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Reader's Theater
13th Annual Lois Zaas Advocacy Lecture
Photo Credit: Joe Applebaum
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LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEERS,
COMMUNITY AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Becky Brouman
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About eight years ago, I was attending a tailgate party for a Browns game. My friends Maria, Jennifer and I had just stepped off the curb on our way to the stadium when a car came careening at us from around the bend. Despite our brightly colored jackets and scarves, it appeared that the driver didn't see us. My reaction to this potential collision was to stay standing in the middle of the street, hold Maria's hand, and scream.
We all react differently to situations we don't see coming. Paralysis - apparently my default fight or flight response - is a common first response. But one can only stay in that state for so long. Then you need to start moving.
For those who are feeling paralyzed or overwhelmed by the climate and rising incidents of hatred we are seeing, let NCJW be a guiding voice for you. For 122 years we have been a steadfast leader in the community, working on issues of inadequate education, economic justice, and racial justice. And we will continue to speak out and act when we see injustices and discrimination. Join us, as we continue volunteering in the classrooms, teaching children about empathy and compassion toward others. Speak out with us, as we continue to fight to protect the sanctity of Roe v Wade and our reproductive rights. Learn with us, as we continue to seek new ways to ensure the safety of those who are feeling most vulnerable and marginalized.
We are all responsible for one another. So if you see a friend, who is equally lost or demoralized or stuck, take her along with you. Gift her a membership to NCJW. Direct her to our Facebook page. Change happens in the congruence of small movements, and by others reaching out.
That day, at the Browns game, our friend Jennifer pushed Maria and me to safety. She said later she didn't know where her strength had come from. Sometimes it is the most challenging times that reveal our inner reserves. But first, we all have to get moving.
I look forward to seeing what powers and strength emerge within you in the new year.
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DDD
Jill Braun, Michele Kaminsky
and Kelly Markowitz
Co-Vice Presidents
THANK YOU!
We wish we could thank every person - in person - who participated in DDD, N
CJW
's largest fund-raiser! Instead we send you our sincere appreciation for being the most wonderful ambassadors of NCJW.
Click Here
to see the list of all participants.
We regret any errors or omissions.
Designer Dress Days - A Numbers Game!
More than $200,000 raised!
-- 3900 pieces sold
-- 45 DDD cabinet members overseeing the sale
-- 250 volunteers working throughout the sale
-- Countless women, children and families benefit in our community
Less than 365 Days until DDD 2017!
Donations are coming in dailey, and the warehouse already has several racks of clothes, so the cycle continues!
If you missed the sale, be sure to stop in soon at Thriftique. It is bursting with fabulous finds.
DONATIONS ARE ACCEPTED year round and if we can't sell it we can recycle it!
Please bring your lovely, gently used clothing on hangers. We supply the tax deduction form. You can drop off your items at the NCJW Main Office/Warehouse located at: 26055 Emery Road, Warrensville Hts. Mon-Fri 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
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FUND DEVELOPMENT
Barbara Shane, Vice President
NCJW/Cleveland has beautifully designed note cards and tribute cards for sale. The cards are a special way to say congratulations, happy holidays, provide a thank you, or offer support and condolences. The cards are available for purchase at NCJW/Cleveland events and at the office. The cost of these cards are $20 for 10 note cards, and $25 for 5 tribute cards.
Thank you to our many generous donors to the Annual Fund. We are still working on attaining our goal. If you have not yet made a contribution, we hope you will remember NCJW/Cleveland in your year-end giving. Money raised through our annual appeal funds the offerings and opportunities of community service, programming and advocacy work that are highlighted in this bulletin. NCJW/Cleveland depends on our donors' generosity. If you need us to send you another donation envelope, please do not hesitate to contact me or the office. The office can also take your credit card information over the phone or you can go online and make your donation directly from the link provided.
Thank you to our wonderful high level donors for attending our recent Sweet! recognition event. This event was sponsored by our Fund Development and Membership cabinets. It was great to see so many high level donors come out to reconnect, reengage and rededicate themselves to NCJW/Cleveland.
Planning for our amazing Spring Gala is underway! It will be an exciting and fun event! Please mark your calendars for April 27 for Broadway in the 'Burbs!
Wishing you and your family a Happy Hanukkah and a wonderful New Year! Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Vice President of Fund Development. If you have any suggestions or comments for me regarding philanthropy, please do not hesitate to contact me at
bshane@roadrunner.com or 440-567-1811.
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THRIFTIQUE
Abbe Froimson, Store Manager
Thriftique Showroom is 80 years old!
Keep the celebration going by donating this month.
Call for a free furniture pickup or bring your items
to the
NCJW warehouse.
Call Karen or Abbe at 216-378-2264.
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Leslie Levine, Vice President
Join us at a New and Prospective Member Event!
Elements of Style -- Bring out that hidden decorating style we all have. See how to entertain beautifully using patterns, whites, and other vintage tableware that you may own. Fabulous settings and decor that make entertaining special. Included in the evening will be refreshments, a raffle for a Michael Aram item, and a 10% coupon valid for one week on most store merchandise.
Date: Thursday, Dec. 8
Time: 7:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Place: La Bella Vita at Eton Square, 28699 Chagrin Blvd. #305, Woodmere
Please make sure you send in your dues for 2016-2017. You don't want to miss out on all the fabulous events, meetings, and programs!
Welcome to our new Annual Members:
Mary Bornstein, Shirley Brizz, Doris Copeland, Tina Ecker, Linda S. Friedman, Donna Krasney, Cheryl Shankman, Sheila Singer and Shari Zoldan.
We regret to inform you of the Passing of:
Rachel Edwards, Cynthia Greenberg, Barbara Markowitz and Margaret Weiner.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
Debbie Joseph, Vice President
The Operation Warm Up (OWU) white cardboard bins have been placed at Jewish organizations around town including the JCC and our own office, so please help us fill them up! Look for our "OWU Guy". We are collecting winter clothing items for those in need and will take any new or gently used winter clothing and boots. The most needed items are: coats and hoodies sized 2XL and up; and new, packaged underwear (size XL and up) and socks. Last year we broke all records with the number of items we collected. Let's do it again! We thank our terrific committee for doing the legwork for this important project. The collection goes through Dec. 18.
At our last pillow session, we made our 500th pillow! Join us as we stuff and sew heart-shaped pillows for women who have just had breast cancer surgery. The pillows will already be sewn. We will stuff them and hand-sew a 4-inch seam. If you can't sew, that's fine; come to stuff and make cards! Please RSVP to Becky Brouman at 216.378.2204 ext. 105 or
rbrouman@ncjwcleveland.org.
Date: Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: NCJW/Cleveland Office
Co-chairs: Joanne Grossberg and
Susan Ringel
Volunteers needed! Please join us for a Hanukkah celebration as we engage clients that live in group homes. Come help serve lunch and enjoy a nice event with our friends.
Date: Friday, Dec. 23
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. including setup and cleanup
Place: JFSA office, 24075 Commerce Park, Beachwood
Chair: Shelly Friedman at 440-463-2309 or
Debbie Joseph at
josdeb@aol.com
Our literacy program Reader's Theater finished its session at Eastwood School. We were able to work with all six of the fourth grade classes. Each class put on 3 small plays after 3 weeks of practice. The children were phenomenal!
DIGKNITTY (KNITTERS)
The hard-working Digknitters were able to complete many pieces for
Fostering Hope and Hospice of the Western Reserve's Pediatric Unit.
Outstanding!
Meetings are 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the NCJW office
on the following dates:
Thursday, Dec. 8,
Wednesday, Dec. 14,
Thursday, Dec. 22,
Wednesday, Dec. 28
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PROGRAM AND EDUCATION
Esther Spott, Vice President
THURSDAY AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP
Join the NCJW Book Group - it's a page-turner!
Books are for sharing and a lively discussion with friends can deepen your appreciation of current literature. The NCJW Book Group meets the first Thursday of each month, September - June. Led by moderator Amy Rosenfield, the discussion is open only to NCJW members. There is no fee to participate, however, we collect an optional ($5 suggested) donation per session for our moderator.
Date: Thursday, Dec. 1
Time: 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Place: Beachwood Library,
25501 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood
Title:
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Chair: Susan Kahn
Upcoming Dates / Titles:
January 5 -
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
February 2 -
The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson
March 2 -
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
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Leslie Resnik, Vice President
WANTED... SMART PHONES MAKE SMART PHOTOGRAPHERS!
When you are advocating, serving the community, or attending NCJW events, it would be wonderful if you would take a picture of your fellow volunteers doing their great work. We want to feature as many of our members as possible doing what you and they do best - helping change lives for women, children and families. If you can take photos of people actually working at their jobs, it would be much appreciated. And make sure you are included in a photo or two.
And... please share those pictures so we can share them with our members. Email them to me at
lresnikhome@att.net
and I'll make sure they are shared - in the bulletin, on Facebook or in the annual report. Many thanks to you for this service.
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ADVOCACY
Roberta Herman, Vice President
Women's Reproductive Justice & Understanding the Issues
"The New Rules of Safe Infant Care: What Grandparents/Caregivers Need to Know"
Things have changed since most of us raised our children. As infant mortality has become a major issue in Cleveland, it is important for caregivers to learn about all the new safety standards and ways to be supportive ... but not intrusive. Join us for an informative morning including continental breakfast and a baby boutique - just in time for holiday gifts! Expectant or new grandparents, parents, aunts and friends are welcome too.
Speakers: Lorrie Considine RN, Program Manager, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, will speak about safe sleep, immunizations, and feeding.
Miriam Rosenthal, MD, psychiatrist and Chief of Behavioral Medicine (retired), Department of OB/GYN, University MacDonald Women's Hospital, will speak about perinatal depression and communicating with new parents. Also a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) from Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and Safe Kids Greater Cleveland will speak on car seat safety and the Safety Store at UH's Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, which offers a wide range of safety products.
Date: Sunday, Dec. 11
Time: 9:30 a.m - 12:00 p.m.
Place: Point East, 27500 Cedar Rd., Beachwood
Cost: $10 Members; $15 Non-Members
($5 goes toward purchasing baby-safe sleep sacks for needy families)
RSVP: Lisa at the NCJW office at 216-378-2204, ext. 101
A Call to Action!
Greater Cleveland Congregations believes the time is right for a call for action. Regardless of your political choice, NCJW's mission statement does not tolerate prejudice against any ethnicity. GCC echoes this statement as it represents all Clevelanders. We respect all cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds and focus our efforts on education, job growth, mental health and criminal justice.
Come to the next NCJW / GCC meeting and learn about the amazing success Californians accomplished during the election, passing 3 fabulous bills to enhance the lives of their citizenry. We can join their success if we come together! See you soon.
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 14
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Place: Fairmount Temple,
23737 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood
The committee is expanding their efforts to focus on labor trafficking in addition to sex trafficking. They are considering many projects to focus on awareness, prevention and action regarding these aspects of human trafficking. To join this effort, contact
Elaine Geller at
elaine1818@roadrunner.com
FOCUS ON FOSTER CARE
Our committee combined efforts with Traditions in the Kitchen to volunteer at the NE Ohio Alumni & County Foster Youth Annual Thanksgiving dinner. They served food and brought desserts, toiletry bags and amazing knitted items from the DigKnitty knitters.
We are continuing Self-Esteem trainings at Beechbrook as well as reaching out to expand this program to youth from the Independent Living Division of the Cuyahoga County Children & Family
Services Department.
The current need is to arrange activities for the Sullivan Deckard Scholars at CSU during the holiday break as well as to develop another toiletries drive. For more information on what we do, please contact
Jeannie Citerman-Kraeger at
jeannieck@aol.com or
Marilyn Oif at
maroif1@yahoo.com.
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NCJW/Cleveland | 216-378-2204 | NCJWCLEVELAND.ORG
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