Invitations…
A Boomer Project Update.
In my December Rabbinic Reflection, I announced that Holy Blossom Temple had been selected by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto to participate in the UJA’s pilot project Engaging “Boomers” as Volunteers: A Vital Resource to Build Nonprofit Capacity. I mentioned that we are one of only eleven organizations in the GTA to be selected (and one of only two congregations) for this project. The purpose of the UJA project is to increase each organization’s effectiveness in attracting, recruiting, and retaining boomer volunteers by utilizing their skills, talents, and passions.The Boomer Engagement Initiative at Holy Blossom will be holding a number of small gatherings to learn from our “Boomers” – that’s about 1200 Temple members born between 1946 and 1964.We value your experience and your opinions, and we really want to learn from you. If you’ve been a volunteer anywhere, we want to know what your volunteer experiences have been. What has made your volunteer experiences meaningful and attractive to you? How we can best attract, recruit, and retain new volunteers at Holy Blossom? How we can use our volunteers in increasingly useful and rewarding ways here at Temple? And, if you’ve never volunteered anywhere, what have been the barriers to your doing so?Last week, Janice Babins and I emailed an invitation to all Boomers to attend one of several gatherings. These gatherings will take place on several dates in early March and early-mid April – with choices of evenings (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday mornings (9:30 a.m.), in a private home or at Temple.If you don’t fall into the age range of Boomers, we still value your opinions and insights, and we welcome you to attend one of the gatherings.
We know that volunteers are vital to the work we do at Holy Blossom. Help us structure a re-imagined volunteer program at Holy Blossom. We look forward to hearing from you.
RSVPs and/or Questions: Please contact Hayley McAdam at ext 246.
Hospitality
Our ancestors Abraham and Sarah are considered the quintessential roles models for the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim – hospitality – as they welcomed three strangers into their home for a meal and conversation.While we should always be open and available to offering hospitality to others in our community, it is especially important to do so for Shabbat and Jewish holiday celebrations.So, I have two requests:First, if you find that you have an extra place at your Shabbat or holiday table and would like to host a member of our congregation, please give me a call.Second, if you would like to be hosted at someone’s table for an occasional Shabbat dinner or for a Jewish holiday (such as Passover), please give me a call.
My extension is 231.
Thank you.
I would like to attend one of the Sunday morning sessions in early April regarding boomers. Thank you, Jennifer