Typically, Atlanta's WFI luncheon is an opportunity for women to socialize, learn about Jewish National Fund -USA's work and fundraise for a Jewish National Fund-USA initiative that addresses a specific need in Israel. This time, the fundraising focus was on Jewish National Fund-USA's affiliate LOTEM's expanding Mother Nature Art Therapy program for women and children living in Israel's domestic violence shelters. The program allows and encourages this vulnerable demographic to find relief through safe and controlled artistic expressions of pain and fear. By engaging in art, like painting and drawing, Mother Nature's Art Therapy program provides a therapeutic path toward healing and comfort. LOTEM is a Jewish National Fund-USA affiliate organization in Israel that offers this program and many other wide-reaching initiatives to make Israel accessible.
During the luncheon, Atlanta Jewish National Fund-USA Executive Director Beth Gluck announced that local donor Sheryl Blechner had challenged the Women for Israel national community to raise $100,000 for LOTEM's expanded Mother Nature Art Therapy program. She agreed to match, dollar for dollar, what was raised up to $100,000. Flyers were handed out with a compelling message: ONE LOCAL WOMAN IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS IN ISRAEL. YOU CAN HELP! After making the appeal in Atlanta, Gluck alerted her colleagues in other regions. She spoke with Jewish National Fund-USA's national fundraiser for disabilities and the Jewish National Fund-USA LOTEM affiliate in Israel to identify potential donors.
By the end of May, Atlanta WFI had raised $14,000, and thanks to donors from other regions, plus Sheryl's generous contribution of $100,000, the match had been met. A total of $200,000 had been raised! Gluck explains it this way, "The luncheon was the anchor, and we were then able to work the Jewish National Fund-USA network and reach out to others. Our donors viewed this as a partnership, a communal endeavor to reach a goal." Luncheon Chair Barbara Kaplan says, "The beauty of Jewish National Fund-USA is the ability to dream big and pair that dream with an individual's personal initiative."
Atlanta donor Sheryl Blechner dreams big. Her recent gift to LOTEM is part of a 3-year pledge. Explains Sheryl, "This program appealed to me because it provides a safe atmosphere for people impacted by violence and gives them the opportunity to express their hopes, dreams, experience, and truth. I believe the positive effects will be passed on through the mothers to their children, thus impacting many more lives. My motivation to give a challenge grant was to encourage more donations and to raise greater revenue for the program." Sheryl's generosity and decision to challenge others to a match exemplify how a passionate lay leader can inspire others.
Nina Paul, Jewish National Fund-USA Assistant VP of Campaign/Major Gifts and a Past President of the Women for Israel National Executive Board, explains the power of using your passion for influencing others to give, "If you have a vision for which you are passionate, and if you talk about that and tell your story, people will join you and will donate because now there is a shared vision."
That passion inspired others to support LOTEM in the first place almost 20 years ago. Around 2004, a family foundation in Ohio was interested in building accessible, inclusive parks in Israel that would allow people with disabilities to experience nature with their families and to do it safely. Ohio resident Nina Paul and a few others traveled to Israel to search for a suitable site. They determined that LOTEM's Emek HaShalom farm ("Valley of Peace") in the north of Israel - with its forests, flowering fields, wide-open spaces, and a sense of calm - could be adapted to enable those with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors. Along with a groundbreaking gift from the family foundation in Ohio, the Sapphires donated $30,000 to help make LOTEM's farm accessible. The Sapphires later funded accessible bathrooms at the farm.
Today, LOTEM has grown its mission beyond just making the farm accessible. The organization is working to make Israel accessible. It is a leader in inclusion for people of all abilities. It is the largest organization in Israel for outdoor, hands-on learning activities for school children with special needs. Their work with heritage sites across Israel is geared toward making them more physically and cognitively accessible. LOTEM's In-Service Training Center teaches industry leaders how best to integrate those with special needs into Israeli society. Their Mother Nature program (beyond Art Therapy) creates safe and restorative outdoor experiences for mothers and their children living in the 13 domestic violence shelters in Israel.
The Atlanta match challenge for LOTEM is just one example where donor dollars can be matched. Any community – with the help of a generous donor or two - can initiate a match challenge. Jewish National Fund-USA's national campaign plan includes other matching initiatives throughout the year. Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month in February enables all donations made during the month and designated to any of the four Jewish National Fund-USA disabilities initiatives in Israel to be matched up to $1 million. Women's Month in May enables all donations made during May in a woman's name to be matched up to $1 million. For more information about match opportunities, please speak to your local Jewish National Fund-USA professional.
Written by Penny Bustin, Ph.D., Chair WFI Greater Washington, Gal Kessler Rohs, Associate Director of a non-profit organization, Roni Wolk, Assistant VP of the National WFI Executive Board