{"id":32791,"date":"2019-06-21T03:59:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T10:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=32791"},"modified":"2019-06-20T12:20:11","modified_gmt":"2019-06-20T19:20:11","slug":"try-to-make-the-world-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2019\/06\/21\/try-to-make-the-world-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Try to make the world better"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jewish Family Services Innovators Lunch committee, left to right: Sherri Wise, Tamar Bakonyi, Candice Thal and Shannon Ezekiel. (photo from JFS)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On May 14, Jewish Family Services held its 15th annual Innovators Lunch at the Hyatt Regency downtown. The sold-out event was hosted by CBC broadcaster Gloria Macarenko and featured keynote speaker Lane Merrifield of CBC\u2019s Dragons\u2019 Den<\/em>. Attended by 620 donors, partners, sponsors and volunteers, it raised an unprecedented $380,000 towards programs and services designed to improve quality of life for 2,000 Lower Mainland residents.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s theme at JFS is \u201ccommunity.\u201d At the luncheon, Richard Fruchter, the agency\u2019s chief executive officer, spoke of JFS\u2019s mission to provide life\u2019s necessities: \u201cfood, shelter, accessibility and emotional stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

The audience was shown a video presentation created by Michael Millman, which revealed the wide-ranging benefits of JFS\u2019s work. A single mother spoke candidly and with feeling about her struggles. \u201cBefore I reached out to JFS, I struggled with everything. We lived on almost nothing,\u201d she said. JFS staff provided housing, food and food vouchers, as well as trauma counseling. JFS partner agency Tikva Housing provided the family with a townhouse in a new development. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful place, right on the Fraser River \u2026 a lovely home for us to have for many years,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cJFS has given us a life. A way to be happy. It\u2019s just been a huge blessing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

A senior with disabilities spoke about how a spinal cord injury felled him at the age of 36. JFS has helped him remain independent with its Better at Home program. In the video, Cindy MacMillan, director of senior services at JFS, explained that a grant from the United Way made it possible for the senior to remain at home. Now he has a housekeeper come in to look after his home, and also enjoys companionship with weekly visits from a JFS volunteer. \u201cIt\u2019s working out, I look forward to them!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
JFS board member Jody Dales spoke about her own family\u2019s struggles. (photo from JFS)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s helped him realize that people in his community care about him,\u201d said MacMillan. \u201cIt\u2019s really Jewish values in action, in the broader community. Those values of caring and healing happen every time we make a match with a volunteer.\u201d<\/p>\n

JFS board member Jody Dales gave a passionate speech about her own family\u2019s struggles. Dales saw her grandmother turn away help when she was struggling with poverty. Having survived the Holocaust, her grandmother still felt that others needed the help more than she did, Dales explained. As a result, Dales said she applauds anyone who comes forward to seek support. Rather than being a sign of weakness, she said, \u201cOnly the courageous are able to say, \u2018Help me.\u2019\u201d She acknowledged that people tend to experience \u201ca sense of shame in asking for help. But nothing is certain. It could be any of us at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dales also explained how big a difference can be made by even a small donation and told the audience, \u201cLet your empathy guide your decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merrifield, co-creator of Club Penguin, an online community for kids, spoke about building community in the business world. Designed to be a safe, collaborative environment for play and learning, Club Penguin is founded on an ethos of mutual reliance and philanthropy. Eventually sold to Disney for $350 million, Disney recruited Merrifield to lead the project, ensuring that Club Penguin maintained the integrity of its original goal, \u201cinspiring change in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merrifield urged people to work towards social entrepreneurship, where human concerns guide business decisions. Rather than focusing on capital investment, he advised the audience to \u201cinvest in people because that\u2019s what keeps us healthy. Revenue is not what you chase for its own sake,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is the by-product of creating a great product with a great team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Keynote speaker Lane Merrifield, left, and JFS chief executive officer Richard Fruchter. (photo from JFS)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Right from the beginning, the business plan for Club Penguin was based on philanthropy. A portion of subscriptions went to families that live on less than $51 per day, he said. But \u201cthere was no fanfare,\u201d said Merrifield. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want this to look like a gimmick.\u201d In the first year, the company gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

Merrifield spoke of the need to galvanize the community of kids, teaching them to invest in their community with a \u201ccoins for change\u201d program. This virtual fundraiser even allowed children to \u201cring bells\u201d to attract the attention of other subscribers. Over one billion digital coins were donated annually, for a range of humanitarian causes. Self-organizing kids formed virtual marches, becoming activists in their own right; held candlelit vigils and themed parties.<\/p>\n

Merrifield brings the same spirit of social responsibility to his work on Dragons\u2019 Den<\/em>. He and his fellow panelists (\u201cdragons\u201d) hear pitches by entrepreneurs who are looking for investment and choose which ones to support. Merrifield said he looks for companies that \u201cuse recycled materials, hire disabled applicants, plant trees, and make an effort to reduce waste in their packaging and lower their fuel costs.\u201d So far, he has not been disappointed. \u201cMost companies have pretty good answers and that gives me hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On the subject of giving back, Merrifield encouraged people to consider donations \u2013 such as those to JFS \u2013 not as losses to oneself, but as \u201cinvestments in the future, to individuals who continue to pay it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also asked the audience to engage everyone they could to further the cause of fearless generosity. \u201cUse your collective strength and influence to create change for good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He advised, \u201cPool your talents and leave this world far better than it was when we came into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shula Klinger<\/strong> is an author and journalist living in North Vancouver. Find out more at shulaklinger.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jewish Family Services Innovators Lunch committee, left to right: Sherri Wise, Tamar Bakonyi, Candice Thal and Shannon Ezekiel. (photo from JFS) On May 14, Jewish Family Services held its 15th annual Innovators Lunch at the Hyatt Regency downtown. The sold-out event was hosted by CBC broadcaster Gloria Macarenko and featured keynote speaker Lane Merrifield of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[985,3128,3715,7702,7703,9070,9069,2763,3285,1959],"class_list":["post-32791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-cbc","tag-fundraising","tag-innovators-lunch","tag-jewish-family-services","tag-jfs","tag-jody-dales","tag-lane-merrifield","tag-philanthropy","tag-richard-fruchter","tag-tikkun-olam"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}