Tag: Indy J
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: Because I Care and Because I Was Asked
As we close out the week, I find myself reflecting on one of the highlights of the past several days: the first meeting of our JCC Hand in Hand Annual Campaign Task Force. Led by JCC Past Board Chair Katy Cantor and JCC Board member Suzanne Rothenberg, this dedicated group has already begun laying the […]
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: When the Lights Went Out, the J Shined
At 7:41 a.m. on Thursday, I received a text letting me know that the JCC had lost power. As inconveniences go, it was a pretty significant one. We were in the first week of camp, transitioning classrooms in our Early Childhood Education center, and navigating one of the busiest times of year for membership, aquatics, […]
The People Who Believe in Us
I’m going to start by sharing something that makes me feel vulnerable: when I became a 28-year-old Executive Director at the JCC in Birmingham, Alabama — my hometown — I had no idea what I was doing. I had passion and cared deeply about the mission. But I was learning in real time how to […]
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: Building Something Beautiful Together
As we move toward Shabbat, I’ve been thinking about what it truly means to build community not in the abstract, but in the small, tangible ways we show up for one another. The conversations we have, moments we share, the ways we create something meaningful together, even when the world around us can feel fragmented. […]
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: What I Learned on a Bus at Disney
I’m writing this at 10 p.m., on a bus back to our Disney World hotel. My son is asleep on my shoulder, surrounded by families who have just watched the evening fireworks at Magic Kingdom. We’ve spent the week at Disney World — our long-delayed trip, postponed after my husband lost his mother. If I’m […]
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: What’s a Spinyan?
I can’t recall all the details of the very first spin class I attended — who the instructor was, what music played, etc. — but I will never forget how I felt when as a 20-something I walked into the spin room of the JCC in my hometown. I was a little unsure and a […]
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: What the JCC Shares with a 90s Boy Band
It was at a Backstreet Boys concert that I realized just how much in common the JCC community has with a 90s pop boy band fanbase. Stay with me. I promise I’ll connect the dots.This past weekend, I saw the Backstreet Boys in concert. The five-member boy band, who really broke onto the scene in […]
Women on Weights
L–R: Erin E., Susan M., Sanna C., instructor Heather S., and Barbara F. in JFIT Lift: Women on WeightsNot pictured: Mary Beth T., Carol C. JFIT Lift: Women on Weights participants Barbara, Susan, Sanna and Erin have been JCC members for vastly different amounts of time: Barbara and family have been part of the J […]
Ms. Claudia and Ms. Emely
L-R: Ms. Emely, Erick, and Ms. Claudia Claudia Velasquez, a long-standing JCC Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher, first heard about the JCC through a previous coworker who had nothing but positive remarks about the center. She followed this colleague and was eager to enter this new chapter of her life. Claudia could never have predicted […]
A Rockin’ Rochman Chanukah
L-R: Brooke, Stacey, Juliana, Cameron and Brad Rochman Stacey and Brad Rochman grew up in other areas of the country but were JCC preschool kids themselves. Once they moved to Indianapolis and had their first daughter, Juliana, in 2018, they knew they would find a warm home at the Indy JCC. Now they have two […]