Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester in Rochester, NY

As a community center, we really strive to serve everybody in personalized and meaningful ways. Thousands of people come through our doors — some on a daily basis — because of the great variety of programs and services we offer, as well as the strong sense of community we have built and cultivated over our 100-plus year history. We also take great pride in being a portal of entry to the larger community. We partner with other agencies far and wide to ensure we can help as many people as possible. For example, last year we collected over 53,000 lbs. of clothing through a local clothing drive partnership, as well as almost 5,000 diapers to help alleviate local diaper insecurity. We are a drop-off site for the local food bank, a place to register for health insurance through the NYS Marketplace, and that’s just the beginning!

Stories About Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester

We really want everyone to feel welcome in our space. We recently welcomed adults with varying special needs to our zero-entry pool, enabling them to feel the sense of freedom most of get to enjoy all day, every day. Our theater programs feature closed caption options for participants who have difficulty hearing, and interpret shows via ASL. We recently partnered with another local organization to host a series on civil discourse, and how we as a community can learn to speak to each other about challenging issues with respect, dignity, and honor. We allocate resources to provide extensive scholarships for our camps and programs, and know that for many of our members we are their strongest connection to community.