Treasurer’s Message -by Iza Celewicz

I am sharing the excerpts from my speech given at the MCJC Annual meeting on May 15, 2022.

I am glad to tell you that at the end of the 2021/2022 fiscal year (ending May 31, 2022), our financial situation is stable. It was not the case in the two last years, 2020 and 2021.  When I took the reins in May 2020, we already were in the red. Then came COVID and we had to close the building, and maintain our presence and services only via Zoom. 

We immediately looked for ways to save money.   We have cut down on some maintenance costs, and for the last two years I have been coming to the office almost every week, helping to compensate for administrative costs. Still, as the year 2021 was approaching things did not look promising.  Thankfully, in the Spring of 2021, the federal government stepped in with its Payroll Protection Plan (PPP.)  We applied for it twice and received financial help twice. Then we applied for the Loan Forgiveness Program twice, and we were 'forgiven' twice! However, despite receiving the PPP help, we still ended the fiscal year 2020/2021 (ending on May 31, 2021)  with a (small) deficit.

So what happened this last year that our financial situation looks much better? First, we had a higher income, because we received more donations than in the previous two years. A very substantial amount of money was from one donor. Thank you ALL very much. Second, our spending was comparatively modest, because we did not have the expense of a full-time rabbi. 

This completes my financial outlook on things MCJC. As usual, I ask for your continued financial support.