This 4th of July feels a little different—like most holidays over the past couple months have felt. But it’s important to remember that, despite changed plans or cancelled parties, we can always hold on to our sense of community.

Here at the JCC, that’s what has kept us going over the past few months. While times have been tough, we’ve been able to survive because of our community. We have relied on the generosity of donors and funders to keep going. Because of this generosity, we’ve been able to continuously serve the people hit hardest by the crisis. Even though the doors to our buildings closed to the public, we never stopped working behind the scenes to help those who needed us most.

Community has always been a huge part of who we are as an agency. By working with other groups, we’ve been able to build stronger partnerships and strengthen our impact in our community. And while our staff members have certainly been tested by this pandemic, they have also grown too, rising to the challenge and showing what an extraordinary group of people they are. Having to adapt to remote work hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve seen so much creativity from our staff as they find innovative ways to connect with people virtually.

We hope to continue to take what we’ve learned and use it to continue to reach even more people after the crisis passes. It has been amazing to see the positive impact we have made in people’s lives, and I’m proud and excited to be taking the lead of an organization doing such important work during this critical time.

And now, as things start to reopen, we finally get to have some fun. After months of preparing, we are incredibly excited to open camp. While our camps may look a little bit different than in previous summers, we are proud to continue the nearly 90-year tradition of camping at the JCC. Even though we’ve had to make changes to ensure safety, including turning camp virtual for our Sunrise Day Campers, camp is always there to bring our children joy, friendship, and happiness.

As we look to the future, I’m looking forward to seeing what we can all do together and what the next chapter brings. Thank you all for your continued support of our work here at the JCC. We couldn’t do it without you.
​
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday,
Orit