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“Momentum begets momentum.” That’s the philosophy Harvey Dales, chair of the 2014 Federation Annual Campaign, brought to his leadership role, and it’s how our campaign achieved an historic $8 million result for our community. That’s right, if you haven’t already heard, the campaign closed at a record $8 million! It’s a significant milestone. But Harvey will be the first to tell you that the significance isn’t really about the campaign at all. It’s about our community:

“It’s a true community achievement – for our community, and by our community. I remain amazed and inspired by this community and the support received from thousands of donors and hundreds of volunteers. Despite ever increasing demands made on us all, the love and generosity that our donors bestow on those in need of a little more support is astounding. This incredible $8 million achievement is significant, particularly in terms of the people, programs and institutions that will benefit from our commitment to tzedakah (justice, charity)."

Exactly.

Why does a record campaign result matter? Because it strengthens the very fabric of our community. It matters because our 35 partner agencies now have the assurance that they can continue to deliver the critical programs and services that thousands of community members rely on. Local families will get the help they need to make ends meet and to stay engaged with our Jewish community. Local Jewish seniors in regional communities will receive the social services they depend on. Jewish students on local university campuses will continue to share positive perspectives on Jewish life. In fact, there’s a good case to be made for the campaign touching the lives of every single person in our community, whether you have a child soon heading off to Jewish summer camp, whether you attended an event like our Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration last month, or whether you’re a young Jewish adult connecting with your peers through Axis.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you who made a gift, and who volunteered as a canvasser, a team captain or at an event. I would also like to thank the campaign leadership team of Harvey Dales, Neil Pollock, Andrew Merkur, Alex Cristall, Brent Pullan, Judith Cohen, Alvin Wasserman, Al Szajman, David Watterman, Allen Gaerber and Mark James, along with our campaign staff. When Harvey says the $8 million result is an achievement for our community and by our community, he is referring to your generosity, your volunteer involvement, and your leadership. We are grateful, and our community is grateful.

The campaign achievement this year was huge. No doubt about it. But what you might not realize is the totality of what was generated for our community through Jewish Federation this year. We raised more than $250,000 to give families in Southern Israel temporary relief from rocket attacks and to help Jews caught in the crossfire in Ukraine. We generated funds to support special projects to help at-risk youth in Northern Israel reach their potential. And we did this all while growing our endowment program, The Jewish Community Foundation, to $50 million in assets.

But all of this pales in comparison to what we can do in the future, because as Harvey says, “momentum begets momentum.” The record campaign achievement is an emblem of something much bigger. Ultimately, this is a story of believing in our community. Harvey believed. His campaign leadership team believed. You believed. And we believed along with you. Countless stories have been made possible because of your generosity. And I look forward to telling you these stories each week, right here.

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver