On-line registration encouraged for 2005 Super Sunday

by Robert Wiener
NJJN Staff Writer

Staff and lay leaders at United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey are asking volunteers from all parts of the Jewish community to join in on Super Sunday, the annual fund-raising event being held Dec. 4 at the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus in Whippany.

“It is the biggest community fund-raising event of the year, and it is very exciting to see all of our volunteers come together on one day — reaching out to the community and looking for support for all the miracles we can make happen through the UJA campaign,” said campaign chair Lori Klinghoffer, the Short Hills resident who has supervised Super Sundays in the past.

Under the slogan “One Powerful Day,” the event cochairs, Stephen Kepniss of Short Hills, Mindy Kirschner of Randolph, and Susan Weinstock of Montville, are urging people to register on-line at www.ujcnj.org/supersunday to take part in the multifaceted daylong operation.

“Rather than using paid telemarketers, one volunteer calling a donor makes a big difference,” said Klinghoffer. “When I call somebody, I can say, ‘This isn’t my job. I’m doing it in my free time because this is important enough to me to reach out and ask you to support us.”

Those who participate will have the opportunity to be part of the phone bank, contacting potential contributors in the MetroWest area. UJC MetroWest supports local Jewish social service and educational agencies and programs as well as major initiatives in Israel and other communities abroad.

People coming to the campus on Super Sunday will also be able to participate in a blood drive, contribute to a local food bank, and donate warm clothing and school supplies for needy people in the UJC MetroWest partnership community of Cherkassy, Ukraine. Shoppers will also be able to survey the wares at an Israeli marketplace in the Weill atrium.

“There is no limit on the number of volunteers we are seeking,” said Klinghoffer, who recalled there being “somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 people” lending a hand in previous years.

Those who volunteer will be asked to work one or more of four shifts: 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. with breakfast; noon-3:30 p.m., with lunch; 3-6 p.m., with snacks, and 5:30-8 p.m., with dinner and ice cream sundaes for dessert.

“We’re reaching out especially to young people in their 20s and 30s and hope that many will join us on Super Sunday,” said Kepniss.

Kirschner said she is looking forward to working with “people of all ages, from the youngest delivering candy, to all the teens and adults who are making phone calls, sorting cards, helping with registration and the blood drive, and serving food.”

“It’s a great opportunity for people from all sectors of the MetroWest community to come together, not only to help raise money, but also to do other mitzvot for the community,” said Weinstock.

The 2004 Super Sunday raised $2.8 million, slightly more than 10 percent of the charitable umbrella’s $24.1 million annual campaign.

As of 2004, the campaign stopped setting a dollar goal for Super Sunday “because it is really not about the day; it is about how much we’ve raised to date,” said Klinghoffer. “We’ve done a fairly decent job of reaching donors before Super Sunday, and we will look at it the same way we looked at it last year. We will look at the dollars we raised on that date, but we will also look at the total of what we’ve raised to date.”

As the day’s main volunteer, Klinghoffer said she expects her own schedule to be a busy one. “I’ll be hanging out, speaking to donors on the phone and with some of the volunteers who come in and have not yet made their gifts. I plan to be there for most of the day and evening.”

The MetroWest veteran considers Super Sunday “an exciting day — not only from a fund-raising point of view but also from a community point of view. We really need to thank and recognize all of our volunteers, and this is an opportunity for them to come together and for the community to respond.

“The truth will be told on Dec. 4,” she said. “By the end of the day, we will know where we are.”

Robert Wiener can be reached at rwiener@njjewishnews.com.

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