Thousands of teenage athletes from around the world are expected to bring their families ”“ and some $5 million in business ”“ to Westchester this summer.
The Westchester 2009 JCC Maccabi Games, organized by JCC of Mid-Westchester in Scarsdale, will have up to 1,800 athletes ages 13 to 17 compete in a dozen sports during an Olympic-style athletic event, scheduled to be held Aug. 16-21 at various venues throughout the county.
Of those athletes, about 350 are from Westchester ”“ the rest will be visitors to the county.
The games began more than 20 years ago with 400 athletes in Memphis, Tenn., said Stan Pluchik, JCC Maccabi Games assistant director.
“It”™s grown to multiple sites each summer to about 6,000 athletes, and the games now encompass much more than just athletics,” Pluchik said.
In addition to athletics like volleyball, swimming and golf, there are educational, social and civic-minded aspects to the Maccabi Games.
“Because we”™re community agencies and we want to engage the community at large in the best way possible, the games were set up as a point of entry to engage teenagers working together to develop a community and be positive citizens who give back to the environment that they come from,” said Stephen Young, JCC of Mid-Westchester”™s executive director.
There will be a community project that all the athletes will be involved in, although the exact nature of the project or projects has not yet been decided.
The opening ceremony will be held at Madison Square Garden. All other events associated with the games will be held in Westchester, including the closing ceremony at the County Center in White Plains.
The teen athletes will stay with host families in Westchester. Their families will stay at hotels.
For businesses, there are various sponsorship opportunities available.
“This is an activity that families are very passionate about,” Young said. “Clearly to be able to mount a set of games like this, it”™s very, very expensive, and it takes sponsorships to make it happen.”
Young said Westchester businesses can get involved in the games through providing funding as well as donations such as medical supplies, printing services and food.
Now is a good time for businesses to sign on early and get the company logo on promotional materials for the games, Young said.
“We have a reach of 6,000 people with our e-mail list, and sponsors will be featured on that as well as on our Web site,” said Lynn Greenberg, JCC of Mid-Westchester”™s director of development. “There will be an opportunity for businesses to reach people they might not otherwise reach.”
In addition, major sponsors will be advertised on the jumbotron during the opening ceremony.
According to JCC of Mid-Westchester, the games will attract 8,000 spectators and at least 600,000 Jews from the metropolitan New York area will be aware of the games, which the organization said will give businesses exposure.
JCC of Mid-Westchester will partner with Rosenthal JCC of Northern Westchester in Pleasantville and JCC on the Hudson in Tarrytown to host the games. Information is available at www.westchestermaccabi.org. For sponsorship opportunities, call Lynn Greenberg at 472-3300, ext. 284.
