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Local Philanthropy Headlines
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"Jewish groups seek to raise $100 million"
The Baltimore Sun
June 24, 2005
Ilene Hollin
Baltimore's federation of Jewish charities will launch a campaign today seeking to raise $100 million over the next two years for a package of new building construction and renovations.
The campaign is the most ambitious in the history of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and marks its first attempt to raise money for only capital construction projects at such places as Baltimore Hebrew University and a social services complex along Park Heights Avenue.
"This is a community that has always responded to our needs, and we anticipate a positive result," said Benjamin Greenwald, co-chairman of the campaign and chairman of The Associated's board. Among Baltimore's nonprofit organizations, The Associated's goal ranks below only such institutions as the University of Maryland Medical System and the Johns Hopkins Institutions, according to area fund-raising executives.
But they also say The Associated is smart to set such a lofty goal. "They have an enormous outreach into the community," said Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, director of the Baltimore Giving Project at the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers. "They have a long-standing history and tradition in working with current families and donors as well as new donors."
The committee will target the most generous donors in the community, hoping for most of the money to come from about 100 donors, a small percentage of the area's Jewish population. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is expected to join federation leaders this morning for the announcement.
A collection of almost 40 agencies, The Associated aims to provide support to a variety of social services to the Jewish population -- 36,600 households -- and the greater Baltimore community.
The Associated's annual fund-raising campaign, which concluded this week, raised about $28 million. In 2003, The Associated was ranked No. 259 in Philanthropy 400, an income survey of the country's top charities by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. It is third in the nation among Jewish federation groups in per-capita income and fifth for aggregate fund raising.
For the $100 million campaign, $7 million has been secured. The governor's office granted the first $2 million to help build a new social services building on Park Heights Avenue. Preparation for construction of that building has begun.
As a three-story building of 45,700 square feet, it will be the focal point of the Park Heights campus and home to four agencies: Jewish Family Services, Jewish Big Brother and Big Sister League, the Hebrew Free Loan Association and the Baltimore Jewish Council. "Facilities will reflect the vigor, innovation and passion we have for our agenda," said Marc Terrill, president of The Associated.
Baltimore Hebrew University is expected to receive the largest amount of money allocated to a single facility. The school's Parks Heights Avenue building, with its outdated technology, insufficient space and lack of access for the disabled, will be demolished next year.
"It was designed for a different era, half a century ago," said Rela Mintz Geffen, the university's president. Design plans include an auditorium and capabilities for distance learning. Its library will feature 10,000 books -- making it the largest one with a Judaic focus in the state. "We [the university] are part of the city of Baltimore." Mintz Geffen said. "We are glad to be a part of maintaining the stability of the Park Heights neighborhood."
Campaign funds will go primarily toward facilities that house The Associated's agencies and programs, with construction concentrated at the Park Heights campus.
The immediate agenda includes three new buildings and renovating two structures, the Jewish community centers of Park Heights and Owings Mills. Future projects will be detailed later, and $10 million will be set aside as an endowment to handle building maintenance and other expenses. The Associated officials say it's time for a large-scale, systemwide capital campaign because many of the buildings were built over 50 years ago and have to be modernized.
The goal of the campaign goes beyond bricks and mortar; officials say they are eager to provide services in a more dignified manner. The Center for Jewish Education, once in a dingy basement and accessible only by winding through a maze of file cabinets, will have its own space.
"Its not about the buildings; its about what happens inside the buildings," Terrill said. "In terms of social services delivery, Baltimore is seen as the leader, or one of the leaders, in the national Jewish federation movement."
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