This letter is my first official communication as JCOGS president, a job I began just a couple weeks ago. Many of us haven’t met due to the pandemic. That’s a strange way to start my term as president, so at the end of this letter, I’ll tell you a few things about myself.
To begin, I would like to acknowledge Candace Elmquist, who has been our finance committee chair since I’ve been on the board. Candace has raised our budgeting and financial processes to an incredibly professional level, and the result has been a transparent budget and clear financial goals.
This process made us realize that we were not budgeting for financial aid for religious school tuition and dues. We were allowing families to reduce their payments if they had financial need, but there was no money set aside in the budget for this. Candace determined how much we were giving in financial aid each year and created a line in the budget for that amount: $10,000.
Now, a donor has stepped forward, offering $10,000 to offset that entire financial aid line item. This is a 2-to-1 match, so we get that $10,000 only if our congregation donates $5,000 to the March Appeal, money that can be used for additional financial aid or to offset other costs in our budget.
Please donate towards our March Appealso we can realize the entire $10,000 matching grant. Every dollar you give today counts three times: $2.00 for financial aid for tuition and dues, and $1.00 for things like salaries and programs.
We need that financial aid money because more families than ever are struggling this year. It’s critical that we continue to make JCOGS membership and our school accessible to every family, even those who cannot pay the full amount.
Now, a few things about me:
Jewish life and identity are very important to me. I love our traditions, music, and culture. I am driven by our people’s past and present tragedies and triumphs to make a difference in our Jewish community in north-central Vermont.
I have been an Internal Medicine physician for 30+ years, including most recently at Copley Hospital. Though I have had an incredibly gratifying career, I wanted at this time of life to make a difference in a larger community. JCOGS serves as a Jewish home for our area, making a difference in both our Jewish community and the larger community through our tikkun olam initiatives, and I am honored to be president.
I first came here to ski more than 50 years ago, and I have always wanted to live here. Living and working here and being part of the JCOGS community is a dream come true, and I would like to help make this dream last for generations to come.
I love to laugh and cannot remember a joke so please, if you send me an email or call me, include your favorite joke. When we meet again in person, I will always want to laugh with you.
I hope you will email me at steven.levine@jcogs.org and introduce yourself. Or even better, if you would like to have a chat on the phone, let me know in your email and we can set up a time for a call.
Thank you for your membership. Your courage and perseverance have maintained our JCOGS community through this pandemic, and your continued support will sustain us into the future.
