Find out more information, purchase tickets and sponsorships at the Campus Gala website. 
Or contact Ceil Cohen at 330-836-0419 or email her  to purchase an ad or sponsorship.

 

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The theme of this year’s Annual Campus Gala on Nov. 10 is “Celebrating Our Community with an invitation to make an investment or impact.” But the event is much more than about raising funds. It’s about “raising a community,” says Gala Co-Chair Emily Prioletti. “It’s about connecting people to the mission, to the community, and to each other.”

“The gala raises awareness of all that we do in our community and celebrates those accomplishments,” adds Gala Co-Chair Debbie Shifrin. This year, the gala celebrates in particular Rob and Andrea Minster as Campus Gala honorees and Alan and Janice Woll as Tikkun Olam honorees. Both couples have a long history of investing in the Akron Jewish community. The Wolls recently helped to transform The Lippman School’s library into a new innovation center. The Minsters have always felt the need to give back, feeling that the community has done so much for them and others.

To foster a celebratory and engaging atmosphere, the gala committee made some updates to the evening’s program. There will online auction bidding, a live DJ, dancing and complimentary babysitting. “You can do it all online—register, choose who to sit with, check-out more easily from the auction,” Prioletti says. “It will streamline the process and there will be a cost savings. It’s user-friendly for registrants and for administration purposes.”

All auction bidding can be done through smart phones or computers. People can bid from anywhere, anytime before the close of the auction. Even someone who can’t attend the gala is welcome to bid online. For those who do not wish to use a smart phone to bid, there will be several concierges at the event to assist them.

“It’s almost a hybrid auction,” Prioletti explains. “It’s live in the moment but it’s silent, in that the item is open the entire evening. There isn’t an auctioneer. This allows the event to be more social.”

For the Mission Challenge Grant portion of the evening, Shifrin says they “have already confirmed a number of donations that will be available as matches during the evening.” Attendees will be able to donate whatever they choose during the evening and even after the event is over.

Auction bidding and donating to the mission are two ways to support the gala in addition to purchasing tickets. People can also pay tribute to gala honorees with a
sponsorship or congratulations ad in the program book. The reservation deadline is Oct. 22. 

When people support the gala, they help a child go to Camp JCC, the Mandel Early Childhood Education Center, or The Lippman School. They give seniors an opportunity to connect with others at the Shaw JCC and get support in a secure environment through JFS. The services and programs Jewish Akron provide benefit the larger community as well. “We’re an inclusive organization for the entire Akron community,” Shrifin notes.

“It’s so important to have Lippman, the Shaw JCC, and JFS so the next generation can benefit from them,” Prioletti explains. “As a third generation Minster who is bringing up a fourth generation in Jewish Akron, I feel a strong desire to work harder than ever to continue the progress of those before me to create a strong community for future generations.”

“The gala tangibly, and importantly, provides funding for our programming and services,” Prioletti says. “There’s tons of intangibles, too. It cultivates a sense of community and is a way to unite everyone of all generations.”