Double responsibility: present playing cards assist firms, the Jewish Neighborhood Heart in Pittsburgh
Cathy Reifer and Cheryl Gerson couldn’t bring themselves to solicit a donation from local family businesses to support an upcoming gala.
So they decided to do the opposite.
They devised a plan to give money to the companies by buying gift cards.
The idea of “Give Card Give Back” was developed for the annual fundraising campaign “Party With a Purpose” of the Jewish Community Center in the greater Pittsburgh area, which is normally referred to as “Big Night” – but this year as “Little Night”.
The 15th annual event is the only fundraiser for the JCC. It usually attracts more than 1,000 guests. This year it will be virtual on January 23rd at 7:30 p.m.
Committee members Reifer and Gerson encourage local businesses to donate at least $ 50. They can come from any cafe, hair salon, toy store, restaurant, bar, gift shop, florist, bakery, grocery, or craft store in the neighborhood – as long as it’s a locally owned business, not a national chain store.
The gift cards are grouped by category to create silent auction items that can be bid on a week before the event.
“If people spend $ 50 in the community, we’ll have amazing auction items, and businesses will be supported too,” Reifer said. “It’s a win-win situation. Many of the business owners are our friends and neighbors and have had problems over the past 10 months. “
Courtesy of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
Cathy Reifer (right) with EB Pepper in front of Pepper’s Shadyside Boutique, one of the local shops that were supported in the gift card auction for the JCC’s “Big (Little) Night” donation gala.
Auction items have also received offers from people who are not attending the event but want to support the JCC, said Cathy Samuels, the organization’s development and communications officer and creator of Big Night.
“We started planning this event in the middle of the pandemic and thought: How can we do it? said Samuels. “Cheryl and Cathy started buying gift cards in local restaurants and stores. These are amazing hometown, local businesses. This was not the time for us to solicit money or items from them. We talked about how they have always supported us. It is our time to support them. “
Received over 30 gift cards ranging from $ 50 to $ 500 from locations across the city of Pittsburgh. Some companies have achieved the value, Samuels said, and are grateful.
“Words cannot express my gratitude for reaching an independent company at this very difficult time,” wrote a local shopkeeper. “I will never forget that reach and kindness, but it doesn’t surprise me because of all of the wonderful things the JCC does for the Pittsburgh community and beyond. It’s something I can be so proud of, thank you.”
The deadline for donating gift cards is January 15th.
Tickets for the event can be bought here.
Prices start at $ 65. For $ 200, guests can get a party box that includes appetizers, dinner, dessert, cocktails, and other goodies for two. Sponsorship opportunities start at $ 1,000.
The evening will honor previous chairs and include a tribute to the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. Dr. Elie Aoun and Justin Matase are this year’s chairmen. Matese said he immediately loved the gift card. He said the support for high street businesses that are the lifeblood of every community, and the JCC rolled into one, is pretty incredible.
“‘Look for the Helpers’, an often quoted quote from Fred Rogers, is so representative of the resilience and willingness to help the people in Pittsburgh and is so aptly part of it,” said Matase. “The JCC is in Mr. Roger’s neighborhood, after all.”
Small businesses are an incredibly important engine of the economy, but they also make a huge contribution to the quality of life in your neighborhood, said Matase. It’s one of the things that makes every neighborhood in Pittsburgh unique. It was really wonderful to have the opportunity through this program to support the companies that support the community during the Covid-19 crisis.
The media personality and consultant Natalie Bencivenga will moderate the event. There will be a performance by Broadway star Billy Porter, born in Pittsburgh, as well as lasso artist Loop Rawlins and performances by former Pittsburgh steelers Brett Keisel and Jerome Bettis.
The event typically raises money to support the numerous services of the JCC, which helps more than 33,000 people annually with food insecurity, isolation, blood supply shortages, childcare, and health and wellbeing.
This year the proceeds will be used exclusively for a restoration campaign. The cessation of operations from March to June due to Covid-19 and the reduced capacity upon reopening has resulted in operating losses of up to $ 6 million over a 36-month period, according to the JCC, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2020 .
At the start of the pandemic, the organization was financially sound, according to a press release. With the services ceased due to covid-19, the company lost 80% of its operating income.
“I want all I can to help the JCC,” said Gerson, a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker. “The JCC has a special place in my heart, just like these local companies. That was definitely the right thing to do. “
The gift card campaign is a way to show appreciation for what companies have done for the JCC in the past and a way to “pay it forward,” Reifer said. “It’s the least we can do for these people right now. They need us as much as we need them. “
To donate a gift card, contact Cathy Samuels at csamuels@jccpgh.org or Fara Marcus at fmarcus@jccpgh.org
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a contributor to the Tribune Review. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com, or on Twitter.
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