COMMUNITY
Support fuels $4.5 million Jewish Community Center upgrades
The Jewish community center hit its large fundraising goal of $4.5 million
In 2023, the Jewish Community Center of Greater sa国际传媒官网网页入口, JCC, set a hefty fundraising goal of $4.5 million; in 2026, they hit it.
鈥淲e worked with Thompson Construction, Inc., and Design Plus and created a $4.5 million budget. We asked ourselves what we could do for $4.5 million,鈥� said Emily Fox, the chief development officer at the JCC.
The campaign's money has gone to remodeling existing areas of the community center, such as locker rooms, the playground and the lobby area.
鈥�$4.5 million has a great impact on the JCC, but more importantly than the impact on the JCC, it's the impact that it has on our members,鈥� said Fox.
In addition to updating out-of-date facilities, a new handicap-accessible splash pad and three new outdoor pickleball courts, to complement the center鈥檚 two indoor courts, were constructed.
The fundraising was done through a campaign called the JCC Mission Possible Capital Campaign. This campaign consisted mostly of reaching out to the community for donations.
鈥淲e just started making calls, one-on-one calls with previous donors, potential donors. Just a lot of pounding the pavement, a lot of hard work, but very worthwhile.鈥� Fox said, 鈥淏ecause we knew in the end, everything we were doing was going to serve the community and the JCC membership.鈥�
The largest donation, a gift of $1 million, was made possible through the sale of the David Specter Shalom House property.
Fox believes that every donation brought them closer to their goal, no matter how small the amount.
鈥淭he JCC is just such an important community center; we welcome everyone through our doors,鈥� said the JCC Board President, Ron Winger
Isabella Campbell is an intern with the New Mexico Local News Fellowships and Internships Program, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across New Mexico. Learn more at . She can be reached at icampbell@abqjournal.com.
