What started in the summer of 1986 as the first “Beat the Heat” race has now grown into a twenty-plus year tradition for the Kansas City Jewish community. Each Father’s Day, runners, walkers, strollers and wheelchairs come pouring out to Village Shalom to enjoy this wonderful event that is a true celebration for the community.

While next Father’s Day may be many months away, the Associate Board is already hard at work planning and preparing for the event, while also designing new programs and developing new ways that the Associate Board can benefit both Village Shalom and its board members.

The twenty-first installment of the “Beat the Heat” race will be held on June 15, 2008, and the fundraising results of this event are not lost on current Village Shalom Associate Board members “I continue to look forward to participating in this annual event that makes a difference in the lives of so many people,” says Lucia Harding, co-secretary of the Village Shalom Associate Board.

As an officially sanctioned race, the “Beat the Heat” race attracts not only members of the Jewish community who want to help support Village Shalom, but also runners from all over the area who will use their official times from this race to apply for other events.

While the “Beat the Heat” race is the primary fundraiser for the Associate Board, it is by no means the Board’s only contribution to enhancing lives of the Village Shalom residents and their families, nor the only means to develop board members. The Associate Board provides leadership opportunities for Jewish young adults, sponsors programs that encourage interaction between volunteers and residents, and directly supports Village Shalom programs designed for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia related diseases. “This year as a board we are focusing on the people who benefit from the money raised through the ‘Beat the Heat’ race. At each meeting we take a few minutes to hear from family members, staff and past board members to remind us that it's not just a race, it's Alzheimer’s and it affects us all in one way or another,” says Village Shalom Associate Board President, Dayna Gershon.

According to immediate Past President and 2008 Race Chair, Seth Jeremy Katz, this year’s Associate Board has gone through a significant transformation: “I really feel like we are undergoing a renaissance of sorts within the Associate Board. After celebrating our twentieth anniversary last year, this year we have a renewed commitment to our cause and a host of new members who are excited about contributing to this effort.” President Dayna Gershon added, “The Village Shalom Associate Board is an exciting organization to be a part of right now. We have a group of new board members who bring a wealth of experience, enthusiasm, and dedication that really compliment the talents of our current board.”

This year’s Associate Board executives are Dayna Gershon, President; Amy Nemiccolo, Vice President; Seth Katz, Race Co-Chair; Jessica Karbank, Race Co-Chair; Isaac Powell, Treasurer; Lucia Harding, Co-Secretary; and Marisa Ehrlich-Siegel, Co-Secretary. This year’s Associate Board and committee members include: Amy Applebaum (Food & Prizes Co-Chair), Azin Azma, Robert Baran, Keith Barbag, Nancy Batdorf, Roy Ben-Aharon (Logistics Chair), Brian Fedotin, Michelle Goetzl, Amy Greenstein, Jason Kershner, Shayna Kershner, Greg Nerman, Lara Pabst (Programming and Alumni Chair), Jesse Plous, Marc Radasky, Danny Ross, Ashley Simons, Jeff Weisbrot, and Lynda Youngblade.

For more information regarding the Associate Board or the ‘Beat the Heat’ race, please visit www.beattheheatrun.org.