More than 450 volunteers helped raise $4.5 million on Feb. 21 for The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles at the annual Super Sunday phone-a-thon, kicking off an annual campaign that for the last several years has raised nearly $50 million.
The Super Sunday total matched last year’s amount and reached the goal organizers had set for the day.
“Yesterday, I saw the strength of community in action,” Federation President Jay Sanderson said. “I was excited and inspired to see both longtime supporters of The Federation, as well as many new faces.”
Volunteers working from Federation offices on Wilshire Boulevard and at the Valley Alliance’s West Valley campus spent 12 hours soliciting pledges from supporters. Among those who made calls were Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Congresswoman Diane Watson, California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, State Sen. Alex Padilla, Assemblyman Mike Feuer, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel, as well as L.A. City Councilmembers Paul Koretz, Jan Perry and Dennis Zine.
Federation supports more than 100 educational, cultural and social service programs in Los Angeles, Israel and communities around the world. In addition to the annual campaign, Federation this year launched an effort to establish a $100 million endowment in honor of the organization’s 100th anniversary in 2011.
Sanderson, who took over as president in January, says he expects this year’s annual campaign to do well, too.
“We believe that our campaign will be more successful in 2010 because we are reaching out to the community in a more meaningful way with strategic priorities that better reflect the needs and the dreams of the entire community,” he said.
