Keeping Connected  June 2023

Hi friends,

I hope you are all enjoying the good weather and getting ready for a restful summer.  Please remember to save the date for Annual Meeting on June 13 at 6:30 PM.  It is so important for all members to have a say in the business of the congregation so I hope you will make time to attend.  Also, our Parking Lot Party on June 17 at 5:30 PM will be a fun time with good food and music so please be sure to RSVP.

Over the next few weeks, you will see some new boulders being installed around our temple.  We are finally implementing the security grant we received from the state earlier this year, for hardening of our building.  In several weeks, we will also have some nice granite blocks on the sidewalk in front of our door as well.  Security still remains top of mind for us.

This is my final newsletter article as President.  I just want to say that it has been a great honor and privilege to serve as President of Congregation Shalom these past 4 years.  I want to thank all of you, for your patience, your support, your understanding, and your guidance during some very difficult times.  I have seriously learned so much from all of you. Our congregation is a special place, a very real extended family, and I am grateful for having had the chance to give back to a community that has given me so much more.  I look forward to continuing my volunteer work at Congregation Shalom and finding other ways to contribute (but after a little break).

Please have a safe summer.

With warm regards,

Liz

Keeping Connected  May 2023

Hi friends,

I am hoping the weather will be getting warmer soon…still too cold for me…  But, I guess this is the price we pay for living in New England.  As you know, Annual Meeting is coming up and in a couple of weeks, the agenda will be sent out to the membership.  As always, this is where we discuss important business of our temple and I encourage you to attend, especially if you have not participated in the past.  It is important that each and every member has a chance to listen in and partake in the important decisions we make at this meeting.  One of the discussions this year will be around a new shed we are hoping to purchase; you have likely seen some e-mails about the fundraiser we have around this shed.

First, let me tell you the rules of our congregation.  Although we are having a fundraiser to raise the money to purchase this shed, we still need congregational approval to spend these funds on the shed, as it is part of capital expenditures/capital improvement and it exceeds the amount that the Board of Trustees has authorization to spend.

So, why would we start a fundraiser BEFORE we had congregational approval?  It is important to note first that we have done this before, like with our fundraiser for some of the kitchen upgrades a few years back.  But, the idea to purchase a shed was not generated from one person, it did not come out of one meeting, it did not even come out of one committee.  It started with our ICE CREAM Committee which had representatives from several different constituency groups in our temple and where we generated a list of our wants and needs.  When that committee realized that it was not financially possibly to make significant structural changes to our building or to move to a new space, the information generated during the process was passed on to the Board of Trustees.  It was suggested that the Board look into possibly compartmentalizing some of the wants/needs and pursuing some changes over a period of time.  The Board agreed that another committee could be formed to start talking about some “easier” design changes we could make in our building to make some more space, be more functional, and improve some of the décor.More

Keeping Connected  April 2023

Hi Friends,

Hope you are as ready for spring as I am.  I wanted to highlight two items this month.

First, the shed fundraiser.  I cannot express how important this shed is as the first step in rejuvenating our temple building.  We are going to gain a good amount of space and will be able to reduce the current clutter.  We have already raised 40% of the total price and I truly hope each membership family can contribute in some way.  If you think it would be beneficial to hear more about the specifics of the shed and other plans we have, please let me know and I will schedule an informational meeting.  But, if we do not have this informational meeting, please know I will speak about this at Annual Meeting (mark your calendar by the way for June 13, 6:30 PM).

Second, if you have put off nominating someone for Congregant of the Year, you have 2 weeks left to send in a write-up to me or any board member.  This is always a nice honor when we can recognize someone who goes above and beyond for our community.  We will be selecting this person toward the end of this month.

You will see some e-mails coming out soon from me on some fun upcoming events.  We are also going to have some ALICE security training refreshers in May.  I feel like there is sense of normalcy returning to our temple life.  I hope you feel it also.

Stay well and I hope to see you all at the Yard Sale (April 16).

Keeping Connected  December 2022

Hi friends,

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and some quality family time. So, what are some new things going on at the temple? Well, 2 days ago, we received our signed contract back from the state for our security grant which will go toward the hardening of the exterior of our building. We have a few more steps to get through before we can officially start the project, including a Special Congregational Meeting, which will be required since this is a reimbursable grant, meaning we need approval from the congregation to first spend the money from the Building Fund with the knowledge that we will be reimbursed from this grant. We are still a couple of steps away from this meeting, but you will likely hear about it in the next 1-2 months. The Security, House, and Beautification committees are meeting now to agree on the final items we will be installing on our grounds as part of this grant.

We are also looking into rearranging some of our space within the building to make room for some more storage and better functionality. We have a committee working on this now. As part of this, we are also looking into purchasing a nice storage shed for outside. We will begin a fundraiser campaign for this shed in the very near future and I hope you will consider contributing to this much needed item. More to come very soon…

I hope you saw that we are offering FREE First Aid Training on December 11 from 1:30-4:30 PM at the temple. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn some first aid basics and how to use our AED equipment. Please sign up soon if you have not already, as we have limited attendance capacity.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054CA4AC2BA20-first

That’s it for now…  Hope you all have a nice month, stay warm, and stay safe.

L’Shalom,

November 2022   Keeping Connected

Hi Friends,

Hope you are enjoying the fall season.  This month, I want to bring to your attention two important items.

First, we are continuing to highlight security training.  We are very lucky to have a member certified as an ALICE trainer and willing to devote the time to train our members (Thanks Tim!).  If you have not taken the 2-hour ALICE training, I highly recommend you sign up for the training on November 6.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054ca4ac2ba20-alice3More

October 2022   Keeping Connected

Happy New Year friends!

It’s hard for me to believe that is my 4^th time standing in front of you on Rosh Hashanah as President of Congregation Shalom, and for the record, my last time.  Every year, I struggle with what my message to the congregation should be.  This may sound crazy but I do think this is one of the hardest jobs of being President.  And with every year, it gets much harder for me to decide what I am going to say.  But, then, all of a sudden, you get an idea and it starts to come together.  So, this year, I want to talk about two things, community and gratitude.More