CBENT: President

President'S MESSAGE
Did you have a great time at Synaplex? I know I did and I can’t wait until March 21 for the next one. What an excellent experience to celebrate Chanukah with our Beth El – Ner Tamid family! My thanks go to the Trustees and Men’s Club for all their hard work on Sports Night, making it a huge success. It was very cool to see the kids listening to our guest speaker, Gary Cobb. Once again Art Spieller’s vision has been carried forward.

January is supposed to be our quiet month. Junior Congregation is on the 10th, Poker Night on the 15th and the Bet Class Service on the 23rd are all on the schedule for th month. However, Federation has Super Sunday planned for January 25. They will need a lot of help manning the phones. Cal Herb Cohn to schedule yourself for a time slot.

February will kick in with lots of activity. February 1 is going to be a busy day with "Jews in Hollywood" presented by the Religious School followed by the annual Fashion Show and Tea later in the day at 3:00 pm. See what new fashions Lord & Taylor has to offer. Enjoy a variety of teas along with our very popular tea sandwiches. Of course, we will have vendors for accessories and door prizes to give away, as well. On February 21, we'll have our first Sweetheart Dance with the band "Slightly Sedated." Honor your special someone by bringing them to the dance and dinner. A cash bar will be available for the evening.

The December Board meeting was dedicated to financial items. Since we now know there will be a $35,000 deficit looming, ways were discussed to decrease the gap. (This Shofar message was due before the December discussion, so I will bring everyone up to date in my February Shofar article). Hopefully, it will be a snow free winter so that we can hold our costs within budget for snow removal.

We have many new members who have joined us this year, so I am using this column to discuss Designated Funds. Unlike money donated to the General Fund, or the Undesignated Funds you read about in the Shofar, money going into a Designated Fund cannot be used immediately by the synagogue to pay its bills. The Adult Education Fund is used to bring Thursday Lunch & Learn sessions as well as Sunday Morning Study Group to life. The money in this fund may also be used for other programs but, as with all of the Designated Funds, the chairperson of the Fund must approve the expenditure before funds can be transferred to pay for the expense. The Dick Packel Fund is used to defray costs for any special needs programming done by the Religious School. The Roy Hulnick Fund is used to help congregants who may have difficulty paying their dues. The Landscaping Fund is used to replace or plant new tees, shrubs and plants, as well as maintaining them. The Judy Linder Fund may be used for any educational necessity; adult, school, or extra programming. The Religious School Fund can only be used for school programming. The Sampson Fund is used for lectures, speakers, programming and other specific needs of Beth El - Ner Tamid. The Shames Scholarship Fund helps families in need of paying their child's religious education. This includes fees, tutoring, textbooks, trips, and other items necessary for the religious education of a child. Last but not least, the Jay Wolf Fund is used for the school's education programming.

To establish a Designated Fund, one must submit a request to the Board as to the purpose of the Fund, who can give permission to transfer funds, open the fund with $1,000 and continue to contribute a minimum of $500 into the Fund each year thereafter. If the annual $500 contribution is not met, the Fund may become an Undesignated Fund and all money remaining in that Fund will be transferred into the General Fund. I hope this has helped explain and/or review the Designated Funds and their processes.

May you and your family have a safe winter.

B'Shalom,
Richard Brody
President