From Our CEO: Celebrating our Centers of Excellence

There’s no question that we are in difficult times right now. Though we work every day to navigate the uncertainty around us, as we celebrate a new year, we are looking towards the future. The JCC has been an important part of our community for over 90 years, and we will continue to be there for you and meet your needs for years to come.

That’s why I’ve unveiled my plan for what I’m calling the JCC’s Centers of Excellence, which was created through listening sessions with our board, staff, and community members. The plan reconfigures the way our agency operates, grouping similar departments into new teams and assigning each Center equal importance. These eight Centers of Excellence will strengthen our structure by creating a stronger foundation of which to build off.

The Centers of Excellence are:

• Community Engagement
• Cultural Arts
• Early Childhood
• Fitness, Sports & Wellness
• Operations
• Senior Services
• Services for People with Disabilities
• Youth & Teen

We feel that these new Centers of Excellence will allow us to be more user-friendly while also pushing the agency to grow and evolve. Operating in a team approach will help us ensure collaboration and that we’re engaging community members as we develop programs. It will also allow us to create a vision for the future of the JCC that will sustain us long after we have passed the current moment of crisis.

We also want to help our staff, who have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic, find easier ways to share resources and solve problems through teamwork. Additionally, you can support the JCC by joining a committee, volunteering your time teaching classes, or sharing your thoughts and ideas with us. We believe you play a vital role on our team and are partners in our success. With your assistance, our agency will grow and change as we continue to move through this unprecedented era.

My overall goal is to give you, our members and participants, the best experience possible and meet your needs. We hope this new layout will allow you to more easily connect to our services and programs, whether it’s on the phone, virtually, or in person. We love hearing from you, and it helps us understand your wants and needs as we move forward. Together, our agency will grow to be stronger into the future.

​-Orit Lender