MJCCA Announces Public Launch of Capital Campaign

/SPECIAL FOR THE AJT/ Gail Luxenberg

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) will announce the public phase of its $7.5 Million comprehensive capital campaign at the agency’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 18.

The funds raised through the campaign will reconfigure, renovate and enhance the MJCCA’s infrastructure at its Dunwoody Zaban Park campus and its overnight summer camp in Cleveland, Ga., Camp Barney Medintz.

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To date, the MJCCA has raised more than $6.8 million, with lead gifts coming from: Marlene and Abe Besser, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, The Ron and Lisa Brill Charitable Trust, Lynne M. and Howard I. Halpern, The Marcus Foundation, Inc., and The Zaban Family Foundation.

Gail Luxenberg, CEO of the MJCCA explained, “This is an exciting time for the MJCCA. The agency’s annual user rates are the highest in our 104-year history. We are pleased that our myriad of programs and services are reaching
the lives of 55,000+
people from across
metro-Atlanta every
year– from infants
to mature adults, 
from teens to young
adults, from singles
to young families,
from basketball
players to theatre-goers to summer
campers.”

Luxenberg continued, “For the
past seven years, 
our senior management and Governance Board have
been focused on
the agency’s fiscal
health.” She continued, “Our facilities have been properly maintained but heavily used – so before our current facilities are unable to meet the community’s demands for first-rate athletics, preschool, camps and cultural programming, we must make a substantial investment in our infrastructure. That is why we are calling this campaign the ‘Framework for the Future.’”

Ron Brill, former Chief Financial Officer of The Home Depot, has taken on his first major fundraising leadership role at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, as the chair of the MJCCA’s capital campaign.

Brill said, “I see this campaign as an opportunity to ensure the continued health and success of an agency that I consider to be vital to our community – and to my own family.” Brill added, “We are fortunate to have committed leadership and stakeholders who have stepped forward with early and generous gifts. Now it is the community’s chance to join us. We can all play a part in the framework of our future.”

Steven Cadranel, President of the MJCCA said, “I am particularly proud and appreciative of the hard and thoughtful work all of our Board members, volunteers, and staff have done to meet the community’s growing and ever-changing needs. Thanks to their efforts, our preschools, camps, and community outreach are truly considered best in class! Our donors’ generosity has been amazing and our future is very bright, but there is still work to be done to continue serving more people and families, and connecting them to their Jewish identity.”

MJCCA Capital Campaign objectives include:

Zaban Park

The MJCCA’s Zaban Park Campus is a place where community members meet, engage and connect. Zaban Park’s core programs have either reached their maximum capacity or are nearing those limits. Campaign funds will be used to strengthen Zaban Park’s infrastructure and refurbish some of the most highly trafficked resources – for its day camps, preschool, and sports and fitness programs.

Camp Barney Medintz

The MJCCA’s resident summer camp, Camp Barney Medintz, has been a strong priority for the agency since it’s founding more than 50 years ago. The overnight camp, beloved by generations of campers, will receive significant improvements to its facilities (cabins, swimming pools, staff housing etc.) ensuring that the next generations of campers can participate in this unique overnight camping experience.

Editor’s note: for information or to contribute to the MJCCA’s Capital Campaign, contact Staci Brill, Capital Campaign Director at (678) 812-4150 or visit online at atlantajcc.org/framework.