JCF Legacy Thank You Event: Celebrating Jewish SNJ's Future

L-R: JCF Executive Director David Snyder, JFCS Associate Director Melanie Stoopler, Katz JCC President Nancy Pearl, JCF President Andi Levin, JFCS President Margo Orlin, JFCS Associate Director Jill Hammel, Harold Grinspoon Foundation Community Consultant Nicole Caine, JCF Assistant Director Mike Staff, and philanthropists David & Valerie Gladfelter.

For each of the past few years, the Jewish Community Foundation, Inc. has celebrated legacy and endowment fund donors at a complimentary Legacy Thank You Event.

On Tuesday, November 11, the JCF hosted a Legacy Thank You Event in conjunction with the Katz JCC's Festival of Arts, Books & Culture, resulting in an engaging night for all.

The program started with a pre-reception where more than 60 legacy and endowment fund donors congregated and enjoyed delicious sandwiches, sides, and, of course, sweets from Soups and Sweets, a program of Jewish Family & Children's Service. Also joining in were 15 JFCS Board members, who had the opportunity to learn about legacy giving and endowment funds. There was a great buzz in the room, and it was an honor for the JCF to facilitate so many connections between attendees.

While guests enjoyed their meal, several presenters shared some words.

• JCF President Andi Levin welcomed everybody and introduced each speaker, the first of whom was Nicole Caine, a Community Consultant with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which oversees the Life & Legacy initiative across North America.

• Nicole thanked and congratulated the Southern New Jersey Jewish community for successfully securing over 900 legacy commitments that are expected to result in upwards of $25 million in future endowment fund assets to benefit the future of local Jewish organizations.

• She also announced a recent groundbreaking milestone: Life & Legacy commitments across 75 communities now tally over $2 billion in future endowment fund assets. Simply incredible!

• Following Nicole's remarks, Margo Orlin, President of Jewish Family & Children's Service, spoke about the impact that legacy gifs and endowment funds have on JFCS each year, thanks to donors like Samuel "Doc" Gordon (of blessed memory), who left a gift in his will to enable future community members to benefit in the way he did from much-needed JFCS services. (Read more about Doc in a previous JCF Money Matters article.)

• Margo also shared the increasingly dire food emergency that has recently become reality for thousands of South Jersey residents and what JFCS is doing to help. Thank you to the Board and staff of JFCS for all that they are doing to assist those in need who are facing this crisis or other ones.

  
  

• Then, JCF past-President Valerie Gladfelter, who, along with her husband David, are philanthropists who have established endowment funds with the JCF, spoke about the importance of endowments to helping local Jewish organizations thrive with annual income. Her message was clear: you don't need to be a billionaire to start an endowment or leave a legacy gift; any amount will benefit future generations, plus it can be very easy to leave a legacy such as in a will or as a beneficiary designation of an IRA or life insurance policy.

  
  

• To round out the pre-reception, Nancy Pearl, President of the Katz JCC, pointed out that the Katz JCC itself was created thanks to the dedication of Jewish families from Camden who recognized the need for a new building, and some of the Jewish community leaders who undertook that project were even in attendance. Looking into the future, each endowment fund and legacy gift, just like the bricks used to construct the Katz JCC, will build a solid foundation to provide annual income to our many vital Jewish organizations for countless decades.

Following the pre-reception, guests received a free ticket to the screening of Looking UP, which, according to the film's website, "is the inspiring story of Eitan Armon, a young man facing encroaching blindness who takes on the challenge of climbing the world’s most epic granite wall. While in military service at age 20, Eitan is diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare and incurable genetic disease that causes blindness. With only 5% of his central vision remaining, Eitan learns to rock climb and ascends Yosemite’s daunting El Capitan." This film documents Eitan’s journey and resilience, demonstrating the endless possibilities for those who approach life with positivity.... a very apropos message for all legacy and endowment fund donors.

Thank you to all who attended and made this an incredible night, we look forward to more memorable Legacy Thank You events in the future!

To learn about Life & Legacy, leaving a legacy gift, or creating an endowment fund, please contact JCF Assistant Director Mike Staff at 856-673-2528 or mstaff@jfedsnj.org.