By Richard Friedman, Executive Director

A fun thing happened the other morning at The Birmingham Jewish Federation.

A representative from United Way of Central Alabama came to visit with our staff to talk about the importance of supporting this year's United Way Campaign.

Our staff was supportive and receptive and it was a nice chat. I told our guest how much we, in the Jewish community, appreciate United Way and reminded our staff that United Way provides generous allocations to both our Levite Jewish Community Center and Collat Jewish Family Services. We also talked about how members of the Jewish community -- including this year's United Way Campaign Chair, Robert Aland -- have been leaders in United Way for decades.

I encouraged our staff, as I do every year, to support the United Way Campaign at a generous level. All in all, it was a nice meeting and our guest -- one of United Way's "loaned executives" -- did a great job of presenting United Way's case.

TURNING TO FOOTBALL

The conversation, as it often does this time of year, then turned to football. Our visitor had told us that she was an Auburn graduate. Being an Alabama fan is not a requirement for working at The BJF, but most of our folks (with two exceptions) are big-time Alabama fans. In fact, on this morning I had on my Alabama hat -- which I wear off and on during the season, convinced it brings the team good luck.

I then had an idea! I told our United Way guest that I would increase my United Way pledge if she would wear my Alabama hat for one day. I know she would die if I said she turned crimson, so I will just say she turned white.

"No way," she said, "my father would kill me!" I reminded her that she had told us she was from Montgomery and thus her father wouldn't know if she wore it in Birmingham. Still, the young woman wouldn't budge; so I caved in for the cause and increased my United Way pledge -- without her wearing the hat.

It was fun and then the conversation took another turn. Twenty-two, and a recent college graduate, she has moved to Birmingham wanting to establish herself here and build a career. Caren Seligman, our BJF Director of Outreach, and I stayed after the meeting and talked to her about her Birmingham aspirations.

"NOT JUST A JEWISH ORGANIZATION"

She is Christian, and we told her, as we often say, that The BJF is "not just a Jewish organization." That in addition to sustaining and nurturing Jewish life and supporting Israel, that we are committed to helping build a better Birmingham and helping all people in need. We are especially willing to help young people, believing that by reaching out to them and helping them succeed, we can build a stronger Birmingham to benefit all of us.

Caren offered to help her in any way possible. Finding a church was important to her and we offered to contact some of our Christian friends who could help her. We also offered to provide some job leads once her United Way volunteer stint comes to an end.

It turned out that this young woman knew some of the younger members of our Jewish community. Her mother, a teacher in Montgomery, had even taught some of them. It indeed was a nice connection and she and Caren, who is from Montgomery, talked about specific families they knew in common.

As she was ready to leave, we did one more thing. As a thank you for coming to meet with us, we gave her one of our orange Auburn in Hebrew t-shirts. She liked it a lot and a little later in the day one of her colleagues from United Way called our office, wanting a shirt as well.

WELCOMING & OPEN

It was a great encounter -- which not only showcased the work of United Way but also reflected the work of The BJF. We are a welcoming, open, embracing organization and no one reflects that better than Caren, whose enthusiasm and magnetic personality have attracted scores of young folks to The BJF.

I left the meeting smiling and sent a quick email to some of the young people involved in our Federation who grew up in Montgomery, who I correctly presumed knew this young woman and her family.

"Her mother was my fourth grade teacher and a wonderful one at that; one of my very favorites," one wrote back immediately. "It gives me great pleasure to know that I am a part of such a wonderful organization that is capable of touching so many lives, everyday."

Wrote another, "I think that I may have known her family as well. Small world, isn't it? Thanks for showing her some BJF hospitality! I am very proud to be affiliated with such a welcoming organization and such kind people."