a progressive Reform Jewish congregation |
2600 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa California 95404(707) 578-5519 fax: (707) 578-3967 email: [email protected] |
Click here to see the complete list of congregation lay leaders and committees.
Deborah Cutler has been a key member of the Women�s Retreat Committee, handling all the financial aspects and lodging accommodations for the event. She has also spent countless hours as the Chair of the Chaverim (teen program) Parent Advisory Committee. In that role, Deborah is the key volunteer leader of the highly successful Chaverim program, which is a program of both CST and Congregation Beth Ami. Leading Chaverim this past year has been particularly challenging because the program leadership undertook a major program expansion and restructuring initiative. Deborah�s longtime volunteerism in many aspects of life at Congregation Shomrei Torah, and her dedication and leadership in these key program areas this past year, have earned her the distinction and honor of being named a Volunteer of the Year.
Bill Skoonberg has worked on many projects around the synagogue. He has spent many happy hours on membership directories for three different years, selling and designing ads, laying out the entire book last year, working with the printer, taking photos, working with the directory chair on every aspect of the book. Bill does all of these same jobs for The Voice. Bruce Falstein is the editor and is charge of the words, but Bill does the layout, sells ads, gets it to the printer, etc., every month. The reason The Voice looks as great as it does is because of Bill. Bill was the chair of the Communications Committee for several years, and is still an active member, as well as being on the Environmental Action Committee. He has designed many of the beautiful brochures and posters you�ve seen around the temple. Additionally, he is the �go to� guy for fliers for events or postcards that need to go out in a hurry. Besides contributing his creative talents to many projects at CST, Bill is one of the first people to volunteer to do any of the �gruntwork� around the temple, whether it is pulling weeds around the parking lot or shlepping chairs for Shabbat services. He is fond of saying that he loves being part of the community, and we are grateful to have him!
The Land and Building Stewards (aka The Stewards) is a large and varied team of membervolunteers, including a Director�s Council of ten and an active volunteer list of over 40 CST members. The Stewards not only planted almost every single tree and bush on our property before moving in, we have been weeding and caring for our landscape and many building needs ever since. Because we often have to respond to seasonal weather, we call out for activity on a periodic or asneeded basis. On some days we need to weed, trim, and repair drip systems. But on others we might do light carpentry, fix appliances, paint interior and exterior areas, clean windows. We also service lights, tweak the sound system, do light electrical work, and we check in with Fran on the companies that do annual maintenance for large items like the air conditioning system, our gate, and large kitchen appliances. We also try to help Jeremy Olsan who leads us in finishing up older construction problems. Our volunteer corps also has several CST members who bake, bring pizza, or cold drinks to cheer us on during long or warm work events. Don�t be shy if you wish to check us out. We have work and a place for all ages and all types of skills.
Our volunteer mornings or days often fall on a Sunday morning but can vary by seasonal needs. Some individuals and groups (Chavurah or Committees) have asked to have ongoing responsibilities for specific areas and they come on their own schedule to care for their �spots� in our landscaping. If you, your group, or your family are interested in doing something like this, we�d love to hear from you.
During our volunteer days, someone in the Directors group tries to place volunteers in areas where they have a talent or are needed most. We also like to know any special talents or tools you have in advance! We often ask you bring your own favorite hand tools, but we also maintain a shed with a few of our own supplies as well. Watch for our work dates in The Voice, Chai Lites, or ask to have your name and email address on our Volunteer list by contacting Dianne Smith at the email address below. Coming up soon will be a bit of interior painting, some �fix-it� work inside, and another assault on our poison oak crop. We work seriously at our own individual strength levels but have some serious fun, and always try to have something good to eat when on the job! Along with the camaraderie we create, we�re vital to our current budget challenges and for keeping our home and land in good condition.
Our Stewards� Directors include the following members if you have any questions: Jay Peretz, Bill Daniel, Carl McGahan, Reuben Weinzveg, Jeremy Olsan, Charlie Catlett, Garry Goodman, John Weinstein, Fran Brumlik, and Dianne Smith (the calendar/coordinator that assists the real talent and keeps our volunteer list!) [email protected].