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PHOTO BY HOWARD KAPLAN

Just Doing It

With a little help from friends and strangers, the JCC
is continuing to examine and improve itself.

JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER

he Jewish Community
Center already has some
answers for members of
the community who are ei-
ther distressed by its shortcom-
ings, who have abandoned it
altogether, or who never joined.
A wide-ranging survey of com-
munity attitudes, distilled in a
report released last week, bol-
sters the JCC's ongoing efforts
to remake itself and also puts it
on a new track.
The Bloom Report was for-
mally introduced at the Jewish
Community Center annual
meeting June 19. Author
Mitchell Jaffe, assistant execu-
tive director of the Jewish Com-
munity Centers Association in
New York, provided a synopsis
of the 83-page report, which cov-
ers everything from children's
toys to brooms and mops.
Douglas Bloom, chairman of
the JCC executive committee,
and his wife Barbara provided
the funding for the survey, which
began gauging the views of some
250 people last December.
"It was well worth it. It vali-
dated much of what many of us
thought were our strengths and
weaknesses," Mr. Bloom said.
The JCC has weathered steep
losses in membership, turnover

T

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of high-ranking staff, and bad
press for the past five years.
Many of the 180 people inter-
viewed in 19 focus groups and
the 58 community leaders who
provided "key informant" inter-
views about community percep-
tions of the JCC expressed
dissatisfaction about the fitness
clubs, the maintenance of the
buildings and customer service.
They wanted expanded
babysitting hours, more day care
and newer toys for their children.
They wanted an easier time get-
ting in and out of the Maple-
Drake center. They wanted
friendlier and more helpful staff.
They wanted more events for sin-
gles, single parents and inter-
marrieds. And they really
wanted more Jewish content in
the JCC's programming.
The focus groups comprised
different segments of the com-
munity — parents with young
children, singles, Russian immi-
grants, senior citizens and Or-
thodox Jews, for example. Some
were members; some not.
Interestingly, many more peo-
ple were satisfied with the Jim-
my Prentis Morris branch of the
JCC in Oak Park than the
Maple-Drake branch, which is
newer and bigger. They told Mr.

a health club than a gen-
eral meeting place for the
community. Others said
fitness equipment needs
an upgrade in order to
compete with other clubs.
Still others said the clubs
are a drain on JCC re-
sources.
The cost of member-
ship did not rank high as
a concern among partic-
ipants, but the need for
Jewish programming
did.
The Bloom Report is
the first step in Phase II
of the JCC's overall re-
newal plan. A capital
fund-raising campaign
and management and
building renovation stud-
ies will be launched by
the close of the year.
Phase I comprised reno-
vations to the health
clubs in both facilities.
But what some of the
interviewees suggested
have already been put in
place, Mr. Bloom noted.
In February, the JCC
hired a director of Juda-
ic enrichment, Beth
Greenapple, who is
charged with infusing
center programming
with Jewish content. Mr.
Bloom also praised JCC
Executive Director
David Sorkin for hiring a
competent maintenance

Douglas Bloom addresses the JCC board.

Jaffe that the JPM is more "com-
munity-minded" and less "edifice
driven" than Maple-Drake.
The health clubs at both cen-

ters also elicited a lot of comment
and suggestions. Some partici-
pants in the survey lamented
that the JCC is better known as

staff.
"I rarely, if ever, hear that
bathrooms are dirty," he said.
Basing his recommendations

Fresh, Fast

Right on the mark

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