Metro
Ringing The Bell Early
Local economic woes compel Federation to close annual pledge effort April 1.
C
iting urgent local needs in
the Jewish community, lead-
ers of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit decided to close their
2008 pledge-collecting effort on April 1
instead of Dec. 31.
Federation allocates funds to 19 part-
ner agencies based on annual pledges.
The sooner those pledges are made, the
sooner they can be allo-
cated to agencies that
can help those in need,
said Nancy Grosfeld,
Federation president.
"Our social service
agencies are experi-
encing an increased
Nancy
number of families
Grosfeld
requesting emergency
financial assistance just
to meet their everyday
expenses:' she said. "Day schools and
camps are getting requests for increased
scholarship money and tuition assis-
tance as well."
Norman Keane, Jewish
Family Service executive
director, said it isn't just
the numbers.
"Our concern is not
just the increasing num-
bers of families needing
help. It is the complexity
Norman
and depth of their need
Keane
that is unparalleled;' he
said.
"Families come to us not only in emo-
tional distress, but also with financial
situations for which they do not have the
resources to meet needs as basic as food,
housing and medical."
Grosfeld said some agency executives
told her some former donors now need
services.
Time To Step Up
The start of Federation's allocation process
to agencies, which normally begins in May,
will be pushed ahead to April.
Federation officers, lay leaders and
senior staff members will treat the
month of March as if it was December,
suspending regular day-to-day activities
and meetings to concentrate on closing
pledges, said Federation CEO Robert
Aronson. "Every day has to have a goal of
what we want to accomplish. If we don't
get to that goal, we've got to make up
more ground."
Federation's goal for 2008 is $34 million.
The Rebecca and Gary Sakwa Challenge
Fund: Children and Families from Risk
to Opportunity, is a separate $10 million
matching fund effort designated for fami-
lies in need, split equally between local
and overseas needs.
Why the split?
"We have worldwide responsibilities,"
Aronson said. "There are Jews in trouble,
especially in Israel right now, who are below
the poverty line, and we have an obligation
to them."All in all, reaching the pledge goal
by April will help everyone, he said.
"We will be able to collect certain funds
we can use as a hedge
against whatever's going
to happen in 2009. It'll
give us a little bit of a
buffer:' he said. "I can't
say for sure if it's going
to be better, worse or
the same in '09, but on
Robert
behalf of our commu-
Aronson
nity, we have to prepare
for the worst."
The challenge, besides
reaching a $34 million goal in a down
economy, is seeking pledges only three
months after some people gave their gifts
at the end of 2007, Aronson said.
More than $48 million in contribu-
tions were collected in 2007, includ-
ing $15 million for the Marvin and
Betty Danto Family Israel Emergency
Challenge Fund.
"We have no choice Aronson said. "We
are ringing the bell. We've seen what's hap-
pening, and we've got to be forthcoming.
Now is the time to step up."
❑
Federation's Sakwa Fund To Offer Vital Help
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit has established the Rebecca
and Gary Sakwa Challenge Fund:
Children and Families From Risk to
Opportunity to help families and chil-
dren in our community and in Israel
receive vital financial and welfare
assistance. The goal is $10 million.
The needs are great, especially in
Michigan's challenging economy:
• Jewish Family Service helped 595
households with emergency financial
assistance in 2006; they project serv-
ing 700 this year.
• JVS provided employment services
to 900 community members in 2006;
they expect about 1,200 individuals
this year because of joblessness.
• Area congregations are reporting
increased requests for dues reduc-
tions and religious school scholarships,
and are seeing membership numbers
decrease because of the economy.
• Scholarship assistance provided by
the six day schools increased by 8 per-
cent from last year to $7.3 million.
• The JCC is seeing an increase
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March 6 • 2008
in requests for scholarships and a
decrease in membership as people
lose their jobs and many move away.
• Project Chessed, Jewish Family
Service's program that provides pro-
bono medical care to the uninsured,
saw an increase from 98 clients in
June 2005 to 428 in November 2007.
As families are increasingly pinched
to make ends meet, charitable giving
often decreases and past donors now
are in need of assistance themselves.
The communal stories are many:
• Evan and Diane were leading a
comfortable life in the suburbs until
Evan's job in the auto industry was
eliminated. Diane returned to work for
the first time in 20 years. Evan tried to
do some consulting, their high school
daughter took a part-time job, and
they cut back on all the extras, but
they still could not make ends meet
despite their best efforts. JFS pro-
vided emergency financial assistance
to make sure their utilities were not
cut off and they would not lose their
home, counseling for their daughter,
referrals to community resources and
case management to create a viable
plan for returning to self-sufficiency.
• Bob is a 74-year-old part-time
salesman at an appliance store and
also receives Social Security. He and
his wife, Sarah, 70, live in Farmington
Hills. Sarah has multiple sclerosis and
very high prescription bills. They have
prescription coverage, but it does not
cover enough of the costs. Because of
the economy, Bob's sales commissions
have been very low lately and they
have gotten behind in their bills. In
addition to receiving a small loan from
Hebrew Free Loan, they were referred
to JFS, which has helped them to iden-
tify other resources for assistance.
Many more families need help. A gift
to the Sakwa Challenge Fund can make
the difference between homelessness
and hunger today and the ability to
make ends meet and plan for tomorrow.
The Sakwa Challenge Fund is tar-
geted assistance that will be pro-
vided beyond the regular ability of
Federation. Funds will directly help
families in financial crisis by providing
them with emergency financial assis-
tance, help to sustain Jewish educa-
tion for their children and assistance
to return to self-sufficiency.
Gary Sakwa of Bloomfield Hills,
is founder and managing partner of
Farmington Hills-based Grand Sakwa
Properties, one of the state's largest
residential and retail development
companies. Sakwa is also involved in
numerous philanthropic activities,
including Karmanos Cancer Institute,
the Alzheimer's Foundation and
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
Another local family has stepped
up to the challenge. On their own
initiative, the Prentis Family Support
Foundation created a "fund within a
fund" to get the community involved.
Each dollar raised from the commu-
nity for the Sakwa Challenge Fund
will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to
$250,000 by the Prentis family and
earmarked for local needs.
To donate, go to jewishdetroit.org ,
and click on Online Donor Center. ❑