Double duty: Gift cards help businesses, Pittsburgh's Jewish Community Center
Cathy Reifer and Cheryl Gerson could not bring themselves to ask local, family-owned businesses to make a donation to support an upcoming gala.
So they decided to do the opposite.
They devised a plan to give money to the businesses through purchasing gift cards.
The “Gift Card Give Back” idea was created for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s annual “Party With a Purpose” fundraising event, usually called “Big Night” — but this year called “Little Night.”
The 15th annual event is the only fundraiser for the JCC. It normally draws more than 1,000 guests. This year, it’s going virtual at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23.
Committee members Reifer and Gerson are encouraging donations of a minimum of $50 gift cards from local businesses. They can be from any neighborhood coffee shop, hair salon, toy store, restaurant, bar, gift shop, florist, bakery, grocer, or crafts store — as long as it’s a locally-owned business, not a national chain store.
The gift cards will be grouped by categories to create silent auction items, which people can bid on here a week before the event.
“If people spend $50 in the community, then we will have amazing auction items, and the businesses will be supported as well,” Reifer said. “It’s a win-win situation. Many of the business owners are our friends and neighbors and for the past 10 months they’ve been struggling.”
Auction items have also received bids from people who don’t attend the event but want to support the JCC, said Cathy Samuels, the organization’s chief development and communications officer and creator of Big Night.
“We starting planning for this event in the middle of the pandemic and thought, ‘how can we pull this off?’ said Samuels. “Cheryl and Cathy started purchasing gift cards from local restaurants and stores. These are amazing hometown, homegrown businesses. This was not the time for us to solicit money or items from them. We talked about how they have always supported us. It is our time to support them.”
They’ve received over 30 gift cards from $50 to $500 from places across the city of Pittsburgh. Some businesses have matched the value, Samuels said, and are appreciative.
“Words cannot express my gratitude of reaching out to independent business during this very difficult time,” wrote a local store owner. “I will never forget this outreach and kindness, but it does not surprise me because of all the wonderful things the JCC does for the Pittsburgh community and beyond, it’s something to be so proud of, I thank you.”
The deadline to donate gift cards is Jan. 15.
Tickets to the event can be purchased here.
Prices start at $65. For $200, patrons receive a watch-party box that includes appetizers, dinner, dessert, cocktails and other goodies for two people. Sponsorship opportunities are available beginning at $1,000.
The evening will honor past chairs and include a tribute to the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. Dr. Elie Aoun and Justin Matase are this year’s chairs. Matese said he immediately loved the gift card give back idea. He said supporting main street businesses which are the lifeblood of any community, and the JCC, all in one, is pretty incredible.
“‘Look for the Helpers,’ an often cited Fred Rogers quote, is just so representative of the resilience and helping nature of the people of Pittsburgh, and so aptly pertains here,” Matase said. “The JCC is in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, afterall.”
Small businesses are an incredibly important driver of the economy but also add so much to the quality of life of your neighborhood, said Matase. It’s one of the things that makes each and every Pittsburgh neighborhood unique. Having the opportunity through this program to support the businesses that support the community during the covid-19 crisis has been really wonderful.
Media personality and consultant Natalie Bencivenga will host the event. There will be a performance by Pittsburgh native and Broadway star Billy Porter as well as lasso artist Loop Rawlins and appearances by former Pittsburgh Steelers Brett Keisel and Jerome Bettis.
The event usually raises money to support the many services of the JCC, which provides help with food insecurity, isolation, blood supply shortage, childcare and health and wellness to more than 33,000 people each year.
This year, proceeds will solely be for a recovery campaign. The suspension of operations from March to June, because of covid-19 and the reduced capacity upon reopening, has led to operating losses of up to $6 million over a 36-month period, according to the JCC, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2020.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the organization was financially sound, according to a news release. But with services being suspended because of covid-19, it lost 80% of its operating revenue.
“I want to anything I can to help the JCC,” said Gerson, a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker. “The JCC holds a special place in my heart and so do these local businesses. This was definitely the right thing to do.”
The gift card campaign is a way to show appreciation for what the businesses have done for the JCC in the past and is a way of “paying it forward,” said Reifer. “It’s the least we can do for these people right now. They need us as much as we need them.”
To donate a gift card, contact Cathy Samuels at csamuels@jccpgh.org or Fara Marcus at fmarcus@jccpgh.org
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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