Let the games begin
After more than a year of preparation, the JCC Maccabi Games are about to arrive in Westchester, and the donations from businesses ”“ everything from air mattresses to ice to medical supplies to hard cash ”“ have been pouring in.
The games, hosted by JCC of Mid-Westchester in Scarsdale, will bring 1,800 student athletes and their families to the county, filling hotels and the homes of 600 host families. The athletes, ages 13 to 16 will compete in a dozen sports during a four-day, Olympic-style athletic event, which will be held at venues throughout Westchester Aug. 16-21.
“We have gotten hordes of people from the community involved in so many different ways,” said Lynn Greenberg, director of development. “In terms of sponsorship, the community has been great. We have over 600 donors at this point and are about $175,000 from our goal of $2 million, which is miraculous that we could have raised that kind of money in this economic climate. We have several ways the business community have given: one just an outright donation; another way is in-kind, and we”™ve gotten a tremendous amount of that; and the third way is to take out an ad in our souvenir program guide.”
Greenberg said donations included T-shirts from A.J. Textiles in Manhattan; ice from Arctic Glacier Ice; water and power drinks from Coca-Cola; practice time from New Rochelle”™s Cliff Street Racquet Club; water and snacks from Restaurant Depot; team uniforms from New Balance; and Jarden Industries donated “about 200 air mattresses for our host families because many of them did not have enough beds.”
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“The business community has really gotten behind us to make these games happen,” said Lisa Itzkowitz, Maccabi Games marketing director. “Businesses that cater to this age group obviously see they”™re going to have a captive audience. It”™s a very targeted audience for them to reach and they recognize that.”
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During downtime, Steve Sohn”™s Jujitsu Concepts in Eastchester will donate their time and talent to teaching the teenagers, who are mainly from North America, Krav Maga, a hand-to-hand combat style used by the Israeli army. There will be a room set up at JCC for American kids to talk to Israeli teenagers via SKYPE. In addition, representatives from the IDF ”“ Israeli Defense Forces ”“ are coming to talk about their experience as teenagers in the army.
The student athletes will also participate in a day of sharing and caring working with a circus group to entertain children with disabilities.
“It”™s not just about the competition; it has everything to do with being part of the community, interacting with other teenagers from around the world and giving back,” JCC volunteer Cindy Shmerler said.
There are JCC games going on in two other host cities, San Francisco and San Antonio, the first and second weeks of August. This is the first time in the games”™ 27-year history that it will be in Westchester County. JCC is working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure security will be tight at the 23 venues in Westchester County where competitions will take place.
“There”™s a lot of partnerships going on here, and the Westchester games probably more than anything else is bringing the Westchester Jewish community together,” Greenberg said. “We have people from all different denominations of Judaism from the unaffiliated to the reformed to the conservative to the very orthodox all involved in this together.”
To register as a spectator for the games, visit www.WestchesterMaccabi.org.