Rosen JCC comes of age-ready to grow

The Jack and Lee Rosen Jewish Community Center, Inc., is now officially a legal entity of its own. This marks a change in direction from the Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando and a renewed focus on Southwest Orlando.

Their story began in 1994 when the JCC of Greater Orlando (JCCGO) opened an Early Childhood Learning Center on property belonging to the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation. After 14 years of renting space for the Early Childhood program, the community's dream became a reality when the JCC on the Jack & Lee Rosen Campus opened its doors in August 2009. Beginning as full service JCC, the brand new facility was complete with a gymnasium and fitness center.

As the JCC on the Rosen Campus grew over the years, the desire to become a separate entity grew as well. The JCCGO Board voted last summer to allow for the reorganization and the process is now complete.

"Since its inception in 1994 to its current full-service facilities, the Rosen JCC has been an integral part of Jewish life in Southwest Orlando and it will continue to thrive as it provides quality programs and services to the Central Florida community. The two JCCs will continue to work collectively to fulfill our mission of building community, strengthening family life, and promoting Jewish values," said David Wayne, executive director of the Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando.

Led by President Scott Richman, the new Board of Directors for the Rosen JCC includes Jeff Imber as the first vice-president, Rhonda Fair, Susan Flower, Rob Gerencser, Mat Greene, Wendi Harris, Paula Kotzin, Jody Layne, Paul McConnell, Josh Rosen, Brett Spector, Leslie Weiner and Wendy Townsend.

The Orlando community is thrilled to have its own independent JCC, but will continue to partner with the Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando for special events and community service.

"We are happy to announce that all members of both the Rosen JCC and the Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando have reciprocal membership privileges at both locations," said Bonnie Rayman, who has been the branch director since 2009, and is now serving as the first executive director of the newly formed Rosen JCC.

Looking toward the future, the Rosen JCC is also embarking on an expansion of their facilities, in direct response to growing membership. There are two new wings in the expansion: a south wing featuring four Early Childhood classrooms (including a state-of-the-art Library and Parenting Center!) and a north wing featuring a beautiful auditorium, private music rooms for music lessons, a Kid Zone space for babysitting and three new youth and camp classrooms. The current youth wing will be retrofitted to accommodate expanded fitness facilities, including an Active Gaming room for youth and teens, a Teen Center, Spinning Studio, Physical Therapy Studio, Massage Therapy Studio and a Private Personal Training Studio.

The Rosen JCC is especially grateful to the Harris Rosen Foundation for their generous support over the years. The Rosen Foundation was instrumental in assisting this process to completion. The Southwest Orlando community and the Rosen JCC Board and staff are honored to be a part of creating a legacy to Harris Rosen's parents, Jack and Lee Rosen.

To celebrate their "birthday," the Rosen JCC will host an Inaugural Gala on Saturday, May 2, 2015, at Rosen Shingle Creek. At the Inaugural Gala, the Rosen JCC will honor the "100 People Who Care Donors"-patrons who have stepped up to support the JCC during the first few years of its existence.

To learn more about the new Rosen JCC, visit http://www.rosenjcc.org or visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/rosenjcc. You can call the Rosen JCC at 407.387.5330. Their hours of operation are Monday-Thursday, from 6 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.