'Celebrate Community,' Support Campus Gala Nov. 9

The theme of the Annual Campus Gala on Nov. 9 is "Celebrating Our Community” with an invitation to invest and to make a world of difference.

Gala co-chair Meir Ohayon says, "The gala raises awareness of all that we do in our community and celebrates those accomplishments.”

The funds raised at the Campus Gala directly benefit the Shaw JCC of Akron and The Lippman School located on the Schultz Campus for Jewish Life.

When people support the Gala, they help a child go to Camp JCC, the Mandel Early Childhood Education Center, or The Lippman School. They allow seniors to connect with others at the Shaw JCC and get support. These services and programs benefit the larger community as well.

This year, the Gala celebrates, in particular, honorees Mike and Teri Segal, who are role models of outstanding leadership and community service. Having served in various leadership roles at the Jewish Community Board of Akron, the Shaw JCC of Akron and Temple Israel, they hope to lay the foundation for continued Jewish involvement and engagement. Both feel they have benefited from the open arms of Akron's Jewish community, and it's their responsibility to get other people involved. Rabbi Mendy Sasonkin, OBM, will be honored posthumously with The

Rabbi Mendy Sasonkin Award for Righteousness. Sasonkin was an individual who lived without exception, a moral and ethical life dedicated to Judaism, the Jewish people, and inspiring others to follow in this path.

Summit County Rabbis — Rabbi Elyssa Austerklein, Beth El Congregation; Rabbi Josh Brown, Temple Israel; Rabbi Michael Ross, Temple Beth Shalom in Hudson and the Hillel at Kent State University; and Rabbi Moshe Sasonkin, Anshe Sfard/Revere Road Synagogue— will receive the Community Spirit Award for their collective and individual contributions to the Akron Jewish community.

Campus Gala attendees will enjoy a cocktail, and hor's d 'oeuvres reception, followed by dinner, after-dinner drinks, and dessert. Throughout the evening, attendees are invited to support the efforts of Jewish Akron's campus agencies and our community by bidding on auction items or donating to the mission match.

Last year, the Gala committee introduced a new online platform for the evening's program, which all-in-all helped to raise an additional $18,000 through online auction bidding, mission donations, and raffle ticket sales.

"We will continue using the online platform, so you can register, choose who to sit with, and bid on auction items throughout the evening," says Gala co-chair Erin Katz Ford. "Last year, we found it streamlined the process and was much more user-friendly and engaging."

People can also pay tribute to gala honorees with a sponsorship or congratulations ad in the program book. The reservation deadline is Oct. 18.

Find out more information, purchase tickets, and sponsorships at www.jewishakron.org/campus-gala. Or contact Ceil Cohen at 330-836-0419 or ccohen@ thelippmanschool.org to purchase an ad or sponsorship.