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Rod Hofts’ Legacy and the JCC’s Impact

The idea of leaving a legacy has been on my mind this week. Over the weekend, we learned of former Sports and Fitness Director Rod Hofts’ passing. Though I never met Rod, who retired at the end of 2006, his legacy lives on in the many lives he impacted through his work at the JCC. We shared Rod’s passing with our community on social media and there was an outpouring of love and shared memories on the posts. Rod was a true legend and fixture of the community. During his time at the JCC, he launched countless youth and adult athletic leagues, including the Allen Katner Youth Soccer League – the city’s very first soccer league, started in 1976 under the leadership of Dr. Allen Katner and Mike Vogel.

In just a few days, our reinvigorated youth soccer program, which has been on hiatus since the pandemic, will begin again. Almost 50 years after Rod started the Allen Katner Youth Soccer League, his legacy lives on in the children who will be attending their first soccer practice of the season next week.

On Wednesday, our JCC hosted a luncheon for the JCC Board of Directors Past Chairs. We host this gathering periodically to stay connected, and, of course, Rod’s impact on the JCC came up. Those in the room remembered him as a strong leader, a fixture of the JCC, sharing that his passing is a loss for our community. Listening to them speak about Rod’s impact left me wondering: Does this room of JCC leaders, who have navigated our JCC through the best of times and the difficult times, realize their own legacy lives on every day at our JCC?

From David Kleiman, who has made such an impact on Indianapolis and led the JCC in the early 70s, to Barb Levy, who served as the agency’s first female Board Chair, all the way to our Immediate Past Chair Eric Ratner, whose tenure involved navigating a major leadership transition in collaboration with past Board Chairs Marshall Kahn and Keith Pitzele – each former Board Chair has made a lasting impact on our agency.

Earlier this morning, one Past Board Chair in particular, Bruce Frank, of blessed memory, was top of mind. Members of our Board gathered to plan this year’s Frank-Larner Leadership Academy (FLLA), a leadership development initiative that Bruce generously helped fund. (The program is named after two Past Board Chairs — Bruce and Martin Lerner, who served in the 50s and 60s.) This year’s cohort kicks off later this month and is being led by a graduate of the 2022 FLLA cohort (our current Board Chair David Katz was a 2022 graduate as well!). As we gathered in my office to plan the program, I felt so much gratitude for Bruce’s investment in the future leadership of our agency. His legacy will continue to have an impact in the years to come.

As I was getting ready to leave the office this afternoon, a mom and her two daughters stopped by my office. The girls have grown up at the JCC as part of our Early Childhood Education center, Camp JCC, and afterschool care. This is their home, and they feel safe, loved, and like they belong. We wished each other a happy Friday, said goodbye, and I wondered to myself, “What will their legacy be? How will the JCC have shaped their impact on the world?”

Our JCC community — which shifts, changes, and evolves to meet the needs of those we serve – collectively and individually has raised children, enhanced the wellness of those we serve, developed and strengthened friendships, and birthed leaders. Every way each of us intersects with our JCC helps shape our legacy and impact. What a privilege and huge responsibility. Thank you for ensuring our JCC legacy continues to impact our community in the most meaningful of ways.

Arrangements for Rod’s funeral can be found here.