Taking the First Step

ARLENE D. SCHIFF, SENIOR ADVISOR, LIFE & LEGACY

Stacy Gorelick and Risa Miller usually walk out the front door of the Charlotte Jewish Day School feeling joyous. As former CJDS parents and longtime lay leaders, they are continually energized and inspired when they observe students learning Jewish traditions and sharing a love for Israel as part of their school day. Today, however, was different.

Today, they learned from Gale Osborne, the school’s advancement director, that yet another middle-income family has decided to leave the school. This family loves being part of the CJDS community, but the burden of tuition for three children is just too much for them to manage. Unfortunately, this is an alltoo-familiar story.

Having sent their children to CJDS, the Gorelicks and the Millers know firsthand the important foundation a day school education provides in developing a child’s Jewish identity and in engaging families in Jewish life. With Stacy currently serving as president of the school, it was time to act. The school could no longer wait to make a CJDS education accessible to all Jewish children in the community.

For quite some time, Stacy and Risa had discussed this need with their husbands, Todd, and David. They had also brainstormed how to address it with Gale. They felt urgency to their mission. Each year that passes, families leave the school, and, due to cost, many others don’t even consider it a viable option. Inaction leaves scores of children and families without access to a quality Jewish and general studies education.

Stacy, Todd, Risa, David, and Gale got to work researching, reviewing, developing, and discussing different models that might fit the needs of CJDS families. They found inspiring solutions, but when they crunched the numbers, they realized they couldn’t commit all the resources needed to solve the problem.

They didn’t give up. They realized they didn’t need to do it alone. So, they established the Affordability Fund to launch the initiative. Together, they committed to a combined $1 million endowment gift to CJDS.

The impact of establishing the fund has been tremendous. The profile of the school has been elevated in the community, and additional donors have already made commitments to the fund. The Gorelicks and the Millers are delighted that the school has additional resources to assist families for whom affordability is an issue. They are grateful that over time the fund will continue to grow through current gifts and future legacy commitments from others who value CJDS.

Once again, as they walk in and out of CJDS, Stacy and Risa feel that sense of joy. q