temple Emanu-El. Whether near or far, we would be honored if you would stand with our congregation and celebrate Shabbat with us. We will be joined by Danielle N. Butin, MPH, OTR, Founder and CEO of Afya Foundation.
About Danielle Butin:
Danielle Butin’s life changed with an epiphany on the plains of the Serengeti. She had no idea it would change millions of other lives too. As a former healthcare executive, Ms. Butin understood that medical supplies in the United States were being discarded due to federal regulations — millions of pounds of usable medical supplies and equipment are sent to landfills each year. Danielle conceived of a new concept, rerouting and distributing these supplies to those in need globally. In 2007, she founded the Afya Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit. Since its inception, Afya has rescued and shipped 13 million pounds of medical supplies and humanitarian aid valued at $65 million to 89 nations and 24 U.S. states while diverting over 12.5 million pounds of waste from landfills. By saving vital supplies from landfills and fighting healthcare inequities, Afya delivers for people and the planet, saving lives and making an immeasurable difference worldwide.
Ms. Butin has been recognized by the New York State Senate as a Woman of Distinction, the Voices of African Mothers, the Clinton Foundation, Eli Lilly, the United Hospital Fund, and the Greater New York Hospital Association. In addition, Afya has twice received the Westchester National Disability Employment Awareness Award for innovative pre-vocational training programs. Her story and Afya’s remarkable work has been featured in Real Simple, MORE, Family Circle, and Town and Country, on the Katie Couric Show. Idealist featured her Good Life Project Radio Episode in Podcasts to Help You Reflect on Your Career. Her TedX Talk “There’s Always Another Way” has received widespread attention and acclaim. The Afya Foundation has been covered by national sources such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, while various initiatives have been highlighted by local news sources. Ms. Butin’s full story is now recounted in her autobiography, Wild Hope Now.
Ms. Butin received her Masters in Public Health with a specialization in Geriatrics and Gerontology at Columbia University and her B.S. in Occupational Therapy from New York University. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University. Prior to founding Afya, she ascended the corporate ranks at United Healthcare and Oxford Health Plans. Ms. Butin drew on her background as an OT to develop the company’s pre-vocational programs for at-risk populations, ensuring that frail older adults, young adults with ASD and IDD, veterans, incarcerated men and women, and other populations that are too often excluded from philanthropy are welcomed as volunteers; today she still oversees 50 graduate OT students’ fieldwork at Afya each year.
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Questions? Please contact us at 212-744-1400 or temple@emanuelnyc.org.
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