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Foundation Focus: Fall 2018

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Event Co-Chairs and Guest Speaker

Annie and Victor Wishna, Josh and Sheryl Stein and David Sosland at Foundation for Our Future, JCF’s community-wide celebration of planned giving on October 11.

JCF Celebrates Planned Givers at Foundation for Our Future

Approximately one hundred people gathered at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center on the evening of October 11 for Foundation for Our Future, the Jewish Community Foundation’s biennial community-wide celebration of planned giving. The event honored the many generous and foresighted donors who have made arrangements to leave a legacy gift for a Jewish community agency or synagogue.

The evening began with a retro-themed hors d’oeuvres and cocktail reception where guests enjoyed 1950s and 60s classics such as ambrosia salad, salmon croquettes, and the event’s signature cocktail, a spiked cherry limeade called the “cherry strike.” The nostalgic theme was continued in the event decor which featured a colorful midcentury modern design motif. Popular music from the era played while guests quizzed one another with 1960s trivia cards.

Irv Belzer, President of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, warmly welcomed guests and thanked them for their generous commitments to helping ensure the long-term vibrancy of the community. Belzer explained that over the past 11 years, the Foundation has worked systematically with more than a dozen communal organizations to help strengthen their endowments and ensure their long-term sustainability. Through the Create a Jewish Legacy program, the Foundation continues to provide organizations with planned giving training, consulting services, customized marketing materials and valuable financial incentives. 

Special guest Victor Wishna shared his unique familial connection to the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center. The building is the former home of King Louie West Lanes, owned by Wishna’s great-uncle and namesake Victor Lerner. “Which meant I was bowling royalty. An almost direct descent of King Louie himself,” Wishna quipped.

“This is exactly what legacy means,” said Wishna. “This building’s structure has completely changed, but its role in the community continues...That’s the best way to think about an endowment - it’s a partnership with the future. A building is just a building, it won’t last forever. A planned gift keeps giving, and with it, the story continues.”

Sponsored in part by the Sam and Lucy Gould JCF Program Fund, the evening also included a signing ceremony for the Endowment Book of Life, which honors those who have made a commitment of $10,000 or more to the permanent endowment of a Jewish agency or synagogue by recording not only their names but their giving stories. Nearly a dozen individuals and couples were called forward to sign the book as images of their pages—with photos and brief statements about why they give—were displayed on the screen above. These testimonials may be viewed online at BookOfLifeKC.org.

Guest speaker David Katzman, Professor Emeritus of American Studies at the University of Kansas, began his remarks with interesting facts of Midwestern Jewish history. “Kansas has a very rich Jewish tradition,” said Katzman. “Who knew that Bloomingdales, the iconic department store in New York, started in 1857 in Leavenworth, Kansas?”

Katzman shared findings from his research on Midwestern Judaism and its future identity. “The future of Jewish life is in smaller towns, in university communities, in regional health centers, places to start up new businesses,” said Katzman. “What does it mean to be a Jew in a smaller town? Today, I believe all Jews are Jews by choice. We have the freedom to be Jewish or not. What it means today is that nobody tells us what it means to be a Jew. We decide that ourselves.” 

He ended with his observation that the longstanding Jewish tradition of tzedakah is alive and well in the Midwest. “In Kansas and Missouri communities, Jews respond to Jewish needs, though not only Jewish needs. Greater participation and stronger identity as Jews are developed through this charitable work.”

Guests ended the evening with an optional tour of the Johnson County Museum and went home with a curated goodie bag of nostalgic candy including a classic PEZ dispenser, the crowd favorite.

For more information about leaving a legacy gift or to discuss an existing commitment, please contact Josh Stein at 913-327-8121.


resilience through helping others

Irv Belzer and Lauren Hoopes

Irv Belzer and Lauren Hoopes

Dear Friends,

Although recent events have shaken the Jewish community, resilience has always been a hallmark of our people. We have always met these challenges by finding meaningful ways to support our community, its organizations, and each other. At the Jewish Community Foundation, we are striving to become an even more accessible and effective resource to support you and your charitable giving. Now, as the end of the secular year approaches, many of you will take the time to think about how to help others through that giving. Rest assured that the Foundation provides myriad opportunities and services to help you find personalized, creative and tax-wise ways to meet your philanthropic goals.
The Foundation is proud to offer experiences in which donors can connect and find inspiration. From B’nai Tzedek and J-LEAD to our new grassroots “connecting” events in our “Connecting Our Giving Community” series, more and more of you are interacting with the Foundation in new ways. We encourage all of you to take advantage of both new and ongoing opportunities to learn from and be uplifted by others who are enriching their giving through the Foundation.

As Irv prepares to take on his new role as Immediate Past President and we look forward with great anticipation to the leadership of Alice Jacks Achtenberg, we hope all of you welcome 2019 with an appreciation of the tremendous impact that we, as a community of givers, have had over the past year and with a sense of inspired purpose through the many mitzvot we will perform together in the future.

With Best Wishes for a Happy and Prosperous 2019,

Irv Belzer, President
Lauren Mattleman Hoopes, Executive Director


Meet our new b’nai tzedek Youth council

Teens at the B'nai Tzedek Shuk

The 2018-2019 B'nai Tzedek Youth Council.

Introducing the Foundation’s 2018-2019 B’nai Tzedek Youth Council! 

Youth Council members meet once a month to learn about community needs, engage their peers in philanthropy, and plan the B’nai Tzedek Shuk, the Foundation’s annual youth philanthropy fair.

Pictured, front row: Max Gelman, Mirra Goldenberg, Sara Saidel, Ilana Fingersh, Anna Clauer, Susanna King, Shir’el Rudnick. Back row: Gavi Glickman, Braxton Hammontree, Isaac Decker, Aaron Berkowitz, Eric Wright, Noah Davis. Not pictured: Abbie Davis, Ally Turtledove, Sagi Rudnick, Ayelet Schuster and Mandy Unterhalter.

For information about B’nai Tzedek, contact Beatrice Fine at 913-327-4618.


j-LEAD volunteers grow at global gardens

J-LEAD members

J-LEAD members volunteer at Global Gardens.

J-LEAD, the Foundation’s giving circle for young adults in their 20s-40s, organized a volunteer day on Sunday, October 21 at the JVS Global Garden in the Lykins neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. J-LEAD members and their families gathered on the beautiful fall afternoon to hear from Rita, a Bhutanese refugee, who uses the garden to grow produce for her family. They then got to work clearing a section of the garden so that it may be planted next spring. The experience was a meaningful one for all attendees and brought to life the grant that J-LEAD made to enable JVS to purchase another garden plot for their refugee families in a nearby neighborhood. J-LEAD member Stephanie Pollack said, “While my involvement in J-LEAD has been impactful thus far, it grew today by seeing where our donated dollars made a true difference. With only a couple hours on Sunday, we helped the leaders of these gardens prepare to feed their families and additional refugees coming through JVS.” J-LEAD provides its members the chance to collectively support innovative projects in our community through charitable giving and volunteerism. 

To learn more about J-LEAD or to get involved in the program, contact Josh Stein at 913-327-8121.  


Year-end giving calendar

In order to best serve you during this busy season, please keep the following deadlines in mind when doing your 2018 year-end giving: 
Grants From Your Fund 
In order to allow time for processing, please submit your grant requests as soon as possible.
Contributions In To Your Fund (To be eligible for a 2018 tax deduction)

  • Checks must be received in the JCF office by 4:30 pm on December 31, or if placed in the mail, postmarked December 31.
  • Stock must be received into a JCF account by December 31. Stock transfer times vary, so if you are planning to make a stock gift this year, please contact your broker and our CFO Kevin Taylor at 913-327-8134 to ensure timely handling of your donation. 
  • Credit Cards will be accepted any time, but keep in mind that the transaction must be posted to your credit card account by December 31. Credit card company processing times vary, so make sure to initiate your credit card donation early.

New Funds

Donor Advised Funds
DASANS Fund
Shirlee Ernstein Tzedakah Fund
Friends of Sasone Donor Advised Fund
Paul & Sara Greenwood Donor Advised Fund
Baruch & Donna Kaelter Donor Advised Fund
Arthur & Cynthia Liebenthal Donor Advised Fund
Steve & Judy Sherry Donor Advised Fund
Linda White Donor Advised Fund

Restricted Funds
Robert & Barbara Palan Restricted Fund 2018
Sandi Fried Fund for the Jewish Community
Jerry White Fund for the Jewish Community
Linda White Fund for the Jewish Community

Future Funds
Diane Davidner Lion of Judah Endowment Fund
Gary & Gail Weinberg Family Legacy Fund

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