Fundraising campaignJewish Community Center of stamford Building on TradiTion ... For The nexT 100 yearsCentennial

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It is hard to imagine the Jewish community of Stamford circa 1916, the thoughts that consumed their daily lives, the impact of sporadic letters from relatives in Europe hinting at problems abroad, and the mounting urgency to create a safe place – here, in Stamford – to teach their children the Hebrew language and pass along Jewish culture. One thing we can be certain about, however, is that the

26 founders of the Stamford Hebrew Institute could never

have imagined the profoundly positive impact that their

institution would have on the generations that followed. Those original visionaries would be heartened and delighted to know that their core values and aspirations remain the focal point for our community today.

the Centennial Campaign Building on TradiTion ... For The nexT 100 years

Birthdays are a time of reflection and a time of eager anticipation. As we approach the end of our first hundred years and reflect on the achievements and accomplishments of the past, we also look forward with wonderment and great excitement to a journey that has only just begun and a mission whose place is at the very center of our community.

As we celebrate the Stamford JCC’s 100th birthday, and our journey from humble beginnings on Prospect Street to our current home on Newfield Avenue, we are extremely proud of our service to the thousands of people, children and adults alike, who we’ve touched along the way.

“The JCC is a home away from home,

and always has been for my family and me.

I’m very proud of what’s going on today.

Coming here means a lot to me.”

— Alex Goldblum

a promise for the next Century

It is our heartfelt promise to do even more for the tens of thousands of lives that we hope to enrich during our next century. With your help, we will remain an epicenter

for the Jewish community while inviting and encouraging the broadest possible participation of those who share our core values and find strength in the relationships born inside our walls every day.

Whether you’ve been a regular participant in our programming or simply a casual observer, we invite you now to join us in the celebration of our centennial

milestone and the campaign that will prepare our agency (both physically and spiritually) to deliver the highest level of service to our community for generations to come.

1916-2016

2013 The JCC’s Annual Spring Gala honors community leadership. 2015 Lolly Socaransky and Elle Riker celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut.

2015 The torch is passed to Stamford at the

close of the JCC Maccabi Games in Ft. Lauderdale,

Florida. (L to R) Rachel Rothman, Mo Concepcion,

Robin Frederick and Michael Gold.

2016 JCC Maccabi ArtsFest

will be hosted in Stamford

for the first time.

proud host of the 2016 JCC maCCabi gamesTM and artsfestTM

united by a Common purpose and Vision

In what was, at the time, the agency’s most audacious volunteer and fundraising endeavor since the construction of our building, we hosted our very first JCC Maccabi Games in 2006. It would later be called by many, “the single most

galvanizing event our community has ever seen.” Each and every Jewish agency and synagogue participated in some way, and we were united in a common mission to produce the very best experience possible for our athletes and their families.

Since the inception of the JCC Maccabi Games in 1982, a staggering 135,000 Jewish teens have participated worldwide. And while the experience is overwhelmingly regarded by those who participate as a formative high-point during their teen years, its effects are often more enduring and in many cases pivotal for the host JCCs and their communities. JCC Association of North America (the umbrella organization for North American JCCs and continental presenter of the JCC Maccabi Games) estimates that the Games and ArtsFest generate significant revenue to the local economy of host communities, but it is simply impossible to quantify the value of

engaging the nearly 1,000 volunteers, 300 local athletes

and artists, and the 700 host families involved who will

proudly represent this host agency — your Stamford JCC — during the planning and execution of the week-long JCC Maccabi Games and ArtsFest.

inspiring a new generation of lay leaders and Volunteers

Many of our current board members and active volunteers were inspired to service by their original participation in our 2006 Games. And that dynamic was a driving force behind our decision to host in 2016. With the 2016 Stamford Maccabi Games and ArtsFest we will engage volunteers who have never volunteered before; we will inspire our future lay leaders; we will rally the

community around the critical role that the JCC plays

each and every day here in Stamford.

Funding the 2016 Stamford Maccabi Games and ArtsFest will require close to $1.3 million of the $5 million campaign goal — and our very best efforts on many fronts — but the bonds formed and the goals achieved will inspire a new generation of lay leadership

with the confidence and connectivity to lead

our agency into the next century.

1916-2016

what does it take to host the JCC maCCabi games and artsfest?

• 1,000 visiting athletes & artists • 300 local athletes & artists • 300 coaches & delegation heads • 1,000 volunteers • 6,000 spectators • 2 years of planning • $1.3 million

one Community

what is the impaCt of hosting the JCC maCCabi games and artsfest?

• A defining Jewish experience for teens and volunteers alike• Inspires leaders of the future• Engages the community• Highlights the role of the JCC • Promotes pride in being Jewish • Creates a lifetime of memories

one Community

it takes eaCh and eVery one of you, and you Can make a differenCe.

1973 The Jcc outgrows its home on prospect street. The 14-acre nyselius property on Newfield Avenue is purchased as the future home of the Jcc.

1978 Tzahal shalom comes to Stamford for the first time. it is currently the longest-running program of its kind in the country.

1979 The Jewish center Women’s auxiliary changes its name to The center Women of the JCC, and The center Women host their first annual gift mart.

1981 The Jcc is formally dedicated on September 20, and opens the doors to its new home.

1980 construction begins on Newfield Avenue.

1978 The official groundbreaking ceremony on Newfield Avenue.

1928 The cornerstone is laid for the new hebrew institute on prospect street.

1916 26 Stamford families come together to found the Hebrew institute, which will later become the Jewish community Center of Stamford.

Agudath Sholom, then Stamford’s only synagogue, gives the group meeting space in its basement on greyrock place.

Some of the founding members of the JCC are included in this photo, taken on the steps of the building, just before its completion.

It will be the first building to serve an entire Jewish community in all of New England.

1930 The new building on prospect street is completed. The hebrew institute changes its name to the Stamford Jewish center.

1976 The prospect street building and the Briar Brae Road camp-grounds are sold. The Jewish center opens offices in the old Nyselius mansion, and the JCC is renamed The center of the Jewish community. For 5 years, the Jcc operates as a “center without walls” at nearly 20 locations around Stamford.

a brief history of our first 100 years

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1991 • KinderPlace opens

(originally called the Child Development center). it is Stamford’s first full-day, year-round child care center.

• JCC Nursery School director sara Walker retires and the school is renamed in her honor.

• The first annual JCC Purim Carnival is held.

• The JCC’s first endowment funds are established to support rapidly expanding programs and services.

1992 • Acting on the

results of a compre-hensive customer satisfaction survey, planning begins for the construction of an expanded fitness center.

• The new Julius B. Kuriansky Fitness center opens in 1994.

2001 The Jcc’s Jewish Film Festival of Lower Fairfield County debuts (in 2008 it is renamed the Jewish Arts & Film Festival of Fairfield County).

1985 • The first Harold E.

Hoffman Humani-tarian Award is presented to Burton D. Hoffman.

• The first POSH fundraising event is held in support of Jcc programs for Senior Adults.

1988 summerplace comes to the Jcc. The summer day program for children was renamed o-la-mi in 2009.

1989 The JCC’s first annual fundraising gala debuts in November. The JCC Red Hot Saks Caper was held at the newly opened Saks Fifth Avenue in the Stamford Town center.

1982 The Jcc renegotiates its mortgage, and raises $5 million in 90 days to keep its doors open. The building is named for William & Sally Tandet after the Tandet family donates $1 million to the cause.

1998 The “renewal 2000” capital campaign raises more than $2 million in less than one year to fund repair and reju-venation of the building.

2004 • Expansion,

renovation and modernization of the Julius B. Kuriansky Fitness Center is completed.

• JumpStart moves to its new home at the Jcc.

2010 The capital campaign “celebrating our past … Transforming our Future” raises more than $4 million for much-needed infrastructure improvements to the 30-year-old building.

2010 The first resident Israeli shaliach arrives in Stamford as part of the Jewish agency for israel’s Volunteer shlichut program.

2014 The JCC introduces its new swim school, and a new competi-tive swim team, the Stamford Stingrays

2006 The Jcc maccabi games are held in Stamford for the first time.

2016 • The JCC

celebrates its 100th anniversary.

• The Centennial campaign is launched

• The JCC hosts the maccabi games and ArtsFest.

community theater has held a place of importance at the Jcc, almost since its founding. In 1989 lynn pearce plays Golde in Fiddler on the Roof. In 2015, sheri Jacobson and The Center Women present the original Fairy Tale Endings.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

our house … one home for the Jewish Community

Our transition from Prospect Street to our current home on Newfield Avenue was transformative in two important ways, one more obvious than the other.

First, it has provided our agency with an 85,000-square-foot modern, safe, warm and welcoming face to the community. Our facility supports athletic programs that appeal to all segments of our membership, and our fitness facilities are a critical element in attracting new members and retaining those who have been with us for decades. From baseball field to swimming pool to basketball court and running track, our health and fitness staff is among the best in the business; we run leagues for children and adults, we provide instruction that ranges from personal training to group classes. And always, we provide a safe

place to relax and play, no matter your age; no matter your game; whether alone or with an entire team.

Less obvious perhaps, but no less important, is the notion that our building is the physical expression of our mission —

to be one home for the Jewish Community — and by extension, a gracious second home to all those who share our values. Our building is a place where magic happens every day. Children are taught, seniors share meals, deep friendships are formed and reinforced. Memories are created that last a lifetime and are passed down through generations. It’s the place that draws our community in and sees to its needs.

“I grew up in the old Jewish Center on Prospect Street,

and it was a second home to me. I’m so grateful that

my kids had as similar and equally happy environment

on Newfield Avenue as I did on Prospect Street.

Community is what it’s all about. “”

— Arthur Selkowitz

And of course, our home has needs of its own. In order to be competitive in our local market, we must maintain state-of-the- art facilities in certain respects, and we must be aesthetically appealing in nearly all respects. With the building now in its 35th year, our locker rooms need replacing, core spaces need a facelift, our meeting rooms and auditorium are in dire need of upgrades. Unfortunately these are not esoteric issues, our

agency’s lifeblood is our membership, and the health of

our membership relies on the quality (and quantity) of

their experiences inside our walls and on our grounds. It is our objective for this Centennial Campaign to raise at least $3.7 million of our $5 million-plus goal to be used for facility improvements, upgrades … and, if possible, expansion to keep our JCC the warm and welcoming home it has been for the last 100 years.

our house ... our immediate needs ...• Men’s and women’s locker room renovations • Swimming pool deck replacement • Kuriansky Executive Locker Room improvements • Playground pads to replace wood chips • Hoffman auditorium renovation • Auditorium and lobby seating • Welcome desk service and security improvements • Lobby upgrades • New carpeting in lobby and main hallway • Café area renovations • At least $3.7 million, with a total campaign goal of at least $5 million.one home.

1916-2016

generosity of spirit and a legaCy of serViCe

If home is where the heart is, then the Stamford JCC is truly the One Home for

Our Jewish Community. Many of us can remember shedding a tear of happiness (and a little trepidation) as we walked our children to their first day of school at the JCC Sara Walker Nursery School, or their first summer morning at O-la-mi. We cheered as they learned to swim in our pool and applauded as they competed on our ball fields. It is no coincidence that our parents have those very same

memories ... when we were the children in their eyes. It is our responsibility (and honor) to pay that gift forward with all the generosity and support in our hearts. For generations, we have been able to weave the very fabric of the broader community through the lives we touch ... and, with your help,

our work will continue for generations to come.

Our 100th anniversary gives time to reflect on the urgent opportunities of our agency: • the need to upgrade our building in a way that will attract new members and energize our loyal members in a very crowded and competitive marketplace • the need to inspire and engage a new generation of lay leaders and volunteers as we host the 2016 JCC Maccabi Games and ArtsFest. It is a challenge to which we must rise by tapping the same spirit that drove

the 26 original founding members to create our agency 100 years ago. We now have the opportunity, and the perfect moment in time, to ensure our legacy.

Centennial CampaignDear Jewish Community,In 1916, 26 selfless visionary families gave us the

greatest gift of all – our HOME – the Jewish Community

Center of Stamford. And that home has made us one

large, beautiful extended FAMILY.

We laughed with you when your children were born,

and we felt pride when they took their first steps.

We cried with joy with you when they graduated,

and shouted Mazal Tov in so many voices on the

day they got married.

We have been with you every step of the way, through

good times and bad, for every milestone for the last

100 years. But isn’t that what family is for?

While the programs and services of the JCC have

changed and expanded in the last 100 years, our vision

for preserving the Jewish people and always being

there for the Jewish community has not changed.

We know that you share that vision, so we invite you

to support the JCC to ensure that it will be your family’s

extended home and family for the next 100 years and beyond.

the perfeCt moment in time … to giVe … to partiCipate … to ensure our legaCy.

In the nearly 100 years since its dedication in 1916, the Jewish Community Center of Stamford has served as a second home for tens of thousands of families and individuals in the Stamford community. As the JCC celebrates this seminal milestone, we invite you to participate in the celebration of our 100th birthday and help us ensure our legacy.To take part in the Centennial Campaign, please contact Eric H. Koehler, Chief Executive Officer of the JCC at 203-487-0940 or ehkoehler@stamfordjcc.org

Jewish Community Center of stamford Building on TradiTion ... For The nexT 100 years

1916-2016

2012 Spencer & Sari Rosenberg at the JCC Sara Walker Nursery School.

JCC Centennial Co-Chairs Maxine & Jay Freilich Pam & Rich Vogel

JCC Maccabi Games & ArtsFest Co-Chairs Jeannie Kriftcher Michael Gold

For more information, please contact Eric H. Koehler, CEO ehkoehler@stamfordjcc.org 203-487-0940

Jewish Community Center of Stamford 1035 Newfield Avenue Stamford, CT 06905 203-322-7900 www.stamfordjcc.org

October, 2015

JCC Board of Directors 2015/2016

PresidentJeff Goldblum

First Vice PresidentRisa Raich

Vice PresidentJoy Katz

Vice President/TreasurerJeffrey Popper

Assistant TreasurerJared Mehl

SecretaryJeannie Kasindorf

CounselMark Sherman

Past PresidentRich Vogel

President, The Center WomenSheri Jacobson

DirectorsGarry FeldmanMichael GoldDaniel KrausBrenda PiskinGayle RothmanKim SchweberBob ShermanJordan SocaranskyJoshua WallsEric H. Koehler , Chief Executive Officer

Our visiOn:

COnneCTiOn, COnTinuiTy, CulTure...

FOr The nexT 100 years

one home for the Jewish Community