Dinner of Champions:
Supporting Inclusion at Lessans Camp JCC
Saturday, November 18, 2023 | 7:00 PM
This year we celebrate 31 years of Dinner of Champions. At this event in 1992, we inducted outstanding Jewish athletes and sports professionals who have strong ties to our community into the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Since that time over 200 individuals have been inducted for their accomplishments in the world of sports.
Dinner of Champions is an opportunity for our community to recommit to the work of inclusion, understanding that the work is never done. The event has grown, and our mission remains as critical as ever. We are proud to have raised millions of dollars to ensure that families of children with disabilities pay no more for camp than families of typically-developing children pay. Thousands of campers, who make up 20% of our camp community each year, have received inclusion support thanks in large part to funds raised from the Dinner of Champions.
The Bender JCC is proud to be an all-inclusive community — from the people we serve to the programs we offer — rooted in Jewish values. Inclusiveness reflects our core value of respecting the dignity of every person and the belief that every person is unique and of infinite value. With the generous support of our community, we are able to offer, at no additional cost, a wonderful camp experience to all children.
At this event, we will honor the following individuals:
Irene and Abe Pollin Humanitarian Award
Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Hyman M. and Phillip D. Perlo High School Athlete Award
Event Chairs:
Rebecca and Nathan Bortnick
Melanie and Rami Kandel
Thank you to our sponsors! (As of November 6, 2023)
Shooting Star ($25,000)
Philip Margolius and Family
Superstar ($10,000)
Richard and Judy Cohen
Alan and Amy Meltzer
Anita and Arthur Polott
Shining Star ($5,000)
| 3M Foundation | Mulitz-Gudelsky Family |
| Carol and Gary Berman | Nudelman Family & GlenLine Investments |
| The Black Family | Joy and Ron Paul |
| Beth and Daryle Bobb | Amanda and Curtis Polk |
| James G. Davis Construction Company | Kathy and Thomas Raffa |
| EagleBank | Reff-Kullen Family Fund: |
| Foundation Housing | – Richard B. Reff, MD and Dr. Jodi Reff |
| Rae Grad and Manny Schiffres | – Robert A. Reff, MD and Jeri Reff |
| Hercules Fence | – Dr. Shirley R. Kullen |
| JCC Men’s Club | Heather and Andrew Sachs |
| Rosalyn Jonas | Janyse and Bernie Weisz |
All-Star ($2,500)
| 495 Movers Inc. | Scott Jacobs |
| Heidi and Michael Brodsky | Vicki and Eric Klein/EY |
| Carol and Robert Burman Family Foundation | Robyn and Steve Lustig |
| Jessica and Andrew Chod | Wendy and Matthew Morris |
| Jillian and Scott Copeland | Melanie Nussdorf |
| Louis and Helyn Fanaroff Charitable Foundation | Susan and Brad Stillman |
| Annette and Bernard Forseter | Jennifer and Jonathan Weinberg |
| Ntiva and the Freidkin Family | Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman |
| Paula Siegle Goldman | Wealthspire Advisors |
| Shari and Harvey Goodman/Goodman Gable Gould Adjusters International | Wilkes Artis |
Star ($1,800)
| Wendi and Daniel Abramowitz | Leslie and Samuel Kaplan |
| Vivian and Raymond Bass | Rebecca and Marc Korman |
| Julie and Josh Bender | Ellen and Stuart Lessans |
| Yvonne and Jeffrey Distenfeld | Robin and Jeremy London |
| Seth Goldman and Julie Farkas Giving Fund | Holly and Brad Mendelson |
| Wendy and Noam Fischman | Randi and Martin Meyrowitz |
| Robyn and Mark Futrovsky | Premier Pool Management Inc. |
| Lisie and Michael Gottdenker | David Sobel |
| David Helfand | Benita and Todd Stokes |
| Adam Herman | Terry Tretter and Jeffrey Auerbach |
| Danielle and Aaron Jeweler | John VerStandig |
| Melanie and Rami Kandel | Cindy and Rick Zitelman |
Thank you to those who have purchased tables:
| Ash Family | Lisa Levin |
| Lois Berkowitz | Jana and Jeremy Sharp |
| Rebecca and Nathan Bortnick | Jason Sheer |
| JoEllen Fishman | Noah Sheer |
| Tena Frank | Emily and Adam Simon |
| Paul Hudson | Susan and Jonathan Simon |
| Stacy King | Jennifer and Jonathan Wenk |
| Stefani and Brad Klinedinst | Staci and Monty Yolles |
| Michelle and Michael Meyer | |
For more information, please contact rossman@benderjccgw.org.
