As we all settle into the rhythm of a new year, I’ve been reflecting on how generosity has a way of multiplying — how one act of caring so often inspires another.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about an incredible mother-daughter duo who gave a collective $150,000 gift to provide access to JCC childcare services for those in financial need. With such enormous need, these funds allowed us to support even more families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to enroll.

Just a few weeks later, I received an email from our Early Childhood Education Director Cindy Reinbold, who was connecting me to someone whose name I did not recognize. Cindy included me on her reply to a powerful and unexpected email. It read, “Hi Cindy, we are thinking about adding the JCC to our will. Is there someone I can talk to about that?”

This person, who is not a JCC member or connected to the Jewish community, reached out to discuss making an end-of-life gift to the J. These types of gifts help ensure the future of our organization and the continuation of the critical services we provide.

Within a few days of that initial email exchange, we were Zooming together, talking about what a legacy gift could look like. During our conversation, she shared that her grandson is enrolled in our Early Childhood Education program.

Her grandson’s parents have been navigating a complicated chapter; they recently separated, and the financial strain is real. Because of financial assistance made possible by the mother-daughter duo, her grandson and many other have continued to receive exceptional care — stability, warmth, and a place to grow during a time when so much else feels uncertain.

She told me, quite simply and incredibly profoundly, “We are so pleased with the care he’s receiving that it just makes sense to give back.”

Her intention is to leave a six-figure legacy gift to the JCC, with a significant portion designated for financial assistance for Early Childhood Education families in need.

As we closed out 2025, we received a different type of “legacy” gift from longtime JCC members who, while not Jewish, feel deeply connected to our history as a community center. Insisting on anonymity, they gave a $25,000 gift intended to ensure facility operations are strong. When I thanked this couple, they described the gift as a “living bequest” — a way to give now, while they can see and feel the impact of their generosity in real time.

Neither of these gifts happened in isolation. They were inspired by what donors before them made possible. By people who chose to invest in care, access, and belonging — often without ever knowing whose life they might touch.

This is how generosity works here. It begets generosity. It ripples outward — reaching children, parents, grandparents, and community members who may never have imagined themselves as part of this story, until suddenly, they are.

As we enter Shabbat, may we take a moment to appreciate the quiet, powerful chain reaction we are creating together — and the future we are building, one generous act at a time.

Shabbot Shalom,

Sam Dubrinsky – JCC Indianapolis CEO