Letter From Jeff Rubin

Executive Director, Valley JCC

As your Executive Director, I would like to thank you for all your support and generosity that you provide to such an amazing organization. Thank you to our hard-working fundraising Committee for planning our annual Galathon and so many other programs throughout the year. Thank you to our generous donors and sponsors. I'm grateful to the Board of Directors for your guidance and support and having the faith and trust in me to move the JCC forward. 

I have been fortunate to have spent my entire career in public service and come to the Valley JCC after being in local city government for the past 25 years. I care deeply about Community and making a difference. I bring with me the same desire and passion to build upon the progress of those before me and expand upon our partnerships, programming, and community. 

I look forward to creating a well-rounded organization that is all inclusive and provides something for everyone from tots to seniors. 

It all starts with our amazing state licensed Today's Montessori preschool, which is led by Chereen Peretti and her amazing and dedicated team. Our program allows each child to grow and reach their fullest potential and creates the foundation for their future educational success. 

To expand upon our active adult programming and keep you engaged and evolved, we have partnered not only with our local assisted living communities but with the JCC Alliance programs. Through both zoom and in person programming we will continue to add programs in all interest areas. We want to hear from you so let us know how we can serve you best. Thank you to our Program Director Ellen Cohen and our Marketing and Program Coordinator Lois Julien for all your hard work. And to Rick Lupert for keeping our website and social media pages updated along with creating all those amazing program flyers and keeping our community in the know. 

Our newly created Wayne League Basketball program tipped off its inaugural adult season in February with 48 teams playing on Thursdays and Sundays at de Toledo High School and AE Wright Middle School. Our year-round leagues are led by Sports Coordinator Jason Moser who has done an outstanding job in a short time getting the Wayne League off the ground. His focus will now turn to youth basketball leagues and camps. Jason hopes to see you on the basketball courts. 

Maccabi is back after being shuttered the past two years due to the pandemic. This years summer games for teens takes place in San Diego. Valley JCC will be represented in boys soccer, girls basketball, swimming, and tennis. A special thank you to our Delegation Head, Shay Diamant, for your amazing work and dedication to our youth and all our coaches. 

We want to hear from you. Please get involved, stay involved, tell your family and friends, and help us create community. 

Thank You,

Jeff

Message From Ollie Haas

Valley JCC President, Board of Directors

I'm hopeful that the worst of the pandemic is behind us now, and that we, as a community, can enjoy fulfilling times ahead.

Please take a look at the information in this newsletter and on our website and find some classes, clubs, activities and programs that interest you. Maybe you've always wanted to learn a new skill or join a book club? We're offering basketball leagues for both youth and adults.

I encourage you to become a member of the Valley JCC and if you're already a member, this would be a good time to renew.

And, I'd like to share that I'm really enthusiastic about our future because of our new and energetic Executive Director, Jeff Rubin.

I hope to see you in person, soon. Join us and be a part of programming and our community.

Thank you,

Ollie Haas

Venerable Venice:Art, Architecture & Islands

Three Mondays, April 4, 11 & 25

(no “trip” on 4/18) 

11am-12:15pm (PT) on Zoom 

For details & tickets, CLICK HERE

Basketball

The Wayne League

by

Jason Moser

I’m the new Sports Coordinator for the Valley JCC. While we already have a thriving Adult Basketball League, in one short month we’ve acquired over 48 teams for our Adult Basketball League. 

We’re now shifting our focus to all the youth in the community by offering basketball, clinics and camps for children ages 3 to 17 years. The mission with our youth is to put the “fun” into fundamentals. 

I’m looking forward to seeing the parents and families in the community that put so much effort in keeping our leagues going strong.

So, let’s keep the “ball rolling”, no pun intended!



From today's montessori

At Today's Montessori it is a tradition to celebrate all major Jewish Holidays! 

April month is Passover a Jewish Spring festival that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. 

The Passover Seder encapsulates so many of Judaism’s most important values: to feed the hungry, to teach our children our Jewish history, to gather our families together in celebration, and to imagine ourselves as if we were slaves in Egypt as a way to inform how we treat others. 

At school, we celebrate Pesach with a Seder meal. We love reading and role-playing the story of Pesach, we bake our own Matzah, read stories like “A Tale of Two Seders” by Mindy Avra Porthoy, and sing songs from the Haggadah. 

Chag Pesach kasher vesame’ach! 

Meet Daniel Sagal

Daniel Sagal, Senior Care Advisor, Total Senior, experienced a life change at age 25, that gave him the opportunity to do something special with his life.

When Daniel's 90 year old grandmother fell and broke her hip, followed by two hip surgeries, and needed skilled nursing care for three months, the family had a difficult time locating the right place for her to live. Adding to the dilemma, she couldn't speak English and the first signs of dementia were evident. Following months of rehabilitation, she needed an assisted living facility with 24/7 care. Daniel quickly learned that there was no financial incentive for others to care for his grandmother and he felt no one wanted to help them.

Eventually, Daniel found the right placement for his grandmother and Total Senior became an idea that quickly turned into a reality. Daniel's new mission was to help families find care resources, including assisted living, memory care, residential care homes, caregiving agencies and nursing facilities that match the needs of their loved ones. And, it had to be a place that wouldn't bankrupt the entire family and allowed visitation from children and grandchildren.

Daniel was 25 years old when he opened Total Senior. After nine years, the business has grown to a team of four senior care advisors working with hundreds of families every year, contracting with over 1,000 care facilities and providers throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The Total Senior motto is: Compassion, Integrity, Family First.

Daniel explains, "Total Senior specializes in senior care consulting. We are advocates, educators and problem solvers. Senior care is the ultimate you don’t know what you don’t know. There’s no manual on how to find the right care. Our job is to not only help families find the right care for their loved ones but to make sure they know what questions to ask and what complementary services may be available."

When Daniel isn't working, he enjoys golf and hiking. He is an active member of the Valley JCC and sits on the Board of Directors.

For more information, go to www.TotalSenior.com or CLICK HERE.