Kohl family's $2.5 million gift renames Federation's 8-year-old Jewish Volunteer Center
What's in a name?
Two extremely generous Palm Beachers and a whole lotta money.
The Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC), part of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, is the recipient of a $2.5 million gift from Sidney and Dorothy Kohl and the Kohl family.
In honor of their generosity, the center has been renamed the Dorothy & Sidney Kohl Jewish Volunteer Center (Kohl JVC).
The endowment was announced at the Federation's annual meeting by President and CEO Michael Hoffman.
“The Kohls are among the most dedicated and philanthropic families in our community — with family members serving in key leadership roles and making a hands-on impact by volunteering in community-wide service projects,” Hoffman said at the May 11 meeting. “This endowment will forever exemplify the family’s unique values and extraordinary commitment to the Palm Beaches.”
The JVC — now the Kohl JVC — was created in 2015 to bring together people of all backgrounds for community service projects to help those in need.
In addition to ongoing efforts to pack and distribute meals, support literacy in local schools, and connect volunteers with local organizations, Kohl JVC leads a series of community-wide signature programs — Good Deeds Day; 8 Days, 8 Ways of Giving Back; and the .Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Day of Service, which Juliana Gendelman, the Kohls' granddaughter, co-founded.
Gendelman served five years as chairwoman of the JVC, whch she helped establish, and is a member of the federation's executive committee.
Since its inception, Kohl JVC’s projects have helped nearly 100,000 local community members in need through the efforts of more than 5,000 annual volunteers of all ages, faiths and backgrounds.
Without the Kohls' gift, the needs of the rapidly growing Palm Beach County population would soon exceed the reach of available programs and services. “We have been inspired and feel hopeful witnessing how JVC has been a source of light to both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, providing support and connection for thousands of people,” the Kohls said in a prepared statement.
“We are honored to ensure its work is sustained into the future, building a more compassionate community for everyone who calls the Palm Beaches home.”
Jonathan Chane, chair of the Kohl JVC, described the gift as a "remarkable example."
“We are incredibly moved by Dorothy and Sidney’s remarkable example of leadership and philanthropy, as well as their deep-rooted passion for supporting work to bring people of all faiths and backgrounds together to help the entire community,” Chane said. “The Kohls are nurturing a more compassionate community through their generous, long-term investment."
The gift is a nucleus commitment to Campaign for the Future, the largest fundraising campaign in the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach’s history. This comprehensive fundraising campaign seeks to grow annual fundraising, increase the number of multi-year pledges, and create new endowments to meet the needs of the growing Jewish community.
The Kohls have been Palm Beach residents for nearly 45 years.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Kohl family gift of $2.5 million renames Jewish Volunteer Center
