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September 17, 2004/Tishri 2 5765, Vol. 57, No. 3
Grants awarded
STEPHANIE N. HENSCHEL
Staff Writer
The Jewish Community Foundation gave $142,600 in grant money to community organizations earlier this month to help fund various programs and services throughout the Valley.
Eleven local programs received grant funding.
The grants are made possible largely by a 1993 bequest of $1 million-plus from Alvin S. Kraus, as well as other contributions. Each year, the foundation averages the balances of the last eight fiscal quarters, or the last two years. Five percent of that average is then used to fund the annual grants.
"We fund new, innovative programs," said Sheryl Quen, director of grants and programs at the foundation. The funds are generally used as "seed" money, though sometimes can be used for capital expenditures that are integral to the program, or emergency needs beyond an organization's budget and control.
"Most of what we fund are one-time endeavors, usually within the greater Jewish community, for programs that bring long-term enrichment," Quen said.
Last year, the foundation allocated $161,625 in funds to 13 organizations.
"(The grants) decreased because back several quarters, the market was down," Quen explained.
The Jewish Community Development Initiative, a program of the Jewish Fed-eration of Greater Phoenix, received the top award of $50,000. The funds will primarily support publicizing the initiative, a Valleywide effort to address five key issues deemed important by the greater Jewish community: Elderly, welcoming new-comers, Jewish youth and continuity, participation in Jewish life and those of the community requiring social and/or financial assistance.
"Specifically, the funds will be used for different methods to reach the Jewish com-munity to engage the community in the planning process," said Fred Zeidman, one of two assistant executive directors and planning director of the federation. "Some of the funds may be used to implement some of the programs recommended by the committees."
Zeidman said the idea was to reach out to as many people in the Jewish community as possible, especially those who are not closely connected with the Jewish community.
The 2006 Maccabi Games will be hosted in Phoenix, thanks to the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center. The foundation is helping bring the games to the area with a grant of $25,000. The Maccabi Games is a weeklong event that attracts thousands of teens from across the United States. The event combines celebration and athletic competition, all in a Jewish communal lifestyle exper-ience.
The foundation also gave money to the JCC for edu-cational holiday programs for autistic children, a colla-borative project with the Council For Jews With Special Needs, currently in the planning stages. At present time, there are no programs for these children that are designed to fit their special needs.
"This is a wonderful colla-borative effort for kids that would not be able to par-ticipate otherwise," said Becca Hornstein, CJSN executive director. "We intend to make thorough preparations so it's done right."
Funding from the grant will help the Deutsch Family Shalom Center at Temple Chai pay for a facilitator for its Job Transitions Networking and Education program. Now in its second year, the program meets the first and third Tuesday of the month to inform job seekers about the community, the workplace and consequences of being in a work transition.
According to Sharona Silverman, director of the Shalom Center, the program is planning a full-day conference this year that will help those in transition develop the skills they need in today's workplace.
Hadassah Valley of the Sun Chapter, in partnership with the Arizona State University Jewish Studies Department and the Bureau of Jewish Education, also received grant funding for its first-ever Women's Symposium, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 14.
The symposium, which received $1,800 from the foundation to be used for keynote speakers and guests, is the brainchild of Gloria Weiss, event chairwoman and a Hadassah volunteer. Weiss moved to the Valley three years ago from Westchester County, N.Y., where she had been involved in a similar event.
"I was at a Hadassah fashion show and I stopped these two women," Weiss said. "I asked if they were members of the Hadassah board and they said 'yes,' so I said, 'Well, how do you like this idea?'"
The idea was to create a symposium focusing on issues important to today's Jewish woman, from stress relief to anti-Semitism. The board members loved it, and Weiss has been organizing the event ever since. "It's a long time in planning," she said.
The event, "On the Cutting Edge: Today's Jewish Woman," has support from several other groups.
"We're very happy to have (the grant)," said Jody Goldman of Hadassah. "This is definitely a community collaboration project that's bringing people together that have never been together before. Every little bit helps."
Other programs receiving foundation grants are: Day School Consortium, $20,000; A World of Difference In-stitute for camps, created by the Anti-Defamation League in cooperation with the East Valley and Valley of the Sun Jewish com-munity centers, Shemesh Day Camp and Camp Charles Pearlstein, $4,700; Arizona Jewish Historical Society for the Celebrate 350 celebration, $3,600; Israel Office and Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix for the Zionist Seminar of the Jewish Agency of Israel, $5,500; Arizona Jewish Theatre Company for the touring show "Dreams in the Golden Country," $5,000; and Hillel Jewish Center at ASU for the "Israel Is Real" program, $12,000.
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