Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has launched this year\u2019s annual campaign under the leadership of Alex Cristall, general chair. The campaign is the Greater Vancouver Jewish community\u2019s central fundraising initiative and closed last year with a record $8.3 million result. The campaign is one of the primary fundraising opportunities through which Federation will grow the financial resources required to meet the goals outlined in its 2020 Strategic Priorities. These priorities will guide the organization\u2019s work on behalf of the community through the year 2020 and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very excited that Alex Cristall has taken on the role of chair of this year\u2019s campaign,\u201d said Ezra S. Shanken, Jewish Federation\u2019s chief executive officer. \u201cAlex has a passion for making our community stronger, and he is an extraordinary leader in terms of addressing the goals outlined in our 2020 Strategic Priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The priorities address five key areas of opportunity:<\/p>\n
While the campaign benefits all areas of need in the Jewish community, the particular focus of this year\u2019s campaign is security. Jewish Federation is leading the development of a comprehensive, long-term approach to keep the Lower Mainland\u2019s Jewish community ahead of the curve. In recognition of the need for a community-wide strategy, Federation established the community security advisory committee. The committee\u2019s mandate is to provide a leadership role in assessing the risks facing community institutions and to propose and evaluate specific strategies to mitigate these areas of concern.<\/p>\n
Growing security needs requires increased financial resources to address them. Federation has worked with a group of donors to create a matching gifts program to jumpstart the funding and create awareness among donors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very pleased to announce that every new or increased gift will be matched, with the matching amount allocated to local community security initiatives that will benefit every Jewish organization in our community,\u201d said Cristall. \u201cCommunity security is an issue that affects every single one of us every time we set foot in a Jewish institution, take part in a Jewish program or attend a community event. Through the Federation annual campaign, it is an issue we can all play our part in addressing.\u201d<\/p>\n