“It’s a time to celebrate and a time to thank our donors,” said Marsha Cowan, Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. “We could not achieve what we do without our donors. We’re expecting to see hundreds of supporters at the party.”

The celebration takes place on Sunday, June 14, at 6:00 p.m. at the Asper Jewish Community Campus. The program starts indoors with a ceremony to welcome new signers of the JFM’s Endowment Book of Life and then moves on to the stunning Jewish Foundation of Manitoba Garden. Live entertainment includes musical performances by Richard Yaffe, Ron Paley, Shayla Fink, and Kinzey Posen. The party will also feature summer refreshments.

The event also marks the end of the JFM’s 50th anniversary year which included a major gala in October that attracted 900 people. “It’s been an important and exciting year for us,” said Cowan. “Our donors, sponsors, volunteers, and staff rallied together enthusiastically. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate what we have accomplished together.”

To kick off the evening, the Foundation welcomes a new cohort of signers of the Endowment Book of Life, the JFM’s flagship planned giving program. There will now be more than 750 personal and family stories in the Endowment Book of Life told by people who have promised to leave an estate gift to the Foundation, or who have made special planned giving arrangements with the JFM.

The new signers are: Ian Barnes; Ronna Birnboim; Diane & Richard Boroditsky; Alex Burstein; Ruth Lehmann & Eric Ellis; Janis Goodman (in honour of the Ripstein family); Barbara Goszer; Esther Katz (in memory of Morris Katz); Fay-Lynn & Philip (z’l) Katz; Ellen & David Kroft; Jeffrey Kronson; Melanie Martin, Candice Tenenbein, and Jeffrey Schachter (in memory of Cheryl Arnold); Bert Minuk; David Pollock; Clarice Shell; Carol (Genser) & Ron Slater; Carol Woodward; Anita Wortzman; Adele & Arthur Wortzman; Susan Wortzman; Teresa Rogers & Jason Wortzman; and Richard Yaffe (in memory of Pearl & Philip Yaffe).

“The Endowment Book of Life program is perhaps our greatest success story,” said Cowan. “Not only has the program generated millions of dollars of contributions over the years, but the stories shared by our participants collectively tell the story of our community. We’re especially grateful that we are seeing more young families participate in recent years. And we’re also seeing increased participation by people who used to live in Winnipeg – proving that there really is no such thing as a former Winnipegger!”

Tickets for the June 14 event are $36 ($18 for children 12 and under) and are available in advance only from the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba office (204-477-7520 / [email protected]). The event is presented in part through the anniversary sponsorship of Jon Holeman & Associates Private Wealth Management/RBC Wealth Management, Dominion Securities.

“We’re grateful to Jon for his generosity and we’re looking forward to having a large crowd at the party,” said Cowan. “This is truly an exciting opportunity to celebrate our dynamic community.”