Recently, I walked into a restaurant to meet a special group for breakfast. Before I even reached the table, I could hear the laughter. Stories were flying back and forth, old memories resurfacing, and every conversation seemed to find its way back to one person: the late Rod Hofts, who served as the JCC’s Director of Fitness and Sports for 35 years.

Not long after Rod passed away in August 2025, Dr. John Abrams, a Past President of the JCC, called me. His message was simple: Rod’s impact on this community could never be forgotten.

At the time, we were bringing back youth soccer for the first time in years, a program with deep roots at our JCC and generations of memories attached to it. It was incredibly successful and, more importantly, it felt familiar and meaningful, even to those experiencing it for the first time.

When I arrived at the JCC in the fall of 2024, I heard countless people talk about the importance of youth recreation. I understood it intellectually, but I hadn’t yet experienced it. Watching youth soccer return showed me that these programs are about far more than sports. They create belonging, foster friendships, and become the backdrop for childhood memories and lifelong connections to the community.

I shared that vision with Dr. Abrams and explained that if we wanted to continue creating opportunities for children and families, we needed to invest in sports and recreation in a meaningful way.

Together, we began discussing the creation of a new leadership position that would honor Rod’s legacy. Dr. Abrams, along with longtime JCC member Ron Smith, immediately got to work. They reached out to friends who loved the JCC and whose lives had been touched by Rod. Within just a few months, we raised the resources needed to establish the Rod Hofts Director of Sports and Recreation. We have now filled the position, and this fall our youth soccer program will continue to grow.

Back to breakfast. Dr. Abrams and Ron invited me to meet Rod’s wife, Jan Hofts, along with Linda Konkle, who worked alongside Rod during the 1980s. I wanted to understand who Rod was beyond the stories I had heard. What I learned was that Rod’s greatest legacy wasn’t the programs he built; it was the people he helped shape.

Dr. Abrams shared that he worked for Rod as a high school student. The lessons Rod taught him about leadership, discipline, responsibility, and believing in young people helped shape the man he would become. Today, Dr. Abrams is a respected ophthalmologist and serves as the Indiana Pacers’ team ophthalmologist, yet he still credits Rod with giving him opportunities to lead long before he believed he was ready.

Ron met Rod later in life through adult basketball, but his impression was much the same. Rod was steady, humble, and unflappable. “Everyone knew Rod,” Ron said, “but even more importantly, everyone respected him.” Linda smiled as she listened. Her memories echoed everything they had shared. Rod had a gift for making people feel welcome, valued, and included. And, she laughed, he also made sure everyone had fun, which explained why our breakfast was filled with so much laughter.

As breakfast came to an end, Jan thanked the group for ensuring that Rod’s memory would continue to live on at the JCC. She shared how much this community meant to Rod, and how grateful she was to see that same community continue to care for one another.

I left thinking about something much bigger than one person. Institutions don’t become special because of their buildings or programs. They become special because of the people who invest in them, believe in them, and leave them stronger than they found them. Rod was one of those people, and he is certainly not the only one. Across generations, countless individuals have quietly shaped the JCC into the place it is today. We have the privilege, as well as the responsibility, to honor those legacies not only by remembering them, but by building upon them so that those who come after us will have stories of their own to tell.

Shabbat Shalom,

Sam Dubrinsky