Campaign Director's Statement
Remarks delivered by Volunteer Campaign Director Maryellen Himell-Ovadia at Campaign Launch, September 17, 2016
I am honored to have been asked to make an exciting announcement to the congregation this morning, especially since I am a member of this community not by birth, but by marriage. Unlike most of you, my forbears did not come to America from the Middle East, but from a Rabbinic Jewish tradition in Eastern Europe.
But we’re two branches of the same tree. So when asked for help by my husband, David Ovadia, who has long held the dream shared by many of you to enhance this synagogue and to preserve the legacy of Karaite Jews in the United States, I readily agreed. Some of you may know that I have had a long career in non-profit and higher education fundraising, and so you won’t be surprised that when David presented me with the challenge of helping lead an effort to raise money for the KJA cause, I raised all sorts of reasons why this might be difficult, but nevertheless, I agreed to serve as Volunteer Campaign Director. I’m happy to say we have made tremendous progress.
Through great effort and a little magic, David was able, last spring, to secure a truly significant $250k gift from a donor who prefers to remain anonymous and who lives outside the Bay Area, to launch the “quiet phase” of a fundraising Campaign that is perhaps the most fast-tracked of any I have ever worked on. With that gift, and the enthusiasm of the Campaign Committee David recruited to serve under his leadership as Chair, we began the “quiet phase” of our KJA fundraising campaign. Today, that Campaign goes public.
Through this Campaign, called “The Foundation for the Future” Campaign 2016-2017, we truly are setting the foundation for the future of this community. When completed in the summer of 2017,
• This sanctuary will be renovated,
• A nearly 1,000 sq. ft. addition, housing a new social hall, will be built,
• All the facilities updated,
• We will have established a national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center to serve as a beacon for learning and advocacy for Karaite Jews throughout the United States,
• We will have set the stage for implementing our long-term vision of expanded educational, cultural, and social enrichment activites for members, and for others who care to learn more about Karaite traditions,
• And perhaps most importantly, we will have planted the seeds for the future of the community, by inspiring, and ensuring relevance for the next generations.
Our immediate project budget is $1.2 million, and we have already secured many financial commitments, including gifts directed from prior donors set aside for this purpose, as well as “quiet phase” gifts from some of you in this room. Many thanks to those of you who have already made Campaign gifts. But much still needs to be done in the few months ahead, and a lot of money must be raised, before we break ground in December. We need the help of everyone in this room, and every one you know, to accomplish our goals.
Within the coming days you should receive the Campaign brochure and donation card, along with an appeal letter from David, mailed on Sept. 15th. This evening, following Shabbat, you’ll be able to log into www.Karaites.org to see the brand-new KJA Campaign website, which contains a wealth of information about our objectives. Thank you, Michael Ovadia for all your hard work on that part of the project. Today, and right now, in the place where it will all happen, you’ll be the first to see what this Campaign is really all about, as David joins me to unveil the soon to be … new … B’nai Israel. We’ll take questions one-on-one, during and after lunch.
I am honored to have been asked to make an exciting announcement to the congregation this morning, especially since I am a member of this community not by birth, but by marriage. Unlike most of you, my forbears did not come to America from the Middle East, but from a Rabbinic Jewish tradition in Eastern Europe.
But we’re two branches of the same tree. So when asked for help by my husband, David Ovadia, who has long held the dream shared by many of you to enhance this synagogue and to preserve the legacy of Karaite Jews in the United States, I readily agreed. Some of you may know that I have had a long career in non-profit and higher education fundraising, and so you won’t be surprised that when David presented me with the challenge of helping lead an effort to raise money for the KJA cause, I raised all sorts of reasons why this might be difficult, but nevertheless, I agreed to serve as Volunteer Campaign Director. I’m happy to say we have made tremendous progress.
Through great effort and a little magic, David was able, last spring, to secure a truly significant $250k gift from a donor who prefers to remain anonymous and who lives outside the Bay Area, to launch the “quiet phase” of a fundraising Campaign that is perhaps the most fast-tracked of any I have ever worked on. With that gift, and the enthusiasm of the Campaign Committee David recruited to serve under his leadership as Chair, we began the “quiet phase” of our KJA fundraising campaign. Today, that Campaign goes public.
Through this Campaign, called “The Foundation for the Future” Campaign 2016-2017, we truly are setting the foundation for the future of this community. When completed in the summer of 2017,
• This sanctuary will be renovated,
• A nearly 1,000 sq. ft. addition, housing a new social hall, will be built,
• All the facilities updated,
• We will have established a national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center to serve as a beacon for learning and advocacy for Karaite Jews throughout the United States,
• We will have set the stage for implementing our long-term vision of expanded educational, cultural, and social enrichment activites for members, and for others who care to learn more about Karaite traditions,
• And perhaps most importantly, we will have planted the seeds for the future of the community, by inspiring, and ensuring relevance for the next generations.
Our immediate project budget is $1.2 million, and we have already secured many financial commitments, including gifts directed from prior donors set aside for this purpose, as well as “quiet phase” gifts from some of you in this room. Many thanks to those of you who have already made Campaign gifts. But much still needs to be done in the few months ahead, and a lot of money must be raised, before we break ground in December. We need the help of everyone in this room, and every one you know, to accomplish our goals.
Within the coming days you should receive the Campaign brochure and donation card, along with an appeal letter from David, mailed on Sept. 15th. This evening, following Shabbat, you’ll be able to log into www.Karaites.org to see the brand-new KJA Campaign website, which contains a wealth of information about our objectives. Thank you, Michael Ovadia for all your hard work on that part of the project. Today, and right now, in the place where it will all happen, you’ll be the first to see what this Campaign is really all about, as David joins me to unveil the soon to be … new … B’nai Israel. We’ll take questions one-on-one, during and after lunch.
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