THE AUGUSTA JEWISH FEDERATION ALLOCATES SAME AMOUNT TO BENEFICIARIES AS LAST YEAR DESPITE ECONOMIC TURNDOWN

Despite the economic situation in America, the Augusta Jewish Federation Board of Directors, in accepting the recommendations of the Allocations Committee, voted to once again allocate over $180,000 to respond to the needs in our community, nationally, in Israel and around the world.

The allocations included a generous allocation to the Augusta Jewish Community Center that provides social, cultural and educational programs, including holiday programming, summer camp and a wide variety of classes.  The AJCC is home to all Jews, both affiliated and non-affiliated and welcomes those of all faiths and races.

The PJ Library, a Jewish library for children, provided free of charge by the federation in cooperation with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation also received funding.  To date, 21 children are recipients of this wonderful grant. For information on registering your child for the PJ Library, please contact Leah Ronen, Executive Director of the federation at augustafed1@knology.net .

Federation also allocated funds to BBYO to ensure that all teens who wanted to participate in area conventions and programs would be able to do so.  BBYO is a youth-led organization that provides opportunities for Jewish teens to develop their leadership potential and develop a positive Jewish identity.

Federation supports both local and national Hillel organizations.  Hillel- The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life provides social, educational and spiritual programs for Jewish students.

The Anti-Defamation League, ADL, is a federation beneficiary.  ADL fights all forms of bigotry and hate and defends democratic ideals and civil rights for all.

Chai Lifeline receives a sizeable allocation from the federation.  Chai Lifeline implements health support programs and services that enable Jewish families of children diagnosed with life threatening diseases or serious lifelong illnesses to cope with the emotional, social and financial repercussions.

While the bulk of federation’s oversees funding is funneled through the United Jewish Communities that supports the work of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Joint Distribution Committee, it also has individual beneficiaries in Israel.

For, example, the Federation has for many years supported the work of Neve Michael, a home for at risk children in Israel.  This year, the Federation ran a High Holiday Appeal especially for the children of Neve Michael.

Federation supports Yad Sarah, one of the world’s leading volunteer organizations that provides a spectrum of free or nominal cost home care support services.  The federation has “adopted” a wheelchair bound client by covering the yearlong cost of transport, as well as providing for the purchase of 5 wheelchairs for free loan. Several years ago, a Federation Mission visited Yad Sarah and all were very impressed by what they learned while there.

The federation is proud to provide funding for the first time for NATAL is a multi-disciplinary treatment center for victims of terror and war related trauma. NATAL trains professionals and at risk populations in prevention and coping mechanisms for post traumatic stress syndrome and educates Israeli society about terror and war related trauma.

For further information about any of the above beneficiaries, please feel free to contact the AJF office at 706-338-3636.