On the evening of Dec. 10, more than 100 community leaders and Jewish Community Foundation supporters gathered for the organization’s 66th annual meeting and installation of officers and trustees.

The event began with a reception, during which guests socialized and had refreshments, followed by a program that celebrated highlights of the Foundation’s work over the past year. The theme of the event was “Legacy in Motion,” an acknowledgment of the ways legacy giving moves the community forward. 

Rabbi David Glickman of Congregation Beth Shalom welcomed the crowd with a d’var Torah, which was followed by a memorial presentation by JCF Past President Merilyn Berenbom. Berenbom honored Stanley Bushman (z”l), a fellow JCF past president who, together with Foundation leadership, founded the Bushman Community Endowment (BCE) program. Through BCE, the Foundation worked with communal agencies and synagogues to raise more than $200 million in realized and future gifts for the community.

“Stan believed in the Foundation’s mission and its role in securing the long-term strength and vitality of our communal institutions,” Berenbom said. “He was generous, visionary and relentlessly focused on impact. His legacy looms large and continues to inspire all of us who knew and loved him.” 

Berenbom announced that the Jewish Community Foundation has received a multi-million dollar grant from Bushman’s estate to create the Bushman Legacy Initiative, a new program that will build on the success of BCE. The initiative will support local donors across the full lifecycle of giving, emphasizing the growth of endowments through gifts both during donors’ lifetimes and from their estates. The Foundation will provide participating communal organizations with customized consulting and education, incentives that award best practices and comprehensive marketing support. The community can expect to learn more about this effort in the coming months.

Foundation Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Peden shared an investment update highlighting Strategic Investment Group’s strong results, outperforming benchmarks across all measured periods. These investment returns, coupled with contributions, have brought JCF’s current assets to an all-time high of $376 million. 

Josh Stein, JCF president and CEO, and Joseph Hiersteiner, JCF board chair, reflected on the organization’s highlights of the year. In 2024, JCF launched a “Connecting Our Giving Community” calendar which included several site visits to Jewish and general community nonprofit organizations, as well as events where fundholders came together to discuss philanthropic topics and learn from one another’s experiences. Several new funds with unique purposes were established, such as the Mark Edelman Theater Fund to enhance the performing arts and the Ben and Martin Jabenis Memorial Endowment Fund which provides scholarships to students at Johnson County Community College and Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. The Foundation also created a new strategic plan that will guide its work over the next three years. The plan focuses on three imperatives: inspire generosity across generations; support enhanced community engagement; and strengthen organizational capacity.

“The generosity of our donors, coupled with the talents and creativity of our staff, is a powerful force for good in our community,” Stein said.

JCF Director of Grantmaking and Impact Beatrice Fine honored the Menorah Women’s Foundation, a special fund at JCF which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. The fund grew out of the Menorah Women’s Auxiliary, an organization with a legacy of working to elevate programs and create a welcoming atmosphere for people of all religions and races at Menorah Medical Center. Since its inception, the Menorah Women’s Foundation has granted more than $500,000 to enhance the emotional and physical wellbeing of the Jewish community. 

The evening concluded with the presentation of the Friend of the Foundation Award honoring Ilana Silverstein. The award recognizes community members who have gone above and beyond in support of the Foundation’s mission. Silverstein was instrumental in launching the Foundation’s site visit program, which brings fundholders behind the scenes of local nonprofits to gain a deeper understanding of their work. Silverstein assisted Foundation staff in deciding which nonprofits to visit and encouraged the spotlighting of smaller nonprofits which serve a variety of vulnerable populations throughout the Greater Kansas City area. 

“This award is not given every year, but as we reflected on the success of the ‘Connecting Our Giving Community series,’ it became clear that Ilana’s influence was special and noteworthy,” Fine said. “Sometimes, an organization needs a champion. Sometimes, it needs a friend. For the Foundation, Ilana has been both.”

The following JCF trustees were elected at the meeting: Louis Cohn, Joshua Hoffman, Paul Greenwood, Joseph L. Hiersteiner, Andrew Kaplan, Lara Krigel Pabst, Ora Reynolds and David N. Sosland.

The following officers were also elected at the meeting: Joseph L. Hiersteiner, chair; Lara Krigel Pabst, first vice chair; Fay Balk, vice chair; David N. Sosland, vice chair; Catherine D. Singer, treasurer; and Gary Weinberg, secretary.

More information about the Jewish Community Foundation’s work is available at jcfkc.org or by calling (913) 327-8245.