COMMERCIAL FAVE — As the debate continued Monday about the best commercials in this year’s Super Bowl, my favorite was the one about the upcoming NFL draft. Deion Sanders is supposed to be the star, but many of us were watching to see if Corey Rittmaster would make the final cut and get air time. The K.C. native, real-life Chiefs’ fan and former member of Congregation Beth Torah, is the fan in the bar wearing Chiefs garb and was shown not once, not twice, but three times. If you missed the commercial the first time or want to see it again, check it out at http://youtu.be/_iw3hxTuK-c.
LITERARY TEENS — At least two teens from the Jewish community will be part of the Johnson County Library’s 10th anniversary celebration of elementia, the Johnson County teen art and literature magazine. The celebration takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, at the Central Resource Library and will feature an introduction from young adult author Walter Dean Myers who wrote “Street Love.” Jewish teens featured in the 10th edition of elementia include Congregation Beth Torah member Anna Wolock and Rachel Franklin, a member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.
A SUPER SUNDAY — The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s Super Sunday, under the direction of Neal Schwartz and Tracy Shafton and carried out by dozens of volunteers, was a super success. The Sunday calling session collected just shy of $120,000 in pledges. Another calling session Monday night brought the total to $135,818.
VILLAGE SHALOM FEATURED IN WEBINAR — Village Shalom has lots of great ideas. One of them — Village Shalom University — was featured in the recent “Great Ideas” webinar hosted by the Association of Jewish Aging Services for its member organizations across North America. AJAS serves nearly 100 Jewish-sponsored nursing homes, senior housing communities, service organizations and outreach programs, all of which had the opportunity to view the online seminar.
Village Shalom was one of eight senior-care organizations selected to offer a seven-minute-or-less glimpse at an innovative program they have successfully implemented. Akin to “speed dating,” the webinar gave viewers an opportunity to learn about new concepts that might be pertinent to their own elder-care environments.
Village Shalom’s “VSU” program is a weeklong, university-style educational opportunity taught by and for Village Shalom residents, staff, family members and other members of the community. First implemented in 2011, the novel approach to lifelong learning received the 2012 Excellence in Innovation Award from another senior-care association, LeadingAge Kansas.