The Bender JCC Establishes the Dale Singer Memorial Leadership Development Endowment with an Initial Gift of $200,000

The endowment will support professional development for leadership and staff.

Rockville, MD, June 14, 2023 – The Bender Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington is profoundly grateful to Andy Singer and his family for making a generous initial gift of $200,000 to establish the Dale Singer Memorial Leadership Development Endowment in loving memory of Andy’s wife, Dale.

“We are grateful to Dale for her years of leadership on the Bender JCC board. As board chair, she served with passionate commitment,” said Josh Bender, Chief Executive Officer of the Bender JCC. “Dale’s caring and thoughtful nature represent the ideals to which our Bender JCC members and staff aspire.”

At the Bender JCC, Dale was a champion of the arts and culture, serving as chairperson for the annual Lessans Family Literary Festival. Dale joined the Bender JCC’s Board of Directors in 2015 and became Board Chair in 2021, a position she held until her untimely passing in June 2022.

“Dale was so proud of all the programs and services the Bender JCC provides to our diverse community of communities,” said Daryle Bobb, Board Chair. “Like the Bender JCC community she so proudly led, Dale was passionate about professional development and believed that every professional and lay leader who works in our community should have the opportunity to refine their leadership skills.”

Accordingly, the Dale Singer Memorial Leadership Development Endowment provides funding on an annual basis to support professional development opportunities for the Bender JCC’s lay leaders and staff, including conferences, trainings, and workshops designed to sharpen their collaborative leadership skills and help them better serve the Bender JCC community with distinction.

The annual interest accrued from the endowment fund will also establish:

• “The Dale Singer Memorial Board Retreat,” an annual fall retreat that engages the Bender JCC’s Board of Directors in training, learning, and mission-focused work.
• “The Dale Singer Memorial Lay Leader Award,” which recognizes the outstanding contributions of a particular Bender JCC Board Member and financially supports their participation in national JCC training opportunities, such as the bi-annual JCC Association National Conference or other accredited Jewish lay leader training opportunities.
• A network of professional coaches intended to mentor Bender JCC leadership throughout their tenure.

The Dale Singer Memorial Leadership Development Endowment was announced at the Bender JCC’s 2023 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The Annual Meeting also celebrated the Bender JCC’s accomplishments and successes over the past year, and installed five new Board Officers and Directors.

ABOUT DALE SINGER:
For over 27 years, Dale served as the Executive Director of the Renal Physicians Association (RPA). She is remembered as strong, dedicated, compassionate, confident, caring and incredibly giving. Dale’s JCC story began in her hometown of Pittsburgh. She could walk to the local J from her childhood home, and growing up, would often head to the JCC after school to hang out with friends, attend programs, and participate in the swim club. In addition to her commitment to the Bender JCC of Greater Washington, Dale’s service to other nonprofit organizations included B’nai Israel Congregation where she served on the Executive Committee, and her professional society, the American Association of Medial Society Executives, where she was board President.

ABOUT THE BENDER JCC:
The Bender Jewish Community Center in Rockville, Maryland is a premier community center at the heart of Jewish life in Montgomery County, Maryland, operating a full-scale health and fitness center, preschool, day camp, and various education and arts programs. We create a welcoming and inclusive environment, connecting the people of our Jewish community, Israel, and the broader community. We inspire individuals of all ages and backgrounds to enhance their social, physical, intellectual, and spiritual well-being through programs of excellence rooted in Jewish values.