Page 17 - Jewish News _August 2021_

FEDERATION NEWS August 2021 17A

Not your typical fire drill Local leader re-nominated

By Logan Marr, Communications & Marketing Coordinator to JFNA board
arlier this summer, Federation was actually quite stress-inducing,
staff and other Jewish commu- especially since each participant was Staff Report
The Federation’s Board of Direc- Enity leaders were led through an being timed on how long it took to e offer a hearty yasher koach role, I am excited to build on the strong
tors strongly believes that this scholar- important fire and training exercise by complete the exercise! to Sarasota’s own Simone history of the Network and strategical-
ship program is of the utmost impor- Jeff Solomon, Jewish Community Se- WKnego, who was recently ly advance how we help small commu-
tance to help families with financial curity Director. This exercise, howev- re-nominated as a member of The Jew- nities,” she says.
assistance, ensuring a strong Jewish er, was not what you would typically ish Federations of North Prior to her service
foundation for their children. think of when you hear the words “fire America’s (JFNA) Board on JFNA’s Board of
For more information or to apply drill.” of Trustees representing Trustees, she served as
for a Need-Based Religious School During this interactive training, Intermediate Federations. co-chair of JFNA’s Na-
Scholarship, please visit jfedsrq.org/ participants were tasked with a se- Her nomination was con- tional Young Leadership
religious-school or contact me at jlisit ries of steps that one must complete firmed at JFNA’s Annual Cabinet. Simone also
za@jfedsrq.org or 941.343.2113. as quickly as possible when there is a Meeting on June 7, 2021. served a six-year stint as
Class A fire, which is defined as a fire Simone is part of a board member at our
that uses commonly flammable materi- a cohort of 15 trustees Federation.
als, such as wood, fabric, paper, trash representing the 45 In- In her spare time,
and plastics as its fuel source. These termediate Federations Simone is a lecturer
fires are common and accidental, and Jewish Community Security Director in the JFNA system. The and writer. She recently
they can be experienced in a variety of Jeff Solomon demonstrates how to Jewish Federation of Simone Knego wrote her first book, The
settings. properly use a fire extinguisher Sarasota-Manatee is considered an Extraordinary, Unordinary You, which
The first step trainees had to take Jeff Solomon stressed the impor- Intermediate Federation. was published last October.

vices such as SUGAR Volunteers (visit in this exercise was to identify the fire. tance of fire preparedness drills such as In addition, Simone was selected We join her husband Rob and six
sugarvolunteers.org). From there, they had to pull a realistic this, saying, “It’s critical, and especial- as JFNA’s Chair, Network of Inde- children in shouting “Mazel Tov, Sim-
This is also your place to submit as fire alarm, which set off a loud ringing ly important for the Jewish community, pendent Communities. “With this new one” once again!
many pop-up activities as you would noise over a speaker. Immediately after with upcoming holidays and traditions
like to create, designed by YOU. We that involve lighting a lot of candles,
are even planning two college week- such as Chanukah for example.”
end tours this school year. Make new Jeff also noted that this fire pre-
friends and reconnect with lifelong paredness system is totally portable
friends through our inclusive program- and will be made available to all of our
ming and activities. community partners as requested. His
STEP is heading in a new and ex- goal is to schedule a few more of these
citing direction with teens at the helm! training systems so the Sarasota-Man-
Come to us with your ideas because this atee community can remain prepared
is only the beginning. See you soon. for a fire year-round.
For more information about STEP, We are grateful to have someone
contact Jessi Sheslow, Teen & Family like Jeff, who is ensuring that our en-
Programs Manager, at 941.343.2109 or LIFE & LEGACY Director & Development tire Jewish community is prepared for
®
jsheslow@jfedsrq.org. Events Director Gisele Pintchuck every possible type of threat through
simulates an emergency 911 call
while preparing the fire extinguisher these types of trainings.
pulling the alarm, participants were re- For more information about the
quired to dial 911 on a training phone training system, please contact Jeff
in order to give the address and de- Solomon at jsolomon@jfedsrq.org or
scribe the exact location of the fire to a 866.284.4933 x0.
simulated emergen- Since the very beginning, all you wanted for
cy operator. At the each other was a life filled with laughter and
same time, trainees love. Through the twists and turns, Tidewell
had to grab a replica Hospice helps ensure that you have the
journey of a lifetime together. Because a life
fire extinguisher off shared is a life fulfilled.
the wall, break the
zip tie, pull out the Learn more at TidewellHospice.org or call 855.843.3935
safety pin, and then
use the extinguish-
er to put out a vir-
tual, on-screen fire. SERVING THE JEWISH
This situation, while Teen & Family Programs Manager Jessi Sheslow L’Dor COMMUNITY SINCE 1978
seemingly simplistic, extinguishes the virtual fire Charter Members of Temple Sinai
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