When The J presented Merna Siegler with its Lifetime Membership award for the longest standing member in 2021, her children approached The J looking for a way to honor Siegler and her late husband, Sylvan, z”l.
Mitch Siegler, Jerry Siegler and Suzy Siegler Rieber knew The J’s summer camp had special meaning to their mother, who was a former camp swim instructor. Ultimately, the Siegler family chose to fund a new camp pavilion structure as the program continues to grow.
After a successful fundraising campaign kickstarted by the family, the Merna & Sylvan Siegler Pavilion is scheduled to be completed in time for this year’s J Camp. Merna credits her sons, Mitch and Jerry, with the idea to present their gift of $75,000 as a matching grant to gain community participation and to inspire current camp families and alumni to contribute to the project.
“The J is so very thankful that the family chose to make their gift a matching gift opportunity as it really encourages others to give, understanding that every dollar given in turn gets doubled,” said Jim Sluyter, president and CEO of The J.
Merna and Sylvan Siegler initially moved to Kansas City in 1959 and were active members of the community from the start. Leaders of various organizations, the Sieglers were joint presidents of the Couple’s Club at synagogue. Merna volunteered as a youth friend reading buddy at Red Bridge Elementary, while Sylvan was heavily involved in the American Bar Association, attending meetings globally and mentoring many young tax attorneys.
Sylvan served as president of Congregation Beth Shalom while Merna was Sisterhood president. There, Sylvan was gabbai in synagogue for Torah readings and was a frequent Torah reader himself. Today, Jerry and Suzy continue his legacy, reading Torah and haftorah at their respective synagogues. Merna and Sylvan both served on The J’s board at different times.
Merna and her family wanted their legacy to be tied into the Jewish community in Kansas City.
“Jewish continuity has always been very important for Sylvan and me,” Merna Siegler said when the project initially broke ground. “Our children and grandchildren have benefited from Jewish camps, and the JCC’s camps are a perfect way to strengthen the Kansas City Jewish community and build the foundation for our next generation.”
The Merna & Sylvan Siegler Pavilion will be located adjacent to another new space on The J’s campus. Reat’s Place – Corporon Family Amphitheater will seat 75 people, funding for which was led by the Reat’s Rising Stars fund and the Corporon family, with the vision of creating a haven for youth who, like Reat and his grandfather William Corporon, are passionate about theater.
These funds, as well as donations for a new playground for the Child Development Center (CDC), were raised through a campaign this past winter, while funding for the Merna & Sylvan Siegler Pavilion was raised in early 2022. Generous donors raised approximately the $934,000 needed to break ground on the projects.
The stage for Reat’s Place will be named in honor of another lead donor, Harry and Gail Himmelstein.
The final piece of the campaign, the CDC’s new playground, is scheduled for completion in time for the 2023-24 school year. US Toy & Frances Wang Gershon Supporting Foundation generously provided a $15,000 matching grant, which was quickly met in the first week of the campaign.
