Jewish Federation of Cleveland's Blog

The results are in!

January 27, 2012 at 1:50 pm | Posted in Press Releases | Leave a comment

How many Jews are there in Cleveland? The 2011 Greater Cleveland Jewish Population Study is complete, providing an updated reflection of our community. Get a look at the highlights, or take a more in-depth look at the study’s methodology. You can also find the press release, and download a high-resolution PDF for printing.

Cleveland remains a highly engaged Jewish community – after you look at the report, you can join the conversation online or by calling the study hotline at 216.593.2910. We look forward to hearing from you!

Jewish Family Service Association Offering College Scholarships, Loans and Grants

January 18, 2012 at 4:25 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Navigating the college process can be stressful enough and for most students and their families, the question of “how do I pay for college” only adds to the stress. In 2011, Jewish Family Service Association’s College Financial Aid Program awarded 219 students with almost $1 million dollars in need-based grants, interest-free loans and scholarships. The deadline for grants, loans and scholarships for the 2012-2013 school year is March 14, 2012.

To be eligible for consideration for aid, a family’s total household income should not exceed $100,000 annually. Exceptions to this rule are made in unique circumstances. Funds are distributed each August for the fall term. Both full and part-time Jewish students in undergraduate or graduate studies can apply once a year. For more information, contact Toby Bresky, Manager of College Financial Aid Program at tbresky@jfsa-cleveland.org. Information is also available in local high school guidance offices.

YouthAbility program honored

January 12, 2012 at 4:52 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Jewish Family Service Association is proud to announce its Horvitz YouthAbility program is a recipient of the 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award in the Organization category. The award is presented by The Cleveland Orchestra and Greater Cleveland Partnership, in cooperation with the City of Cleveland to an individual, business or organization and youth who have positively impacted the community in the spirit of the teachings and example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Horvitz YouthAbility program serves disabled and at-risk youth, ages 16-24 by engaging them in volunteerism. Each year, more than 300 YouthAbility participants contribute close to 8,500 hours of community service. Examples of YouthAbility volunteer projects include building a trail in the Cleveland Metroparks, serving lunches to children at the Harvard Community Center and sorting donations for the greater Cleveland homeless population. YouthAbility truly embodies Dr. King’s philosophy of “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” A principal of a school for at-risk youth once said “Through YouthAbility, our kids go from being community outcasts to becoming community heroes.” YouthAbility will receive the award at the 32nd Annual MLK Celebration Concert by The Cleveland Orchestra Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 7:00 pm at Severance Hall. The awards are presented on the main stage at the beginning of the orchestra concert. All of the proceedings will be broadcast live on WCLV 104.9-FM.

JFSA’s Horvitz YouthAbility Recognized With Community Award

January 12, 2012 at 4:51 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

JFSA’s Horvitz YouthAbility Recognized With Community Award

January 12, 2012 at 4:48 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

BROWNS USAMA YOUNG KICKS OFF PROGRAM TO FEED HUNGRY CHILDREN IN CLEVELAND OVER WINTER BREAK

December 29, 2011 at 12:04 pm | Posted in Press Releases | Leave a comment

CLEVELAND, OH—Many children in the City of Cleveland who rely on school-based meals are at risk for going hungry during their two-week winter break.

To respond to this immediate crisis in our community, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, in partnership with the Children’s Hunger Alliance of Northeast Ohio, has organized a first of its kind Winter Break Lunch Program, which is providing free, hot, nutritious lunches for 200 children (ages 1-18) on each of the eight days of the program (totaling 1,600 lunches provided).

To kick-off the program, Cleveland Brown’s defensive back Usama Young visited one of the sites on Tuesday and provided winter coats to each of the children. Young, along with several teammates, including Josh Cribbs, Mike Adams, Buster Skrine, Eric Hagg and Quenton Spears, distributed the new coats, hats and gloves to the very happy children who attended the program. “I am excited to be able to help out and be a part of this. It’s all about improving things for these kids,” said Young.

Lunches are provided at four Cleveland sites, which were carefully selected to reach the highest number of children in need: each site is within two miles of a minimum of ten schools where 60 percent or more of the students rely on school-based meals. (One school has a student population with 100 percent dependence on school-based meals.) The sites participating in the Winter Break Lunch Program are: Golden Ciphers, Harvard Community Services Center, Nueva Luz and St. Malachi Center.

Along with the lunches, children will receive new winter clothing items and holiday gifts, and will be entertained with a variety of recreational activities.

According to Children’s Hunger Alliance Vice President of Regional Operations Debra Parmer: “One in four children in the City of Cleveland experience food insecurity—living with the constant fear of hunger. “ “This partnership enables us to reach hunger-vulnerable children during this especially difficult time in many of their lives, and provide not only nutritious hot lunches, but also warm clothing and enriching entertainment to brighten their days during the holiday season,” added Parmer.

Marci Moses, the Jewish Federation’s Winter Break Lunch Program Project Co-chair is an ardent believer in the need to make a difference now: “As Jews, we are focused on improving the world for all people. Every year at our Passover Seders, we recite, ‘Let all who are hungry come and eat.’ We take these words very seriously and believe it is our obligation to make sure that fewer children in our community go hungry.”

In this spirit, Roetzel & Andress and Fifth Third Bank have generously sponsored the program. Additionally, Roetzel & Andress employees raised money to purchase winter socks, hats and gloves for each child who comes for lunch.

This is not the first time that the Jewish Federation and Children’s Hunger Alliance have partnered to find innovative ways to help alleviate hunger in our community and raise awareness of this crisis facing so many everyday. Since 2009, the Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Network (JVN) has worked with Children’s Hunger Alliance to deploy the hundreds of JVN volunteers to Cleveland Public Library sites for the Summer Lunch Program. The program, sponsored by the City of Cleveland Department of Public Works, provides lunches to children reliant on free or reduced-fee school meals who end up going without these resources during the summer months when school is not in session.

This past month, Federation and Children’s Hunger Alliance staff and volunteers teamed up with community members to take the Food Stamp Challenge (organized nationally by Fighting Poverty with Faith and co-chaired by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and National Council of Churches and Charities and includes over 50 national faith group partners), to better understand living on the average weekly food stamp budget of $31.50, and raise awareness of the need for the SNAP Program (formerly known as Food Stamps).

For more information about ways you can get involved, contact JVN Director Karen Steiger at ksteiger@jcfcleve.org or 216.593.2900, ext. 130.

BACKGROUND INFO

WHAT: Winter Lunch Program, organized by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in partnership with the Children’s Hunger Alliance of Northeast Ohio

WHO: City of Cleveland children ages 1-18

WHEN: Tuesday, December 27 – Friday, December 30, 2011

Tuesday, January 3 – Friday, January 6, 2012

MEDIA & PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

Thursday, December 29, 11:30 am – 1 pm

Golden Ciphers

5704 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, OH 44127

(St Ignatius High School Jugglers will entertain!)

Contacts: Pam Hubbard and Anthony Hubbard

Tuesday, January 3, 11:30 am – 1 pm

Harvard Community Services Center

18240 Harvard Ave., Cleveland, Oh 44128

Contacts: Victoria (Vicki) Glover and Michelle Oliver

Vicky Glover: 216.991.8585, ext. 3130

MEDIA CONTACTS

Karen Wyman, Jewish Federation of Cleveland: cell 216.644.5766, kwyman@jcfcleve.org

Debra Parmer, Children’s Hunger Alliance Vice President of Regional Operations: 216.541.5915, ext. 3202, DParmer@ChildrensHungerAlliance.org

Marci Moses, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Program Co-chair is available for interviews: 216.408.6442

PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS

Marci Moses and Eliana LeVine, Jewish Federation of Cleveland

PROGRAM SPONSORS

Roetzel & Andress
Fifth Third Bank

— Jewish Federation of Cleveland —

Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Mandel Building receives LEED Gold certification

December 15, 2011 at 4:09 pm | Posted in Press Releases | Leave a comment
Tags: jewish federation of cleveland

Architecture and design firm Vocon helps Federation create sustainable community space

CLEVELAND (Dec. 13, 2011)—The Mandel Building of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland has been awarded Gold certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. The LEED rating system is an internationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. The Gold ranking certifies that the building, renovated in 2010, successfully employs a variety of sustainable measures that improve performance in key areas of human and environmental health.

“As we planned the renovation of the Federation’s new facility, our commitment to the environment was paramount in our decisions regarding the use of recycled materials, increasing energy and water efficiency,” said Michael Siegal, Jewish Federation of Cleveland board chair. “These are major components and considerations in achieving sustainability now and for the future. I am thrilled that our LEED certified Mandel Building brings to life a core value of our Federation.”

The interior design and renovation of the building was led by Vocon, a Cleveland based architecture and design firm that seeks to Continue Reading Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Mandel Building receives LEED Gold certification…

A Week on a Food Stamp Budget

December 15, 2011 at 11:10 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Could You Live For A Week On A Food Stamp Budget?

Food Stamp Challenge Participants Share Brown Bag Lunch and Conversation with SNAP Recipients at Children’s Hunger Alliance

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland has organized a team of volunteers to take the Food Stamp Challenge and better understand what it’s like to live on the average weekly food stamp benefit of $31.50.

The group–primarily comprised of Federation volunteers and professionals–will meet with current SNAP recipients, including Tonya Martin-Penn (a mother of four, whose husband lost his job after a devastating car accident) at the Children’s Hunger Alliance’s midtown offices (3634 Euclid Avenue, Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44115) at noon on Wednesday, December 14.

Warren L. Wolfson, Chair of the Federation’s Community Relations Committee (CRC) is taking the Challenge this year. “The goal is getting people to pay active attention to the real crisis of hunger and poverty all around us and take action now to support federal programs that do make a difference,” said Wolfson.

Debra Parmer, Vice President of Regional Operations for the Children’s Hunger Alliance, started the Challenge on Sunday. After only two days, Continue Reading A Week on a Food Stamp Budget…

Four Days on Food Stamps

December 14, 2011 at 11:19 am | Posted in Food Stamp Challenge | Leave a comment

Starting day four of the Food Stamp Challenge. Thanks to the Youth Abilities kids from JFSA I had a nice lunch yesterday that cost $1.37 – pbj sandwich, apple and granola bars. Noticing that “carbs” are filling my diet more than usual since they are the least expensive food group. Also, my meals are pretty boring since I have limited things to choose from. Yesterday, grabbed a SOBE water in the evening out of habit…drank half the bottle before I realized it wasn’t in my weekly budget to have it. Had to forfeit other food to stay in budget for the week. Making me really think about what it would be like to be a parent and have to think so much about feeding my kids and having to trade-off between healthy food and offering them “more” food.

Could You Live For A Week On A Food Stamp Budget?

December 13, 2011 at 5:19 pm | Posted in Food Stamp Challenge, Press Releases | Leave a comment

Food Stamp Challenge Participants Share Brown Bag Lunch and Conversation with SNAP Recipients at Children’s Hunger Alliance

Cleveland, OH––The Jewish Federation of Cleveland has organized a team of volunteers to take the Food Stamp Challenge and better understand what it’s like to live on the average weekly food stamp benefit of $31.50.

Warren L. Wolfson, Chair of the Federation’s Community Relations Committee (CRC) is taking the Challenge this year. “The goal is Continue Reading Could You Live For A Week On A Food Stamp Budget?…