Mark Sunday, June 5, on your calendar for an event you won’t want to miss!
It’s “Boogie to Broadway,” an evening of entertainment put on by Jewish Family Services featuring three inter-faith choirs singing their hearts out to be recognized as the champions. However, the real champions of the evening will be the more than 500 seniors and their families that benefit from the older adult programs that JFS provides in the community.
This musical event will take place at 7 p.m. in the White Theater of the Jewish Community Campus. Proceeds will benefit for the older adult programs provided by JFS. Co-chairs for the event are Gail Lozoff and Paulette Giarratana.
“A lot of people have a lot of fun preparing for this, and we’re so excited to have such talented choir members and directors donating their time to JFS,” Lozoff said.
Now in its third year, “Boogie to Broadway” has added some new twists this time around. Rav Hazzan Jeffrey Shron of Kehilath Israel synagogue will serve as the master of ceremonies. He’ll be joined by Patrick Buckley, musical director of Kol Ami, Cantor Sharon Kohn, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, and Linda Sweenie of Congregation Beth Torah, each directing one of the competing choirs.
To create a truly interfaith event, these Jewish directors are paired with three church choir directors; Amanda Palacios, music educator at Christ the King Parish; Matthew Shepard, associate director of music of Village Presbyterian Church, and Sarah Brinkley, director of choirs at Atonement Lutheran Church. Together, all six choir directors will lead more than 75 people of all ages and different faiths in this music extravaganza. The winning choir will be selected by popular vote of the audience.
The fun event provides a perfect setting to share the work of JFS with the public, Lozoff said.
“Most people don’t really know what JFS does until someone in their family develops a need to use JFS services, then it is very eye opening,” Lozoff said. “So many of our services can make peoples’ lives easier, and we’d love for the entire community to know about our awesome programs and feel secure that we’re here to help!”
Among the services that will benefit from funds raised during Boogie are JET Express and Help@Home, both designed to help older adults live independently for as long as possible. JFS also provides aging-related services through the Jewish Senior Network and counseling services to assist with health needs, mobility requirements, bereavement, isolation, and much more.
The choirs have been rehearsing for weeks to get ready for the big night. The choirs include siblings, husbands and wives, parents, children and even grandchildren. Each choir chose its own name – Orange Crush (Buckley and Palacios choir), GreenSleeves (Sweenie and Brinkley choir) and Brilliant Blue Machine (Kohn and Shepard choir). In addition to the choirs’ musical numbers, the choir directors will join together for a special performance while the votes are being counted.
Tickets for “Boogie to Broadway” are on sale through the Jewish Community Center Box Office, (913) 327-8054 or email . There are two-tier seating options for the June 5 event. The last time Boogie was held at the White Theatre it sold out, therefore JFS has opened up the back of the theatre (the MAC Room) for additional seating. These seats are half price due to the proximity from the stage.
Tier One: $20 adults; $10 children 12 & under (theater seating in the White Theatre)
Tier Two (limited number of seats in the MAC room which opens up to view the stage at the back of theater): $10 adults; $5 children 12 & under.
For additional information about Boogie to Broadway, contact Adrienne Kizer at (913) 327-8250.