March 2015
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Dream It. Believe It. Achieve It.
What does Oliver, who can’t wait to get back to Jewish summer camp, have in common with Anna, an 80-year old in Elizabeth struggling to manage her hypertension? They are part of Greater MetroWest, and their lives were strengthened by programs of the Jewish Community Foundation; programs created by donors who dreamed big.
Oliver first attended Camp Tel Noar with incentive grant from One Happy Camper, a program endowed by the Greater MetroWest Camp Enterprise at JCF. Oliver says, “Jewish camping is amazing. At school, being Jewish is something I have to explain, but not at camp. My closest friends are my camp friends and I can’t wait to go back for my 5th summer”. Oliver loves camp so much that in honor of his Bar Mitzvah he made a gift to One Happy Camper to “make it possible for more kids to feel like I do about camp.”
And Anna? Her chronic illnesses were sending her to the hospital every few weeks. Her husband tried to help, but it was too much for him. Then they received a home visit from Louise, a nurse participating in the Grotta Fund for Senior Care’s most recent initiative to help seniors age in place. Louise taught Anna to take her medications, eat better, and keep track of her blood pressure. Now that Anna can manage her health, she can enjoy Shabbat at home with her family. Last year more than 100 hundred seniors, just like Anna, recieved home visits from qualified medical professionals thanks to this JCF Advisory Council.
Oliver and Anna are just two examples of the millions of lives that JCF made better in 2014. In the last few months of 2014 alone, donors utilized Donor Advised Funds, Supporting Foundations, and Advisory Councils at JCF to distribute more than $8 million to qualified non-profit organizations in Greater MetroWest NJ, across the United States, Israel and overseas.
And in FY15 (July 2014 –June 2015) we anticipate that JCF donors will make grants totaling more than $33 million dollars to improve our world. JCF donors will:
- Introduce high school students to Holocaust survivors
- Teach college students to advocate for Israel
- Help women and children escape abusive relationships
- Create inclusion programs for families with special needs
- Support Jewish Day Schools, Jewish camp, Jewish pre-school and so much more. Learn more here.
Give Stock and Achieve Your Goals
At JCF, we want to help donors make the most of your philanthropic dollars. Donating long-term appreciated securities directly to JCF — rather than selling the assets and donating the cash proceeds — is one of the simplest ways to give. Here’s how:
To give stock, both your broker AND JCF need to be notified. Please complete the two forms, available here. When they are completed, send the “Broker’s Letter” to your Broker , and the “Stock Transfer Advice Form” to Beverly Kestenbaum at Bkestenbaum@jfedgmw.org or via fax at (973) 532-0781. Thank you!
Jewish Women’s Foundation poised to quadruple grant making in FY15
Seven years ago a group of women formed the Jewish Women’s Foundation of NJ (JWF), a donor-advised fund of JCF. Their goal was to create a new avenue for mobilizing their hearts, minds, and philanthropy toward creating an equitable, secure, and just future for women and girls. These women wanted to be active, hands-on philanthropists, and JWF became their vehicle for doing so.
JWF members do much more than write checks; members meet with local organizations, review proposals, visit with applicants, select organizations to receive funding, and evaluate the impact of JWF grants. As JWF co-chair Meredith Stoma noted, “Meeting with beneficiaries and interacting with their work is what makes the JWF experience powerful for me.”
For the second year, a JWF-member endowment is allowing JWF to make grants in Israel. JWF co-chair Roberta Elliott traveled to Israel twice in the past year to conduct research, and said, "Israeli women are providing comprehensive and creative services for under-served women throughout the country, and it is our privilege to be part of that.”
In FY15 JWF will make $145,000 in grant distributions, nearly four times more than just two years ago. JWF also holds community seminars and volunteer programs to engage members and strengthen our community. (adapted from JCF: Forward Thinking.)