President’s Message
By Joan Schiffer Levinson
With my first year as President of Women’s Philanthropy soon behind me, I am struck by the speed with which this year has flown, and by the incredible experiences that have impacted my life. As I reflect back upon all we have done, I am excited about continuing where we left off and taking Women’s Philanthropy to the next level in the year ahead.
My term as president could not have had a more dramatic or more profound beginning. Six weeks after my installation last May, I traveled to Athens and Israel where I represented our Women’s Philanthropy on the Jewish Federation National Campaign Chairs and Director’s Mission. While the world was on edge and the rockets flew over Israel, I could barely process all I was learning and seeing and feeling. The people I met, the stories I heard, and the events I witnessed served to strengthen my conviction, increase my passion, and fill me with even greater pride in Israel and in the amazing work we do as the Jewish Federation.
While I knew my goals for this year were lofty, I believed they were achievable. Guided by one theme that could be woven throughout the year, I hoped to incorporate education and outreach in all we would do and I envisioned every program and event to offer an opportunity to experience something new and personally gratifying for everyone. I sought increased opportunities to learn, to inform, to grow, to effect change, and to contribute – through accessible hands-on experiences during the day, at night, and with our families on Sundays. Our Community Challah Bake was a truly spectacular community-wide event; anyone who doubts the power of the collective did not see the hundreds of volunteers come together to make more than 800 challahs that were donated to our JFS clients and local food banks. Sundays were family time at our Federation’s Annual Supermarket Sweep and at the 15th Annual Run for Rachel where Women’s Philanthropy fielded a team of 25 women. With so many demands on our time and our personal resources, I felt that we must provide a meaningful take-away from every program we attend and every project we support.
As you read this year’s final issue of the Women’s Philanthropy newsletter, I want to express my sincerest thanks, appreciation, and a heartfelt yasher koach to Jody Caplan, Women’s Philanthropy Vice President of Community Engagement; Laura Queller, editor; Jane Gomez and Beth Manes Lax, writers; Beth Levin, Women’s Philanthropy Development Officer; and the many other volunteer reporters and writers who worked tirelessly and made this project one of our very proudest achievements. Beginning in July, and carrying on without a pause, our “A” team of vice presidents, board members, professional staff, and countless committee members and volunteers worked together to transform many great ideas and concepts into life-changing actions.
It has truly been my honor and privilege to lead our Women’s Philanthropy this year and I wish all of you a happy, peaceful, and fun-filled summer.
Joan