Members of the Gelfland family at Ilana Gelfland's weddingWedding Hashtag Inspires $1,500 Gift to The Judy Fund

Judy Gelfand would be proud of her granddaughter Ilana, Todd and Doreen Gelfand's daughter, who made The Judy Fund the focus of the registry for her May wedding to Marcus McBride. Guests traveled from 21 states as well as Israel, Germany and the UK to attend, and the Eliashars won the prize for longest distance traveled of 7,567 miles! "The Judy Fund is so close to our hearts. The gift of a donation towards a cure for Alzheimer's is far more substantial than any pot, pan or fork we'll ever receive,” Ilana says. But the bride and groom didn't stop there. “Since we knew our guests would be quick to post wedding photos to social media, we asked in the wedding program that they use the hashtag #TheMcBrideandGroom,” Ilana explains. “For each use of the hashtag, we made a $5 donation to The Judy Fund.”

Ilana and Marcus' creative idea encouraged guests to take photos of precious moments the couple might otherwise have missed while inspiring a fun, new way to make a meaningful donation to The Judy Fund. “With about 300 uses of the hashtag, we made a donation of $1,500 to The Judy Fund, and we now have a whole photo album on Instagram of everyone's photos!” Ilana says. What a beautiful way to start a new life together and give back to the cause! Thank you, Ilana and Marcus! After the wedding celebration, the Eliashars, Hurwitzes and Gelfands gathered for the annual family reunion. This year, the reunion was held in Rancho Mirage, California, allowing the families to remember Judy with a group photo in front our childhood home in Palm Springs.
 

 

Family members wearing The Judy Fund t-shirtsThe Impact of The Judy Fund Grows From Generation to Generation

Nothing brings a family together like a wedding, and no mention of family would be complete for the Gelfands without the Hurwitz and Eliashar families. Tamar Hurwitz, who as many of you know is the daughter of my mother's dear friend Rina Eliashar (and sister to Doreen Hurwitz Gelfand, my amazing sister-in-law) married Drew Fleming on Oct. 15, 2016 in San Francisco. Tamar's family came in from Israel as well as both coasts of the U.S. for the wedding. In the couple's honor, the families donated $24,000 to The Judy Fund. What a lovely and lasting gesture. Thank you, Tamar and Drew, and congratulations on a beautiful start to your life together!