Nisky student designed new logo for Schenectady Jewish Community Center
A yearlong celebration began at the Schenectady Jewish Community Center, as Dec. 21, 2011, marks 90 years off community involvement.
The 90th anniversary event for the Schenectady JCC kicked off at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 19, with elected officials and community members in attendance for the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the new logo designed by Niskayuna High School senior Amy Yao. The center also honored three of its members over 90 years old that have played an important role at the center Robert Ludwig and Marilyn and Harry Sofer.
Starting in 1921 on the corner of Germania Avenue and Albany Street in Schenectady, the Schenectady Jewish Community Center now supports a bustling membership in a modern facility.
It really is a community center in that people don’t just come here to exercise, some do, but most people who come here to exercise will return later in the evening to watch a film or they’re taking a ceramics class,` said Sharon Cutler, president of SJCC. `We have representing all different ages we have all different religions and nationalities and it is really a cross section of the community.`
Yao, who is also a member of SJCC, won the contest held among students of Melissa Leach’s advanced graphic arts class. Officials at the center selected the logo, but the entries were anonymous so it was a nice surprise, Yao said. She also won a year membership to the center.
`Amy works here in the summers and she has been working here for the past couple of summers as a counselor, so we feel like she is really one of our own,` said Cutler. `Her logo really captured who we are and were we hope to go in the future.`
There are three main focuses of the center, said Mark Weintraub, executive director of the center, which are childcare, offering a variety of programs and fitness with a focus on well-being.
`I really feel that all of our programs are really top notch,` said Cutler. `It is kind of like one-stop shopping.`
There is an after school enrichment program at the center and a collaborative program offered with the Niskayuna elementary schools. Also there is a day camp and a teen traveling program.
`We are the largest childcare provider in Schenectady County,` said Weintraub. `We serve over 450 [children] in various frameworks.`
Besides the indoor workout equipment area, in the summer their pool is open and people can hit up the tennis courts in some friendly competition. Weintraub said he thought the outdoor pool was one of the nicest ones in the area.
`I think we are the best kept secret in terms of sports and wellness in the area,` said Weintraub. `We have a very knowledgeable staff of trainers and our staff really understands the connection between wellness and sports and fitness.`
There are lectures on various health related issues and the center is trying to reach out more with health care providers to have programs such as Silver Sneakers program geared towards Medicare and Medicare Advantage covered individuals to come and exercise at the facility. Having a holistic approach to fitness at the center is important, said Weintraub.
`We are not like the transactional guys like Gold’s Gym or Planet Fitness that are in a mall,` he said. `We are more community oriented, but we are also concerned about the individual and their total well-being.`
Various programs are offered at the center ranging from a senior hot lunch program, lecture and film series and even a wine making class was recently offered. The bottle of wine Weintraub was sitting on a shelf in his office as he grabbed it to show it off.
`I was thinking one day we’ll bottle our own JCC brand,` joked Weintraub. `We had a guy who was a wine maker and also someone who is an expert in wine tasting and taught us both how to make wine and how to taste wine.`
Another part to the yearlong celebration is the membership fees are not going to increase for 2011, which are $865 for a family membership, but there are discounted memberships for a single-parent families, full-time college students and seniors. There is also a $75 administration fee for new members.
`We’d like to ask people to come on down and check us out for a day and come get a free guest pass,` said Weintraub.
There is a heavily volunteer-based core at the center and there are about 200 people that work at the center with 20 full-time employees. In the summer, said Cutler, the number of people working or volunteering at the center increases dramatically to assist in the outdoor facilities.
`People want to be on the board, because they love the organization and they feel at home here,` said Cutler. `I enjoy the fact that people are really here because they love the organization.`
To find out more about the Schenectady Jewish Community Center visit their website at www.SchenectadyJCC.com, or call the center at 377-8803.“