By Linda Wisch-Davidsohn
USY plans overnight
The Southwest USY Region writes that they have a fun and exciting overnight on their agenda. The event is planned for DFW Kadima, and is open to Jewish fifth through eighth graders for the coming 2013-2014 year.
The event will be held at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17 through 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18. The event will take place at Group Dynamix, 1215 Trend Drive in Carrollton.
The cost per child is $54, and includes kosher late night snacks and Sunday breakfast.
Registration is online only through http://events.constantcontact.com/registerevent?llr=6ydxh6cab&oeidk=a07e7qc0uxc65fda32.
Fifth graders must be 12 years of age due to Group Dynamix safety rules.
Singer will sign books at Barnes and Noble on Aug. 14
Author Elizabeth L. Singer, who wrote her debut novel “The Execution of Noa P. Singleton,” will host a book singing at Barnes and Noble in Stonebriar Mall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Singer currently lives in Los Angeles, but grew up in Dallas. She is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Singer.
Shop Local businesses to benefit North Texas Food Bank this month
ShopLocalDFW.com and Castle Gap Jewelry have joined forces to host a Metroplex-wide food drive benefitting the North Texas Food Bank.
Each participating store/location will be collecting food and funds for the North Texas Food Bank. In return for a minimum donation, customers receive a special discount or promotion at most locations.
In addition, Purple Cow Restaurants (participants in Feeding the Community) are providing $5 gift certificates at each business to be given to customers donating food or funds.
It is only natural for locally owned and operated businesses to want to give back to the communities that sustain them from year to year. Local businesses don’t simply sell goods to customers; they are an integral part of their community.
Sherry Ward from Castle Gap Jewelry decided to expand their yearly food drive event to include other stores throughout DFW. She reached out to ShopLocalDFW.com, a group for independently owned and operated businesses in the Metroplex and The Plaza at Preston Center to help recruit other businesses for the event.
Among those businesses we’ve heard are participating are Ken’s Mans’ Shop, Eden Café, Sunnyland, KidBiz, Lone Star Judaica, Woody Mann Vacuum Cleaners, Dallas Pinup and Stanley Eisenmann Shoes.
ShopLocalDFW.com was founded in 2011 by Brad Schweig of Sunnyland Patio Furniture. For additional information contact Ward at castlegap@castlegap.com or Schweig at info@shoplocaldfw.com.
A mitzvah for JFS …
Dallas staff members from the Odyssey Hospice office will be blanketing the community throughout August, distributing food collection bags and gathering donations for the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry as part of the company’s ninth annual food drive.
As part of the Gentiva Health Services family of home health and hospice providers, employees at the Odyssey Hospice Dallas office and their fellow employees around the country are placing food collection bags at various healthcare facilities in their respective communities and will collect their “harvest” during the entire month of August.
They are focused on beating last year’s national record, when the company’s eighth annual Food Drive yielded more than 396,360 pounds of goods for donation to charitable organizations across the country.
“As active members of the community, we know that food banks, pantries and other charitable organizations continue to face increasing demands due to our troubling economy,” said Karen Cantrell, executive director. “We look forward to working with many area health organizations, and we encourage local healthcare providers to contact us for more information on how they and their employees can participate in this community effort.”
Odyssey Hospice provides a full range of hospice services to patients in Dallas, Collin, Ellis and Kaufman counties. The Dallas office is owned and operated by Gentiva Health Services, Inc., one of the nation’s leading providers of comprehensive home health and hospice services.
While its Dallas office is staffed by area professionals familiar with the health needs of community residents, Gentiva’s national scope allows it to bring substantial resources to its local offices that other companies often cannot provide.
Area residents, physicians and referral sources who want to learn more about Odyssey Hospice superior hospice services should contact Angela Campbell, Marlene Casco or Karen Cantrell at 214-231-3914. The Odyssey Hospice office is located at 7557 Rambler Road, Suite 112, Dallas.
… A mitzvah from JFS
Once again JFS will prepare hundreds of High Holiday baskets for distribution this year. If you know of anyone in need of a holiday basket, names must be submitted by Aug. 7.
Typically, the baskets are delivered to Jewish community residents who may be geographically distant from the Jewish community, have suffered a personal or emotional loss, financial difficulties and/or struggling to make ends meet.
The baskets are lovely, filled with challah, apples and honey, wine, cards and candles.
Volunteers are needed to assemble the baskets from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 29 at JFS, and for delivery of the baskets on Sunday, Sept. 1.
For additional information on participating in this mitzvah, contact Beri Schwitzer, at 972-437-9950. What a great way to add some sweetness to the New Year!
Dallas sends large delegation to Maccabi Games in Austin
Team Dallas headed to Austin last Sunday, July 28 to represent the Aaron Family JCC at the Maccabi Games. Austin and Orange County, Calif. are the two host communities for this year’s games. The delegation is headed by Cathy Kinder; Steve Schneider is the assistant delegation head.
Team Dallas has been participating all week in the following sports: boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, tennis, swimming, table tennis and volleyball.
The delegation also has a Star Reporter, Jordan Gersnbacher, who has been providing first-hand coverage of the Games online and in print.
Representing Team Dallas, by sport are: 14U Boys’ Basketball — Coach Adrian Martinez, Aaron Minsky, Abery Lampert, Braden Prengler, Clay Goldberg, Jake Hershman, Jake Rosenfield, Jordan Sternblitz, Noah Engle, Noah Rubinstein and Zach Starr; 14U Boy’s Soccer — Coach Chris Luna, Alan Presburger, Beckham Myers, Ben Schachter, Benjamin Stromberg, Brandon Silansky, Jed Golman, Max Nurko and Zev Burstein; 14U Tennis — Coach Roberto Cruz, Cameron Bendalin, Jacob Bendalin, Josh Kane and Nir Rauch; 16U Boys’ Basketball — Coach Dmitriy Chernikov, Amitai Abouzaglo, Aryeh Schnitzer, Daniel Chernikov, David Steinbrecher, Lane Fellhauer, Noah Weiss, Seth Applebaum, Steve Levine, Tanner Harmon and Zak Schultz; 16U Boys’ Soccer — Coach Barry Waranch, Andrew McCarthy, Ariel Benzvi, Arno Goetz, Ben Sloan, Jack Chasanoff, JB Fishman, Joe Chenaie, Ryan Pollack, Ryan Subel and Simon Waranch; 16U Girl’s Soccer — Coach Alan Sandler, Abby Shosid, Carly Miller-Mandel, Elise Andres, Emily Wright, Ilana Perkins, Lindsay Harmon, Macy Golman, Madison Cook, Molly Bendalin and Talia Meidan; 16U Tennis — Coach Roberto Cruz, David Iola, Josh Granberry and Max Aranoff; Girls’ Basketball — Coach Derrick Martin, Alexandra Lavi, Anna Wernick, Erin Wernick, Hadas Cohen, Katriel Klein, Kayanna Klein, Miranda Rudomin and Sophie Lynn; Star Reporter — Jordan Gernsbacher; Swimming — Coach Jason Gillo, Austin Krohn, Elise Eisenberg, Josh Collins and Sarah Balis; Table Tennis — Coach Daniel Rutenberg, Charlie Weitz, Ethan Fisher, Jonathan Ochstein and Oliver Steinberg; Volleyball — Coach Dewanda Hurd, Alexis Kane, Amanda Steinborn, Emily Rosuck, Gabi Schultz, Jenna Katz, Michelle Mankoff, Michelle St. Louis and Risa Mond.
We wish a mazel tov to Team Dallas, and look forward to counting the medals when the team returns to Big D!