A lead columnist for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Carrie Seidman, has been a full time staff writer since 2010. A graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism, she has been a metropolitan daily newspaper journalist for nearly 40 years, previously with the New York Times, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and the Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Tribune. She has been a feature writer, columnist, sportswriter, investigative reporter and food and dance critic and has specialized in mental health and dance. Her writing has received awards from local, state and national organizations and she was selected for a 2016-2017 fellowship from The Carter Center for Mental Health Journalism. The single parent of an adult son with a mental health diagnosis, she is also a two-time cancer survivor and a life-long dancer.

This meeting will be held at Cafe L’Europe, 431 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, FL 34236 at noon on September 26, 2018. Cost $25. Contact Carole Shaw for more information and reservations at cins@juno.com.

RSVP
Season Opening Luncheon with Carrie Seidman
NAME:
PHONE:
EMAIL:
Menu
❒ Chicken Salad-L’Europe
❒ French Dip
❒ Soup & Chicken Florentine Crepe
Dessert
❒ Ice cream with strawberries
❒ Sorbet D’Jour
COST: $25
RSVP by: September 17, 2018
Make check payable to: NCJW
Please Indicate your menu and include this form with check. selection and send to:
Carole M. Shaw
4340 Falmouth Drive,
Longboat Key, FL 34228

Thank you, thank you, to everyone who brought items to the May installation luncheon. We “covered the Bottoms” of a lot of the littlest ones at Children First.

NCJW has partnered with HOPE HOUSE, a shelter for abused women and their children for many years. This shelter is located in Bradenton and provides vulnerable women with the opportunity to escape abusive situations to get a start on rebuilding their lives.

This year, as a change, the Board has decided to adopt a family in December. We will do whatever we can to make the holidays special for this family. Hope House will identify, and give us the particulars of our family in October – how many members are in the family, what the ages are, and whether the children are boys or girls, and what sizes they wear. We will be given suggestions for gifts, both practical and a wish list.

We will ask our members to sign up for specific items (we don’t want 25 pairs of PJ’s). Any items that our members don’t provide, we will purchase with funds collected in our Hope House boxes. These are the boxes that we pass around at meetings and luncheons.
Look for more information in October. We will send an e-blast with specifics, as soon as we get them. Thanking you in advance for making the holidays special for one family.

NCJW will again be supporting our community by gift-wrapping at Barnes & Noble this December.

This is a fun way to raise money for our Community Service Projects and to spread the word to all about our various activities.

No experience necessary, just lots of enthusiasm. Barnes & Noble supplies the wrapping paper and we supply the smiles!

Please consider joining us. Specific dates to follow. To volunteer please contact:

Janet Alloy
(941) 355-3234
janetalloy@yahoo.com

Andrea Kutcher
(941)242-2443
mwaskutcher@gmail.com

Carol Papish
(941)925-0333
cfpap22@gmail.com

Over the past several years, the Sarasota/Manatee Section presented Teen Dating Education to school age children between the ages of 12-18. It includes a video called “Dealing with Teen Dating Abuse: Matters of Choice” that was purchased from the Essex County Section in New Jersey.

The messages in this educational program are simple:
1. Abuse is never acceptable,
2. Abuse is much more than giving a person a push or black eye,
3. Abuse is also demonstrated through manipulation and verbal attacks,
4. The appropriate and inappropriate ways to handle abuse and the choices that one has when he or she gets hurt.

Due to external challenges with promoting this project, it is time to think about tweaking the program to include, or piggy back on, different models such as the “Me Too” movement; “anti-bullying”; or “just say no.” There are a number of ways this can be integrated and we are looking for volunteers who would like to incorporate new ideas into this excellent program. One idea is to create a brochure that contains strong messages and pictures for young people etc. Another idea is to partner with organizations that are already promoting this platform with settings outside of the public schools. We want to hear your ideas and suggestions!

Please contact Marcia Schweitzer at marcia7032@yahoo.com if you have experience, knowledge on these topics, and/or are motivated to try something new.

As we began our tenure, we attended Leadership Institute in St. Louis. While we did not have the opportunity to visit the Gateway Arch, built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, we were inspired to expand our horizons for our own section of NCJW.

This year, in addition to the many advocacy, community service, and special events programs in which our members have participated, we are introducing many new programs. Children First is a new program that we will support; we have earned a grant to fund an exciting program dealing with the federal court system; and we will have many other innovative programs, such as one on the controversial topic of medical marijuana. These are just a few examples of opportunities to expand our tzedaka, our knowledge, and our dedication to improving the quality of life for women, children, and families of the Sarasota-Manatee counties for the next year.

We are always willing and eager to listen to new ideas, to include activities that will increase our membership, and to create good fellowship among our members.
We are excited about our new roles and look forward to meeting and conversing with you as we expand our personal horizons.

All the best for a Happy, Healthy New Year!
Cindy and Joyce

Rosh Hashanah
Monday and Tuesday
September 10 – 11, 2018

Yom Kippur
Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Sukkot
Monday and Tuesday
September 24 – 25, 2018

Shmini Atzeret
Monday, October 1, 2018

Simchat Torah
Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Chanukah
Monday-Monday
December 3-10, 2018

Purim
Thursday, March 21, 2019

Passover (start)
Saturday and Sunday
April 21 – 22, 2019

Passover (end)
Friday and Saturday
April 26 – 27, 2019

Yom Hashoah
Thursday, May 2, 2019

Yom HaAtzma‘ut
Thursday, May 9, 2019

Lag B’Omer
Thursday, May 23, 2019

Shavuot
Sunday and Monday
June 9 – 10, 2019

Tish’a B’av
Sunday, August 11, 2019

We are thrilled to welcome so many new members to NCJW, and excited that you share the goals and mission of an organization that has been at the forefront of social change for more than a century.

A New and Prospective Member Coffee morning will be held at the lovely home of member Debbie Silver Heller, Oct. 10, 2018 at 10 a.m.

This is a good way to meet other new members and Board members, and hear about NCJW and the work we do in our community and advocacy on behalf of women. If you have any friends or neighbors who might be interested in attending, please let us know.
Mark your Calendar for the Members ONLY Luncheon to be held on Nov. 14, 2018 at the Rosedale Golf and Country Club. We are delighted that our beloved world- renowned “Queen of the Air”, Dolly Jacobs, from the Circus Arts Conservatory will be our Speaker at this event.

Another New and Prospective Member Coffee morning will be held in the Spring, date TBA. Please contact us if you are interested in hosting this event.
We look forward to the vitality that our new members bring to our Section.

Membership VP’s: Rosalie Leon roboat52@gmail.com;  Carol Levin levincarol1@gmail.com; Membership Committee: Sandy Otchet and Madeline Tolchinsky

2018 NEW MEMBERS
Janet Alloy
Joan Attenberg
Alice Burd
Fredda Chalfin
Deena Dell
Nathalie Diener
Rhoda Friedman
Elaine Gast
Carol Gerber,
Judy Gibbs
Marlies Gluck
Susan Gordon
Janice Grossman
Lita Katzer
Caryn Koffman
Andrea Kutcher,
Arlene Levy
Mary Jo Lichterman
Carol Ann Margolis
Linda Methal
Charlotte Miller
Sheila Namiot
Liela Nelson
Judy Polivy
Evan Rice
Ellen Rothschild
Carrie Sherman
Laura Saulson
Linda Silver
Sheri Simon
Judy Sturm
Leslie Timme
Judith Wertheimer

Although summer is moving slowly, fall is rapidly approaching and NCJW is working hard on plans for another exciting year of events and projects. At the same time, your Directory Committee is updating our information and will include our Section schedule for the 2019 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY.

Year after year, many generous members have supported the CHAI CHAIN OF LIFE page listing their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In addition, a separate IN MEMORIAM section enables us to honor our loved ones of blessed memory. A SIMCHA section makes it possible for us to share our special and life-cycle happenings. By your participation in this effort, it allows us to distribute this Directory to each member of our Section annually. We hope that we can count on more of YOU to support this project. All information regarding the Directory and its contents will be sent at a later date and we THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

One last reminder: If you have any changes that should go into the Directory during the year, (addresses, phone numbers, including cell numbers, emails, etc.) please contact Meg Antine, Financial Secretary, (mlantine@yahoo.com) with your updates.
Shalom from the “Four Musketeers” Barbara Berkowitz, Lauren Brownstein, Geet Jacobson and our newest musketeer, Marilyn Shapo, Co-Editors.

Human Trafficking continues to be a major core initiative of NCJW and for our Section. Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery and impacts all races, genders, ages, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. It involves the use of force, fraud, abduction, sexual exploitation, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. The Polaris Project, a nonprofit agency whose purpose is to combat human trafficking, states that “human trafficking is the fastest growing and 3rd largest organized criminal activity behind only drug and arms trade.” According to the International Labor Organization, it is a multi-billion dollar industry and a significant number of sex trafficking victims within the U.S. are U.S. Citizens.

Sadly, Florida ranks third in the country in having one of the highest incidences in human trafficking, with California and Texas being first and second. NCJW is committed on both the national and local level, to educate and make people aware of this critical issue specifically since the Council’s mission is “to strive for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children and families and to safeguard the rights and freedoms for all.”

During 2017-2018, our Human Trafficking program, under the umbrella of NCJW’s Advocacy Program, expanded beyond our expectations. Our accomplishments include: developing partnerships with community coalitions; such as the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking. More opportunities are underway and will be announced in the fall. Scripts and power point presentations were created to match specific audiences and age groups such as adults at the Braden Library and for teens at the Girl Scouts. A two week exhibit was on display at the Selby Library, including a presentation where a victim shared her story.

The HT Program also disseminates lip balms with the Hot Line Number in both English and Spanish with the words “There is Hope” along with handouts that contain useful information to share at different presentations and fairs. Our program has two films designed for specific age appropriate groups: The Chosen is a video for teenagers and I Am Little Red is an animated video geared for children between the ages of 11-14. These videos are presented by our trained volunteers who are also prepared to respond to sensitive questions and issues.

For 2018-19, the HT Program plans to continue to meet the community requests by expanding its efforts to reach out to more schools, Boys/Girls Clubs, places of worship, libraries, camps, Kiwanis Club and more. Anyone interested in becoming a part of this vital program should contact Vivian Carasso, Co-Chair at
917-365-5238, vivi6778@aol.com and Evie Batten, Co-chair, 330-421-9553,
evie.batten@gmail.com

Committees and volunteers are all actively involved in their various activities and enjoying the pleasure of giving back to our community. Here are the various community service activities in which our Sarasota/Manatee section is involved.

Hearing Screening of Preschoolers: This continues to be a very successful program for our section. New audiometers were recently purchased and our volunteers were trained in their usage. The children are referred to hearing professionals based on their test results. We currently cover all of Sarasota county.

Vision Screening: There are several teams of Vision screeners who conduct evaluations on preschoolers. Our volunteers are trained in the most up to date standards and are certified to be screeners. Over 400 preschoolers were screened this past year with a small percentage of children being referred for professional care. If you are interested in this community service committee or in hearing screening, we are always looking for volunteers. You may contact the new chairman for vision and hearing screening. If interested, please contact Judy Furman at (941)309-7447 or heyjude@msh.com.

Being Different Is Okay: The Sarasota/Manatee section of NCJW holds a patent on this original and entertaining program that is presented at 11 preschools/ VPK in Sarasota and Venice. We are thrilled to announce that we have been granted approval to expand into the Manatee VPK classrooms as well this year. The goal is to teach a lesson on diversity covering the Social/Emotional/Communication and Emergent Literacy Standard guidelines for the State of Florida 4-year-olds program.

Our teams utilize 5 hand puppets who live in the jungle with each representing a challenge: hyperactivity, shyness, visual impairment, physical issues, and non-English speaking. In the interaction the children are asked questions about being different and accepting those who are different. Volunteers are needed and welcome for our expansion this year.

The JANET Project: We are so pleased with The JANET (Jewish Action for Non-Violent Expression of Tweens) Project’s success this year. With donations from various sources made directly to this Project and with proceeds from the Tribute Card program, we were able to sponsor two campers at Camp Mariposa, in the amount of $3,000.00 each.
We also provided the 30 campers with “blankees”, assembled by our members, and finished off by the campers as a craft project. In addition, toiletry items were donated by our members and assembled into individual kits for the campers.

At the last Camp Mariposa session in June, Cathy Markowitz organized a visit with Nan Miller and Lance (Great Pyrenees/Aussie mix) and Beth Holland Glenn and Fuzzy Rogers (Black lab). Lance is a certified therapy dog adopted by Nan. He visits veterans’ clinics, helps out in court, and visits the staff lounge at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and infusion centers.

Beth and Cathy are volunteers at Southeastern Guide Dogs (SEGD). Fuzzy Rogers is an Ambassador Dog for SEGD and also is a certified therapy dog. He and Beth perform public relations “work” for SEGD and also bring relief to hospice patients and their families.

We are hopeful that The JANET Project will remain financially sustainable in the future and that we will be able to provide funding for more campers.

In the words of the Director of Camp Mariposa, Christine Murawski:

“Thanks again for coordinating the dogs to come. The children absolutely loved it and talked about it all weekend!”

Barbara Berkowitz and Myna Stoltz
Co-Chairs, The JANET Project/NCJW

“SOMEONE TO TALK TO” WOULD LIKE YOU TO TALK TO US!
“Someone To Talk To” is a puppet presentation for first graders that gently talks about four different kinds of abuse. As savvy as today’s first graders are, they may be experiencing things which they think are normal but are not. Sometimes things happen that they know are wrong but generate enough fear of continuing consequences that they are too afraid to tell someone. Through the puppets and their conversations, we hope we are able to let the kids know that they need to talk to an adult, a safe adult, who can help them. We present the program in Sarasota County schools on Tuesdays starting in January. Below is a picture of the puppeteers from the 2018 season. You don’t have to memorize anything. We stand behind the curtain, script in hand. We will be doing some updating of one of the scenarios and would love your help if you have recently worked with this age group. The world has changed and so have the things that we need to “talk about.” Your input would be most welcome!

Sound interesting? Please contact me (Debbie Engleson) at dengleson@verizon.net. if you would like to talk. This is an important community service program that has been serving children for many years. We would love to have you join us!

H.I.P.P.Y.:
The Home Instruction of Parents with Preschool Youngsters is a program developed at the Research Institute of Hebrew University and promoted in Israel. It was brought to the United States in the early 1980s by NCJW. The curriculum helps parents expose their children to letter recognition, writing and drawing, early literacy, shapes and colors, and singing and rhyming. A community peer, as a “Home Visitor”, works with the parents, guardians, or grandparents to facilitate this learning experience.

The Sarasota/Manatee section donates backpacks to the graduating 5-year-olds in the Sarasota and Manatee County Programs as they move on to kindergarten and provides monetary donations for books and other supplies.

If interested in being more involved with our H.I.P.P.Y. Activities, please contact Anita Knisbacher at (443)798-8888 or ladylingo@verizon.net or Bobbi Leibowitz at (402)250-2029 or BobbiL@aol.com or Ilene Brett at (941)312-6585 or ilenebrett@gmail.com.

The NCJW Blankee Bee Project
The Blankee Bee Project started in 2014. This project has involved our members in making “no sew fleece” blankets.

This NCJW project spreads warmth through crafted blankets; it is like giving a hug to an at-risk child or a person undergoing Chemotherapy. The first recipients of our Blankets were the children involved in the Manatee Community Action Agency’s Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program (HIPPY). A program NCJW has long supported. Our presentation to these preschoolers was indescribable; we will always remember their faces as they received their Blankees and began to snuggle in them. NCJW also made them for residents of an assisted living facility. Currently we are making the blankets for adults at the Sarasota Memorial Hospital and the Florida Cancer Center infusion centers.

NCJW has worked on a joint venture with Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JFCS) making Blankets for the children at Camp Mariposa, which is funded in part by a grant from the Moyer Foundation and is sustained and managed by JFCS. The children worked on these blankets, for their arts and crafts project, tying knots around the blanket to finish it off.

Come join NCJW as we continue our mission during the summer months in making these soft, cuddly blankets. For further information contact Joan Bour at joanbour5@yahoo.com.

Scholarship: NCJW Scholarship Program annually recognizes and promotes education for “non- traditional “ students. This year, 2018 was our 18th award presentation and seven very deserving students were awarded monetary gifts to help them achieve their educational goals at a beautiful brunch at Marina Jacks on the water in Sarasota. The 2019 presentation to the winners will again be held at the end of April at Marina Jacks. All of our section members are invited to attend this heartwarming event.

We are greatly appreciative of our donors who include the Yanowitz Family Scholarship, the Schoenbaum Family Scholarship, the Geri Aaron Scholarship, the Canandaigua Bank Scholarship, Helen Schusterman and Albert Samuel Morrison Women’s Scholarship, Publix Supermarkets Charities, the Norma and Albert Cohen Scholarship, and the NCJW Scholarship. If you would like to participate in this most rewarding committee, please contact Julie Kupersmith at Kupersmithjulie@gmail.com.

The Community Service committees make a difference in the lives of the people we serve in our Sarasota and Manatee communities. Join us and share in the joys and mitzvahs of our work.