Dear Community Members, 

I hope you had a wonderful and restful summer! As September begins, so does our annual Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA) campaign. As part of this year’s campaign, we outline the 34,718 reasons for supporting the CJA. Be it the 604 children and youth who received meaningful Jewish education, the 4,302 kosher meals on wheels that were delivered to seniors, or the 10,080 Jewish-themed books that have been delivered to children through PJ Library, the funds we distribute to our beneficiary agencies help make all the 34,718 somethings possible.

The CJA campaign raises funds for the operation of 12 local beneficiary agencies, Federation run programs such as Birthright Israel, March of the Living, Partnership 2Gether (P2G), Hillel Winnipeg, and PJ Library, as well as national and overseas partners.

Each year, our Allocations Committee hears presentations from these agencies where they detail their funding needs for the upcoming year. At this year’s presentations, I saw that virtually every agency is bursting at the seams, diligently working to meet our community’s needs by stretching every available dollar to the best of their ability. As our community grows and flourishes, so do the costs of providing those services to the community – and that is where you come in.

It is because of you that 496 children and teens had the opportunity to attend overnight Jewish summer camp, or that 1,640 newcomers were welcomed through settlement services and outreach programs. You are essential to your community, and without your assistance none of this would be possible. I invite you to explore the34,718 Reasons to Give to the 2019-2020 CJA Campaign and make your pledge today. As well, view the 2018 Impact Report which shows you how last year's dollars raised were distributed.

This year, we have a team of over 130 canvassers working tirelessly to achieve our campaign goal of $6 million and I cannot thank them enough for their invaluable contribution to our campaign. Want to get a behind-the-scenes look at our campaign in action? You can get involved by becoming a volunteer canvasser at our annual SuperSunday telethon on September 8, which is in partnership with the Rady JCC’s celebration of its 100^th anniversary and community celebration. To sign up to become a volunteer at SuperSunday,email us.

Lastly, our friends at Jewish Child and Family Service are always looking for ways to better serve the community. One area that is constantly growing and changing is our Substance Use and Addiction Support Services. If you can spare a few minutes, they would love your input by taking a survey about general knowledge and understanding of substance use and addiction, as well as what you think of the recovery landscape. This survey is open to everyone and we appreciate your thoughts. You can take the survey by clicking here.

Please give generously, or become a volunteer at SuperSunday – and thank you for making Winnipeg’s Jewish community all it can be for today and tomorrow.