Cheryl Markbreiter of Wayside, left, and Deborah Rettig of Manalapan are cochairs of Super Sunday 2008, which will take place on Dec. 7 at the Ruth Hyman JCC in Deal.
November 4, 2008
Super Sunday 2008, the biggest one-day, communitywide fund-raising event of the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County, will take place from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center in Deal.
This year, the event will feature a blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross. Representatives of the organization will be at the JCC between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Those who wish to make a donation are asked to register in advance by calling the federation office at 732-521-6200; donors may also register on-line at www.jewishmonmouth.org.)
A blood drive was held during Super Sunday five years ago; including a drive this year is another way in which the federation works with, and for, the community, said Miriam Mizrahi Kaplan, the federation’s director of leadership development.
“The federation has programs that benefit the local and worldwide Jewish community,” Mizrahi Kaplan said. “But the organization also participates in things that help the community at large. Helping to encourage blood donations is one of these worthwhile efforts.”
Pledges totaling more than $380,000 were collected during the Super Sunday 2007 phonathon, and despite an ailing economy, event cochairs Cheryl Markbreiter of Wayside and Deborah Rettig of Manalapan believe donors will turn this year’s Super Sunday into another success.
“This year, I wanted to give of myself, and being a cochair was the way to make that happen,” said Rettig, who, along with Markbreiter, is filling the role for the first time. “I’ve been a Super Sunday volunteer for six years and I’m glad to be able to take it to the next level. And I know the generous members of the Jewish community will be there for us.”
Markbreiter, a member of the federation board of directors and a Super Sunday volunteer for 10 years, also feels the tough economic situation won’t discourage donor activity.
“I felt it was my turn to serve as a cochair, and I think our donors are ready for Super Sunday 2008,” she said. “Even with the economy the way it is, I think the donors will be as generous as ever.”
Throughout the daylong event, more than 100 volunteers will staff the telephone bank; others will work in the mail room, perform administrative tasks, and keep the food court well stocked, said federation executive director Howard Gases.
“These dedicated volunteers work hard every year, and their efforts, combined with the generosity of our donors, make Super Sunday so successful,” said Gases. “Their support means the federation will be able to continue the important work we do on a local and global scale.”
The funds collected during Super Sunday will become part of the federation’s annual campaign, said Gases. The money will be used for a variety of causes, including support for programming at the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education Center at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, the funding of scholarships for Jewish day school students, subsidies for Israeli travel and Jewish summer camp programs, assistance to terror victims in Israel and to immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union, provision of programs at local Jewish community centers and the Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Monmouth County, and sending aid to Jews who live in the former Soviet Union.
Promoting the spirit of tikun olam will drive this year’s event, Rettig said.
“All of us who volunteer on Super Sunday are advocates of Jewish causes, and the donors feel the same way,” she said. “I think people know what the federation stands for and how it supports so many important beneficiaries.”
As usual, the Super Sunday team is willing to work hard to ensure another successful outcome.
“Everyone is willing to work so that things will run smoothly on behalf of a great cause,” said Markbreiter. “So many have already been extremely generous with their time and support. Dec. 7 will be a great day.”
Those who wish to volunteer on Super Sunday may call the federation office at 732-521-6200; volunteers may also register at www.jewishmonmouth.org.
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