Alumni

Melissa Kushner

Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, Class of 1998



Melissa is an example of how one person can truly make a difference. This Schechter alum is the founder and executive director of Goods for Good (GFG), a non-profit organization that matches excess goods from the United States with the needs of vulnerable children in the developing world. Her yearly shipments of clothing, toys and educational materials have helped improve and even save the lives of many destitute people in Africa and Pakistan.

"In 2003, while working at the United Nations, I had the opportunity to travel to Malawi for the first time. I always wanted to visit Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have been both intrigued by the continent and troubled by its poverty," says Kushner, who received her MPA from New York University and her BA from the University of Pennsylvania. "When presented with the opportunity to travel to Africa, I knew that I wanted to do more than just visit. I wanted to make a contribution."

"Among many of the important Jewish values Schechter instilled in me was Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. I have applied this fundamental principle of Judaism to helping repair the lives and improve the future for hundreds of thousands of orphans and vulnerable children."

Kushner, who has dedicated her entire career working in International Development, developed GFG in April of 2006. Since its founding, GFG has distributed almost 100 tons of clothing, educational supplies and health and hygiene products to over 500,000 children in Malawi and Liberia. Through partnerships with companies in the United States and caregivers in Africa, GFG is able to provide much needed school supplies, clothing and health and hygiene products to children in crisis, while at the same time reducing waste at home.

About the photo: Melissa Kushner, SSDSEU Class of 1998 pictured with Maria, a baby whose mother died in childbirth.

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