FY18 Annual Report

Focus on Wellness In November 2017 after six months of training, JCC Wellness Director Debi Price became a Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified through the Cancer Exercise Training Institute. Debi can now give cancer patients and survivors a proactive way to improve their health and reclaim their lives post cancer. “I cannot measure which was more valuable: the physical benefits or the motivation and emotional support Debi provides. While I wish that no one would ‘qualify’ for this program, if you do, I would strongly encourage you to take advantage of all Debi has to offer. Her professional expertise and compassion are the best.” – Margie Feinman proud moments Barracudas Swim Team 19th Season What an impressive year! The Barracudas Swim Team placed 2nd in the JCC States, tied for 2nd in the JCC Dual Meet and placed 3rd in the JCC All Star Meet – with a total of six new Individual Team Records and one new JCC States record! Camp Staff National Training Award We are proud to report that in May 2018, Camp Yachad was nationally recognized for its excellence in talent management and professional development at the JCC Association Biennial Conference. It was a great honor, as one of Camp Yachad’s stand-out attributes is our dedicated professional staff who are responsible for over 800 campers! Staff training is based on the Camp Yachad philosophy of Yachad R O C K S – the values we embrace each and every day at camp and in our community. Our staff is trained to reinforce and demonstrate Ruach (Spirit), Opportunity, Community, Kindness and Strength to ensure we embody and teach Camp Yachad campers our core camp values and encourage positive human development through the Camp Yachad experience. Ruach Ruach = spirit, and we’ve got tons! Opportunity Try new things, and jump right in. Community Make new friends and cherish the old ones. Include everyone. Kindness Simply stated-be kind. Treat friends and counselors the way you want to be treated. Strength Be adaptable, flexible, creative & patient. Be a good sport, be brave. 3rd Annual Touch a Truck Riding on the success of our first two Touch a Truck events, we hosted our third in April 2018. It was another great event as we doubled the number of community businesses and sponsors who participated! On our list were local restaurants, food trucks, area synagogues, Inter-Agency Special Needs Committee, all the trucks and vehicles, a new Fun Bus with gymnastics and a brand new Scotch Plains/Fanwood fire truck with 50 foot ladder – just to name a few! The event was free to over 3,000 attendees, but we raised close to $30,000 through the generosity of all our sponsors – topping what we raised the year before! At the end of the event, one sponsor was heard enthusiastically exclaiming, “We are in for next year! We already have a million ideas!” t h e r e ’ s s o m e t h i n g a b o u t t h i s p l a c e • t h e r e ’ s s o m e t h i n g a b o u t t h i s p l a c e • t h e r e ’ s s o m e t h i n g a b o u t t h i s p l a c e • t h e r e ’ s s o m e t h i n g a b o u t t h i s p l a c e •