Jewish Federation of Las Vegas long-range planning study, 2000

Levenberg Consulting Group 5 Revere Drive ? Suite 200 Northbrook, Illinois 60062-1500 (847) 564-7767 ? (847) 564-3203 fax info?levenberg.net ? www.levenberg.net Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long-Range Planning Study ? 2000 Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long-Range Planning Study Executive Summary 1 Background, Demographics, & Major Findings 19 Adult & Older Adult 39 Children: Birth through Eighth Grade 91 Family Programs 133 Teens 141 Key Community Leader Interviews 155 Focus Groups 165 Needs Assessment Survey Data 171 Sample Needs Assessment Survey 217 J h - / Levenberg Consulting Group Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Page 2 ? Executive Summary The Las Vegas Jewish community is ready to embark on a long-term commitment to expand programs, services, and facilities to meet the needs of a burgeoning and increasingly complex Jewish community. The challenges that emerge are at times unique to Las Vegas and at times similar to challenges that are common to Jewish communities throughout the country. Based on the community research conducted between February 1999 and January 2000. the community priorities are: ? Provide for the Jewish elderly. ? Provide a Jewish-value based safety net for the economically disadvantaged. ? Provide programs and services for teens in order to strengthen Jewish continuity. ? Create a Jewish neighborhood for all Jews in Las Vegas. ? Strengthen and support Jewish education for all ages at all levels. Develop a common vision for the future that encompasses all of the organizations and services within the community'. Within the scope of the community research, a broad spectrum of the community was asked to describe their vision for the future and the priorities that the organized community should rally around. Overall, they described the vision of a Jewish community united in purpose, with competent professionals and volunteer leadership working together and supporting a vibrant Jewish life. With a Jewish population of 70,000 and growing, it may be surprising to consider Las Vegas as a "small town," but this description suits the reality'. The actual number of active, committed Jews is still quite small - maybe thirty to thirty-five thousand. It is this small group that will provide the initial support for the campus campaign, commit to maintain the financial support for the long term, and provide the leadership needed to carry forward the vision for the future. When one adopts the perspective that Las Vegas is a small town, the importance of cooperation and collaborative effort among Jewish organizations and individuals becomes self-evident. The critical mass of supportive Jews cannot sustain multiple or conflicting agendas and hope to achieve any success. Based on the community research, the challenges to the community to effectively respond to the community priorities are: ? Provide for the social and human service needs of the elderly and the economically disadvantaged Jews within the community. CHALLENGE #1 - COMMON VISION Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Executive Summary ? Page 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MODELS OF SERVICE There has been a major paradigm shift in recent years in how the organized Jewish community looks at programs and service needs of its constituencies. As the 21s' Century unfolds. Jewish communal organizations must create contemporary and innovative opportunities for adults, couples, children, teens, and families to celebrate, to learn, to socialize and to expand their outlets for Jewish expression. The old model of offering a Jewish program and assuming that everyone who is Jewish will be interested in coming will not succeed with the Jewish population today. A new model is needed to bring individuals to programs and activities that interest and challenge them. Only a sustained interest in programs and activities will create the "Jewish neighborhood" that is missing in the Las Vegas area. Las Vegas is a community going through "growing pains." For almost forty years there was only one or two synagogues and a small Jewish population. Community needs were generally taken care of by a group of wealthy, community-minded people who all lived relatively close to one another. Within the last ten years, the community has grown exponentially, with significant growth among young families, retirees, singles, and many more economically disadvantaged Jews. Synagogues that previously were close-knit and well organized have been challenged by divergent agendas causing the split and splintering of a few into many small groups. Each new congregation may add new financial burdens to the community as it struggles just to survive. Current community leadership has been challenged to respond to these changing and increasing needs without a significant number of new individuals stepping into leadership positions. The communal infrastructure that worked well for a small, tight-knit Jewish community may be unable to respond to the explosive growth in Las Vegas that has created both tremendous opportunity and tremendous stress. It is also important to note that the need for additional communal dollars to establish the new community campus sites collides with the capital and annual campaigns of many other organizations trying to raise money for their own facility and program expansion. WHAT ARE THE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES? Each Jewish community has a unique set of challenges that relate to many factors in the community - the history of the organized community, changes in population, changes in relative proportions of segments of the population such as a growing young population or an aging population, un-served or underserved segments of the community, economic environment of the community as a whole, strength or weakness of communal organizations, depth and skill of community leadership, stability of donor base, among others. Levenberg Consulting Group Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Page 4 ? Executive Summary single set of values. These core values may be refined, but for the most part they become the unchanging basis of all community planning. Meeting the Challenge - Jewish Neighborhood With the creation of the Jewish Community Campus, Las Vegas will have the opportunity to create a highly visible central point of Jewish activities and focus. It is vitally important that the new campus project be an atmosphere of inclusion and community with a definite "Jewishness" that is not readily available elsewhere in Las Vegas. But. a building is not the only way to create a Jewish neighborhood. Las Vegas can create an exciting and dynamic Jewish neighborhood before the first shovel-full of dirt is overturned. The feeling of the Jewish neighborhood needs to be created before the campus is ready. Las Vegas can create a virtual neighborhood beginning now - it's the image of a vibrant and active community, working together in cooperative and collaborative efforts to make sure everyone who wants to connect can easily find their point of connection. Once the campus is built, people should already be pre-disposed to the positive evidence of Jewish community and cooperation. Meeting the Challenge - Lay Leaders' Speakers Bureau The Federation should establish a Speakers Bureau of lay leaders to increase awareness of community-wide issues by making presentations to organizations and individuals on an issue-by-issue basis. These presentations should take specific community issues like early childhood education, Jewish identity and friendships, Jewish socialization, etc. The presentations will identify the problems or needs in the community, provide suggestions of how the needs could be met, and put forth the challenge for the organization and its leaders to join in the solution. CHALLENGE #2 - TEAMWORK & ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Develop the organizational culture of the community' to one of teamwork and shared vision. Nearly all the Las Vegas community leaders interviewed as part of the research agreed that organizational cooperation in Las Vegas is severely limited. Few cooperative projects have been sustained over a long period of time. These leaders maintain a feeling that other organizations, including the Federation, is in direct competition with their own organization for the loyalty and philanthropy of the same people. From the scope of programs and services desired by the community and the diversity of the Las Vegas Jewish community, it appears that no single organization can serve all people all programs and services. It is vitally important to constantly emphasize that Jewish community organizations Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Levenberg Consulting Group Executive Summary ? Page 11 ? Create opportunities for Jewish socialization and the establishment of Jewish friendships among children and teens. ? Optimize the development of a positive self-image for Jewish youngsters. ? Create a Jewish neighborhood with a sense of inclusion in a city known for its impersonal and competitive environment. ? Ensure that important counseling and social programs are in place for individuals in need no matter what their socio-economic status may be. ? Create an environment and opportunities for strengthening Jewish family life and Jewish experience for all adults including singles and couples. Meeting the Challenge - Collective Community Vision & Agenda It is time for Las Vegas to develop and maintain a single community vision for the future with input from and endorsement by all segments of the community. The community should establish an annual vision and future-planning process to ensure that all organized activity is moving forward in unison. A set of core values should be documented as the basic tenets that will shape the future direction of the Las Vegas Jewish community. Core values are those essential values that an organization, or in this case, the community group of organizations, hold even when it becomes difficult to do so. Building on the basic set of core values, the community would identity their envisioned future and the goals needed to achieve the vision. Professional and volunteer leaders from all Jewish communal organizations should help define these core values and provide input and direction into the overall community vision and agenda. On March 15, 2000, professional and lay leaders from the Jewish Federation, the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service Agency. Hillel, Milton I. Schwartz Hebrew Academy, and Jewish Community Day School took the first step to identify the following core values of the Jewish community: ? Celebration of Judaism and the Jewish people ? Social conscience, care for those in need ? Community unity, synergy; community as a home ? Commitment to effective planning ? Commitment to Jewish education for all ages ? Shared responsibility, resources, and funds ? Commitment to development of effective Jewish leaders Taking this First step in the process of community-wide planning, the participants identified many shared goals and values of their respective agencies and found ways to combine these goals into a Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Page 6 ? Executive Summary endowment and naming opportunity. A funded endowment program could create professional development and curriculum development opportunities that would benefit all early childhood education programs in the Jewish community. Meeting the Challenge - Jewish Education Institute At this point in the history of the Las Vegas Jewish community, there is a special opportunity to present Jewish programs and classes in a new light - as a community-wide or collaborative model. As with the early childhood education model, Jewish education is best supported through a collaborative model. A new Jewish Education Institute should be created which coordinates adult Jewish education throughout the community. This institute would include representatives from all the congregations, the day schools and the JCC. The institute can provide an important endowment and naming opportunity while marshaling the resources from all segments of the community. Meeting the Challenge - Jewish Multi-Media Center From the survey research, 64% of all participants would like to see a library and multi-media center located at the new campus. In Jewish Community' Centers and campus sites around the country, libraries are among the larger potential uses of space in a facility and they tend to be one of the most under-utilized areas. The two most important elements of maintaining an effective library are regular staffing and creative programming. The library must be considered a program department much like any other department. Currently, the Jewish Federation houses the Gertrude Sperling Holocaust Library and Resource Center as well as the Jean Weinberger Museum. The campus site offers an opportunity to develop an important community educational resource combining these modest programs with a well-planned and programmed library and multi-media center. Both planning and maintaining the library should be entrusted to a specialized library committee made up of educators, rabbis, and volunteers to ensure that the resources and programs meet the needs of all segments of the community. A cooperative program with existing synagogue and day school libraries can be developed to leverage resources already available in the community. Examples of programs that could be developed in the library and multi-media center include: ? Storytelling for young children are popular programs in JCCs and in the secular community. This can be part of the early childhood curriculum as well as after school activities. ? Storytelling can be developed into family programs. (A popular storytelling program takes place in the evening with the children attending in their pajamas. Milk and cookies are served.) ? Classes or workshops in the art of storytelling are popular among older adults. It provides them the tool to get involved in intergenerational programs. Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Executive Summary ? Page 11 cannot be in competition with one another -- the community is served only by a symbiotic relationship of all. Any chance of success depends on a vastly improved environment of cooperation and common vision. The important key is the foundation of cooperation and respect that each individual brings to the table while keeping in mind that the ultimate goal is the benefit of the community. Meeting the Challenge - Community Programs Committee A new Community Programs Committee should be created to include representatives from all the major organizations. This committee can identify potential community-wide programs, facilitate the planning, and act as the liaison to each of the individual organizations. The organizational relationship should develop into a synergistic team where each group brings their unique skills and energy to the overall effort. Meeting the Challenge - Jewish Community Youth Council To foster Jewish socialization among teens and to support existing teen youth programs, a Las Vegas Jewish Community Youth Council should be created. This community-wide council will enable the teens to expand their circle of Jewish friends to all Jewish teens in the community. It will also enable smaller organizations like youth groups from small congregations to enjoy the benefits of big events and large numbers. This council is meant to work with existing groups - not replace any existing ones nor compromise their missions. Meeting the Challenge - Early Childhood Education Bureau As the 1996 Community Population Study and U.S. Census projections indicate, the population patterns of the Las Vegas Jewish community not only support the introduction of new JCC preschools but the expansion of the synagogue-based programs as well. For Las Vegas, early childhood education can become one of the most effective examples of community-wide program coordination. The JCC movement in North America has a long and successful history of providing early childhood programs that provides models and resources for fledgling programs in communities such as Las Vegas. From shared curriculum development to professional conferences and resource sharing, the JCC can become the foundation of a supportive and cooperative structure in Las Vegas that will benefit all of the existing programs and any future programs later developed. There is ample evidence in communities throughout North America that a strong Jewish early childhood program creates the foundation for a unified and a strong Jewish community. A proposed model for early childhood education in Las Vegas is the creation of an Early Childhood Education Bureau. This would be a centralized resource for curriculum and provide opportunities for collegial coordination and sharing. The bureau represents an important Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Page 8 ? Executive Summary CHALLENGE #3 - PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Develop the most effective service delivery structure to provide the best programs and services that the Jewish community needs. The Las Vegas Jewish community is a mosaic that has been created by bringing together Jewish adults and families from other Jewish communities all over the United States and Israel. Many of the newcomers had limited connection to their previous Jewish community and do not immediately seek any Jewish connection. As with other Western communities, there is a unique sense of individualism and independence that becomes a facet of a Las Vegan's character. Westerners are not by nature "joiners," so appeals for affiliation are not the end solution. A goal of the organized Jewish community is to connect Jewish people with shared needs and interests. Based on the research in the community and program experience of Jewish communities around the country, an important lesson in developing programs emerges. Experience shows that successful programs are developed by placing the needs of the potential participant before the needs of the institution offering the program. Programs offered by the Jewish community should respond to one or more of the following needs of individuals: ? Socialization; desire to connect with others ? Entertainment, relaxation ? Enrichment; exploration; creativity (learning new skills, seeing new places) ? Self improvement ? Fulfillment of spiritual needs ? Strengthening family Meeting the Challenge - Senior Adult Center For the most part, every research participant from the Las Vegas Jewish community feels a responsibility for meeting the social and human service needs of the oldest members of the community, particularly those with economic limitations. For these individuals, programs and services must be introduced in the neighborhoods where they live. The majority of the older adult population with the greatest social service needs is in the central area of Las Vegas - not in close proximity to either proposed campus site. These individuals are currently being served from the South Maryland location. To maintain service that is accessible, the community should establish a Senior Adult Center that includes a nutrition program in the center city area. This drop-in center can provide socialization opportunities, health screening, social service counseling, food distribution bank, and other assistance needed by older adults. A storefront location along a major thoroughfare with easy bus Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Levenberg Consulting Group Executive Summary ? Page 11 ? The library can also support other adult programs by selling books, videos, or materials in advance of a speaker, lecture, or film series. ? The library can become a primary resource for Jewish education programs throughout the Meeting the Challenge - Community Awareness of Needs Many community leaders lack knowledge about the marketplace, the potential for growth, and the positive impact that the expansion of Jewish programs in the community could have on all of the existing programs and organizations. This knowledge deficiency is a major barrier to cooperation among Las Vegas Jewish organizations and their leaders. The Jewish Federation should develop an organized and sustained information and education project to convey the vast amount of information that became available in the 1996 Community Population Study report and the March, 2000 Needs Assessment Report. Specific issues from the report should be highlighted in news stories in The Reporter, brochures, flyers, and informational fact sheets that are released to appropriate individuals and organizations within the community. For example, a short report with a fact sheet could be developed about Early Childhood Education. The report could reveal the population counts taken at the time of the 1996 Population Study and what these numbers mean in the delivery of programs and services. An effort should be made to also place stories about Jewish community growth and needs in the secular media. Meeting the Challenge - Community Awareness of Federation Role A major step forward in community development and cooperation is an increased awareness and understanding of the role of the Federation as the catalyst for change, the organizer, the facilitator, and the team builder. Most of the individuals we interviewed do not have a clear understanding of the Jewish Federation and how it relates to constituent agencies and other organizations in the community. The Jewish Federation should publish a booklet of information about the Jewish Federation that is geared to an audience of volunteer and professional leaders in all Jewish community organizations. The booklet should fully describe what the Federation is, what it does for the community and for the active leadership in the community, for the different organizations, and finally for the constituents of the different organizations. It should include information about last year's campaign and allocations, so the reader sees where the money comes from and where it goes. The annual schedule of Federation fund raising should be shown with the dates of primacy along with a clear explanation of primacy, the reasons for its existence, and how it is common throughout the country. This booklet should be revised annually and sent to the full boards of every Jewish organization. community. m Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Page 10 ? Executive Summary Aquatics are important program choices for children from swimming instruction to recreational swimming. A fully subscribed aquatics program will produce excess revenues that can support other less profitable programs. (From the survey research. 53% of children ages six through eleven are interested in swim instruction and 50% in recreational swimming. Ninety-one percent (91%) of families with younger children are interested in swim instruction.) Social service needs include traditional counseling as well as grief counseling and counseling that relates to divorce. (From the survey research, 50% of households with children ages six to eleven are interested in counseling services for children with 7% indicating an immediate need for the service. Thirty-five percent (35%) of divorced households identify a need for support groups for children and teens going through divorce.) Meeting the Challenge - Teen Programs For teens, socialization is the primary driving force behind their interest in activities. With this in mind, the community should offer the following programs: Teen fitness and exercise reflects high interest among teens in workout equipment and recreational swimming. (From the survey research, 41% of teens would like to workout with both cardiovascular and weight training equipment. In the aquatics area, 37% are interested in recreational swimming, 26% would participate in water polo, and 26% in lap swimming.) Teen social programs are a top priority for a majority of the community even if they do not currently have teens in their home. Jewish youth groups and a drop-in lounge are the leading interests for teens themselves. Teen programs should be developed that support current youth groups, provide new leadership opportunities for teens, and provide the maximum opportunity for socialization among Jewish teens. (From the survey research, 66% of teens are most likely to participate in Jewish youth groups, 66% would come to a teen drop-in lounge, and 64% are interested in organized social events.) Teen social action programs have the benefit of providing a socialization opportunity while fulfilling a desire to volunteer one's time and to "improve the world." (From the survey research, 64% of teens are most likely to participate in community action projects and events.) Social service needs include traditional counseling as well as grief counseling and special counseling for teens in families experiencing divorce. (From the survey research, 57% of households with teens are interested in counseling services for teens with 39% indicating an immediate need for the service. Thirty-five percent (35%) of divorced households identify a need for support groups for children and teens going through divorce.) Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Executive Summary ? Page 11 access and ample parking would be the best choice. Jewish Family Service Agency offices and counseling facilities for services to other members of the community in addition to the older adults could be adjacent to the drop-in center for the most efficient use of space. Meeting the Challenge - Children's Programs (Birth - Eleven Years Old) In highly assimilated communities of today, it takes significant effort to ensure that children have ample opportunities to develop friendships with other Jewish children. From preschool through high school, it is in the community's best interest to foster friendships and socialization among children and teens. With this goal in mind, the community should offer the following programs. Jewish preschool and enrichment programs are the main point of entry into the organized Jewish community for many families. The community should support significant growth in Jewish preschool opportunities both with the introduction of JCC preschool programs in multiple locations in the community and the growth and expansion of current synagogue-based programs. It is expected that Jewish preschool programs will be fully subscribed and profitable which will support other less profitable programs. (From the survey research. 73% of families with young children are likely to participate in a Jewish preschool if offered. Eighty-eight percent (88%) are interested in preschool enrichment programs and 66% would enroll their child in day care.) Summer day camp programs provide an important camping, sports, and recreation connection for Jewish children attending traditional nine-month schools. With the facilities that will be available on the new campus, JCC should become the premier provider of summer day camp experience for many children. (From the survey research. 66% of families with age-appropriate children are likely to send their child to a Jewish day camp.) School vacation day programs and enrichment programs are popular choices for children whether they attend public school or day school - whether on twelve month or nine month programs. (From the survey research, 69% of school-age children are likely to enroll in school vacation day programs. Sixty-nine percent (69%) are interested in arts and crafts, 66% in computer classes, 61% in music or science classes.) School track break programs provide a unique opportunity for the JCC to offer day camp-like programming on a year-round basis, which is the most cost efficient method to offer these programs. With the important features and benefits of the new campus supporting a track break program, it is expected that track break programs will be fully subscribed and profitable. (From the survey research, 36% of school-age children in twelve-month school programs are likely to enroll in school track break programs.) Children's sports leagues provide physical activity' coupled with the socialization benefits for Jewish children. Current community league programs do not offer participation opportunities at the right time or on the right days for many Jewish children. (From the survey research, 71% are interested in sports programs, 68% in soccer leagues, and 53% in baseball or softball leagues.) Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Page 12 ? Executive Summary ? Home delivered meals (61 %) ? Counseling services (62%) ? Immediate social service needs include hearing & vision screening (16%). visits to elderly or homebound (11% of 75+ age group), and adult day care (11% of 75+ age group). ? Older adult lounge in the new campus facility- (55%) ADULTS - AQUATICS, FITNESS, & SPORTS At least half or more of the respondent adults are interested in the following fitness programs: ? Working-out with equipment (65%) ? Wellness programs (55%) ? Massage (55%) ? Indoor swimming pool on the new campus (53%) ? Health screenings (51 %) ? Gymnasium on the new campus (50%) Forty-three percent (43%) of the adults are currently members of a fitness or sports facility and are report higher than average satisfaction with their current clubs. Meeting the Challenge - Families Families are very interested in participating in family programs sponsored by and for the Jewish community. At least half of all families are interested in all sample programs identified in the survey. The following programs received the highest interest: ? Family social events (80%) ? Jewish holiday programs (76%) ? Jewish holiday workshops (67%) ? Family sports (66%) ? Family community action projects (66%) CHALLENGE #4 - OUTREACH AND IDENTIFICATION Foster the ability to identify and engage the steady influx of Jewish newcomers to the community. Recognizing the benefits of the booming Las Vegas economy that provides a steady flow of Jewish newcomers to the area, community leadership must acknowledge that outreach and identification of Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study ys ) Levenberg Consulting Group Executive Summary ? Page 11 Meeting the Challenge - Adult Programs Expanded programs for adults in the Jewish community will facilitate Jewish adult interaction that is now not readily available to Jewish adults in Las Vegas. Adults will find the comfort in associating with other Jewish adults, participating in enjoyable general and Jewish experiences, and fulfilling intellectual and spiritual needs by connecting them to the organized Jewish community. From the survey research, adults have a strong interest and are most likely to participate in the following programs or services: ? Music programs/concerts (82%) ? Single parents group (77% of single parents) ? Film series (70%) ? Community action projects (68%) ? Computer instruction (62%) ? Political and/or current events (62%) ? Jewish education programs (61 %) ? Grief support group (66%) ? Counseling services (62%) ? Caring for aging parents (60%) ? Divorce support group (59% of divorced households) ? Immediate social service needs include counseling for adults (12%), caring for aging parents (11%), and counseling for couples (11% of married couples). From the survey research, singles also have a strong interest and are likely to participate in: ? Cultural programs (68% of all singles-- 83% of younger singles under 40) ? Educational programs (67% of all singles- 85% of younger singles under 40) ? Singles' travel (64% of all singles- 76% of younger singles under 40) ? Singles' parties or dances (60% of all singles - 73% of younger singles under 40) Older adults also have a strong interest in the following programs or services: ? Day trips (73%) ? Singles programs for senior adults (73%) ? Travel (69%) ? Theater (64%) ? Senior clubs (61%) Jewish Federation of Las Vegas Long Range Planning Study Page 14 ? Executive Summary Meeting the Challenge - Adult Outreach Jewish adults, whether married or not, move to Las Vegas to take advantage of the vast opportunities for career growth and potential for wealth. Most