The 2015 Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Civic Service Award dinner Chairmen Renana and Michael Abrams and honorary Co-Chairs Ann and Kenneth Baum are looking forward to a wonderful evening in celebration of the school’s 49th year and its Civic Service Award honoree, the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation.
The dinner, which takes place March 29 at the Overland Park Convention Center, is HBHA’s only major fundraising event each year. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}All funds raised go toward scholarship assistance and educational operations costs at HBHA.
“We have been blessed with dynamic dinner chairs Renana and Michael Abrams, who have been steadfast supporters of our school as their three children have enjoyed their school careers here,” said Howard M Haas, HBHA head of school. “We are also so very fortunate to bring honorary Co-Chairs Ann and Kenneth Baum on board to support a strong educational foundation for our children.”
Michael and Renana Abrams
Dinner Chairs Renana and Michael Abrams have volunteered in numerous capacities at HBHA throughout the years. Michael is an HBHA alumnus, and the couple has three children, all of whom began HBHA in kindergarten: Sam, currently a sophomore at Georgetown University, and Moriah and Gabrielle, respectively a senior and freshman at HBHA. Both Renana and Michael have served on the HBHA board of directors, and Renana is a past PTO president.
They have both been active members of other Jewish organizations as well: Michael is past president of Congregation Beth Shalom, Village Shalom and the JCRB|AJC; Renana is a member of the Vaad HaKashruth board, and has served on Congregation Beth Shalom’s education committee and Sisterhood boards.
It is obvious that Jewish community is important to the Abrams. So much so, that they were committed to HBHA before they even had children.
“In deciding where to locate after graduating law school, one of our pre-requisites was a community with a Jewish day school. When we first moved to Kansas City, we chose a neighborhood near the JCC and HBHA because we knew that was where much of our lives would be centered. We knew the importance of a Jewish education and knew that HBHA would be the place where our children would grow up,” Renana said.
She adds, “We began to support HBHA before we had any children of our own, including attending the annual Civic Service Award dinner. We are honored to chair such an important event for the school.”
Yet their commitment to Kansas City goes beyond HBHA and the Jewish community.
“The Civic Service Award recognizes Henry Bloch’s vision of philanthropy and the contribution HBHA makes to maintaining Kansas City as a place where people can lead rich Jewish lives. Personally, we have been impressed with the dedicated HBHA faculty and their commitment to not only educating our children, but to creating future Jewish leaders,” Michael said.
A partner at Lathrop & Gage, Michael currently serves on the law firm’s executive committee. He also works to strengthen the community as a Kansas Advisory Committee Member for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and is a member of the Overland Park Police Independent Citizens Advisory Board Regarding Racial Profiling and Non-Biased Policing.
Ann and Kenneth Baum
Champions of education in Kansas City, Ann and Kenneth Baum look forward to honoring longtime friends, the Bloch family, as the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation receives the Civic Service Award on March 29.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to chair the evening and to honor the Bloch Family Foundation. Kenny has been a lifelong friend and associate of the Bloch family, so supporting our dear friends and having the opportunity to support excellence in education is particularly meaningful to us,” Ann said.
The Baums have been vibrant, active members of Kansas City throughout their lives. Members of The New Reform Temple, Ann currently serves on the congregation’s board of directors. They are also actively involved as trustees of the George K. Baum Family Foundation, which is committed to improving the quality of life for disadvantaged members of the Kansas City community.
“Kenny is an old friend; we go back more years than either one of us care to admit … to high school where we were classmates beginning a relationship that was personal as well as involving joint business and communal interests. His participation in this year’s program is understandably very meaningful to me,” said Neil Sosland, a longtime supporter of HBHA.
In addition to education, their synagogue, and empowering members of the Kansas City community to live better and more productive lives, the couple has been dedicated to the arts — visual and performing — in Kansas City. Originally an elementary school teacher, Ann has since spent a large portion of her career in the arts, first working at the Kansas City Philharmonic, and later at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Since retirement, Ann continues to devote volunteer time at the Nelson: She and Kenneth are honorary chairs of this year’s Create the Night Pop gala, and she is the nominating chair of the Committee of 100 Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Ann currently serves as the vice chair for the Kansas City Symphony board of directors, and is an active member of the council for the Metropolitan Council of Early Learning of MidAmerica Regional Council.
A well-known leader in the community, Kenneth was one of the inaugural inductees into the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, which celebrates Kansas Citians for their entrepreneurial spirit and innovative business success.
Yet Kenneth’s gifts to the community go well beyond his success in business and his entrepreneurial nature. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; the board of trustees of the Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy; president and director of Blue River Land Trust; and a University of Missouri-Kansas City trustee emeritus. He has previously served on the board of directors of the Jewish Heritage Foundation, Kansas City Economic Development Council, The New Reform Temple, Menorah Medical Center and as chairman of the board of trustees of UMKC.
Devoted to each other, their family, and the Kansas City community, the couple often works together to benefit worthy causes. However, their family remains a top priority. The Baums have four children — Jonathan Baum, Jessica Baum Pasmore, Rachel Loeb and Emily Loeb — and 10 grandchildren who range in age from 4 to 25.
“Spending time with our children and grandchildren is a very important part of our life,” Ann said.
One of the oldest K-12 community Jewish day schools in the country, HBHA cultivates students into educated, contributing leaders and citizens of tomorrow. For more information about HBHA and the 42nd Civic Service Award Dinner, or to purchase tickets or advertising for the event, go to www.hbha.edu, and click on Seeding the Future. You may also contact Kerry Cosner, director of development at HBHA, 913-327-8156, or .{/mprestriction}