Cathy’s Whim Cathy’s Whim

  • Home
  • The Importance of 83

The Importance of 83

Cathy Gardner | August 5, 2022
The Importance of 83

Over the past year, I have mentioned in a few WHIMS how we as an organization faced some staff turnover during the months following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of this was due to retirements and career changes.

What I didn’t mention in those WHIMS was the fact that a good percentage of our employees have been with us for many years. As we prepare for this year’s annual meeting, I am amazed to see the number of people who have been with us for 10, 15, 20, and even 25 years.

This year, we have four wonderful employees who will not only celebrate milestone anniversaries with the Federation, but also another big milestone – retirement. With a combined 83 years of service (yes – 83 years!), we prepare to say goodbye to the following employees:

Joyce Graham (15 years, preschool teacher)
Audrey MacKenzie (20 years, early childhood director)
Karen Steiger (20 years, receptionist)
Cindy Turner (28 years, preschool site supervisor)

These women have dedicated much of their lives to the betterment of our organization. Whether it be greeting people as they enter our building, or spending time teaching our community’s little ones, or working with parents and the administrative program aspect of our early childhood, each of them has played in integral part in helping us meet our mission of caring for those in need, strengthening Jewish life, and creating connections among Jews – locally, in Israel, and around the world.

We will honor these incredible employees with a Retirement Picnic on Sunday, August 21st from noon – 2 p.m. at the CJCE (525 Versailles Drive, Centerville 45459). The celebration will include a Kosher cookout (including hamburgers, hot dogs, and all the accoutrements). Attendees will have the opportunity to thank these hard-working women for their years of dedication and service.

This event is free; RSVP required – CLICK HERE to RSVP.  Questions? Please contact Alisa Thomas at athomas@jfgd.net.

I look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

 

To receive Cathy’s WHIM in your inbox each week, click here.


Chief Executive Officer
Cathy Gardner

Latest Articles

View All Articles
A Peek at This Year’s Presidents Dinner
Cathy Gardner

It is hard to believe we are only a little over three weeks away from our 2026 Presidents Dinner, which will take place on Sunday, May 17 at the Boonshoft CJCE. The Presidents Dinner honors the legacy of the Federation’s past presidents while inspiring our community with a global message on an intimate level. Attendees also have the opportunity to make a pledge to the 2026 Annual Campaign. Our Chairs for this year’s event are Bernie Rabinowitz and his partner, Elaine Goldberg. Bernie has been a pillar in our Jewish community for many years. He has served on countless boards...

Read More

Our #1 Priority
Cathy Gardner

With the continued increase in antisemitism throughout the world, and the recent attack on Temple Israel in Bloomfield, Michigan, we have received some questions about the safety and security of our facility, staff, and the entire Dayton Jewish community. Now, more than ever, safety and security remain our highest priority. Security plays a role not just in event planning, but in our day-to-day operations as well. The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton takes a proactive approach to safety and security. Our full-time Security Director John Davis, who served over 30 years with the Centerville Police, maintains regular communication with federal,...

Read More

Upcoming Briefing ~ Israel & the United States at War with Iran
Cathy Gardner

When I awoke on Saturday morning, I immediately saw on the news that Israel and the U.S. had launched an attack on Iran. We quickly shared a statement from Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) on our Facebook page. Later in the evening, we received notification from JFNA that they would hold a briefing the following day. Hopefully, many of you received our email notification with that information and were able to take part in the briefing. While normally we are able to share recordings from JFNA, they requested the recording of Sunday’s briefing not be posted or shared publicly....

Read More

Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Stay Up to Date!