Richmond Jewish Foundation (RJF) hosted its 2nd Annual “Latkes & Legacy Drive-Thru” event on Monday, Dec. 4, in appreciation of community LIFE & LEGACY donors.
Local donors who have established legacy commitments to support future generations of Jewish Richmond were invited to pick-up special “to-go” boxes of homemade latkes and applesauce.
More than 70 legacy donor families participated in the “Drive-Thru” event that was planned by RJF Legacy Board Chair, Katie Roeper and LIFE & LEGACY Director, Lauren Plotkin.
Donors were excited as they picked-up a box of homemade latkes and applesauce and were personally greeted and thanked by committee members from LIFE & LEGACY partner organizations and RJF Board members.
“Preparing the food was a labor of love and honestly, a lot of fun, thanks to our volunteers,” said Roeper. Community volunteers spent two days in the Weinstein JCC kosher kitchen chopping, mixing, and frying over 50 lbs of potatoes and 40 lbs of apples. Their efforts yielded nearly 700 latkes and fresh applesauce, all made from scratch.
Joining Plotkin and Roeper in the kitchen, were Renate Forssmann-Falck, Chris Greenberg, Rosemary Seltzer and Katy Yoffy.
The “To-Go” boxes were assembled with ingredient cards and a thank you and distributed by LIFE & LEGACY volunteers Rosann Bocciarelli, Rob Davidson, Benita Felmus, Wendy Kreuter and Bev Koerin. They were joined by RJF CEO, Dan Brandeis, Board Chair Jeff Lacker and Board Members Ron Felmus, Frances Goldman and John Weinberg.
Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), LIFE & LEGACY strives to inspire and motivate donors to make legacy commitments that will sustain vibrant Jewish communities for years to come. While the program’s endowment-building vision stretches across the United States and Canada, its goal is to provide future financial stability to Jewish communities and is designed to be implemented locally.
HGF provides grants for Jewish communities, like Richmond, to thank local donors for their legacy commitments through stewardship mailings and events such as these.
Since RJF launched LIFE & LEGACY in Richmond, seven years ago, more than 400 donors have promised to create more than 560 legacy gifts to support our community.
These future gifts are estimated to provide a projected $21 million in endowments for Jewish Richmond, ensuring organizations and congregations continue providing impactful programs and services during both calm and turbulent times.
LIFE & LEGACY provides community partners the tools and resources to successfully build and sustain legacy programs. With the support of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, RJF is proud and honored to continue this vitally important initiative over the next four years.
Current LIFE & LEGACY participating partner organizations include Congregation Beth Ahabah, Congregation Or Ami, JCFR, Jewish Family Services, Keneseth Beth Israel, Temple Beth-El and Weinstein JCC.
RJF is committed to growing LIFE & LEGACY and providing continued guidance, training and incentives for Richmond’s Jewish organizations and congregations to further integrate legacy giving into their institutions. Through LIFE & LEGACY, our Jewish partner organizations have collectively been awarded almost $250,000 through incentive grants related to annual program goals. Ultimately, the goal of LIFE & LEGACY is to foster a long-term culture of philanthropy in our community that will benefit Jewish Richmond for generations to come.
Thanks to Amy Mendelson-Cheeley for her time and talents in designing Latkes & Legacy Drive-Thru materials and to the Weinstein JCC for their cooperation in preparing for the event.
To learn how you can be part of securing Richmond’s Jewish future please contact RJF Legacy Director, Lauren Plotkin: lauren@rjfoundation.org or (804) 545-8624.
