Please help Congregation Kolot by signing up for e-scrip today!
E-scrip is an electronic fundraising program where participating merchants contribute each time you make a purchase using your grocery club card or debit/credit cards that are registered with e-scrip. It costs you nothing and does not affect "cashback" or other card bonus programs.
I would like to encourage all members of the congregation to register as many cards as possible. Below are instructions for registering your cards. If you prefer not to register your credit cards on-line, I can provide mail-in forms (but processing will take 6-8 weeks before your purchases start to make a difference).
Here are instructions for registering your cards on-line:
Search for our group by typing Congregation Kolot under Group Name, or 500000276 under Group Number. You should get a screen with "Your search for ... found 1 groups." Then select our congregation.
You should get a screen that says "You have selected to support (1) Congregation Kolot. Click the NEXT button.
Enter your first name, last name and address, click NEXT. At this screen you enter your grocery club cards. As far as I know, the only participating grocery stores in our area are Vons and Pavilions.
If you don't have a Vons or Pavilions club card, go to the following web address to sign up:
If you have signed up for Vons Club but don't know what your number is, call Vons customer service at 1-877-723-3929 to find out what your card number is so you can register it. Click NEXT. At this screen you can enter your credit and debit card numbers and expiration dates. You can register any major credit card, store cards, debit cards, etc. Each time you use a registered card a small percentage of the purchase is donated to Congregation Kolot
Please call me at 714-965-3466 if you have any questions or problems registering. Incidentally, anyone can sign up - they don't have to be a member of the congregation or live in California, so feel free to encourage family members and others to participate in this painless way to raise money for Congregation Kolot.
Thank you,
Debby
Orange County AIDS walk
Congretaion Kolot members have sponsored and supported Michael’s Team for the past eight years. To go to the team's homepage, click on the logo below, or click here.
Jews for Marriage Equality
Civil Marriage and Domestic Partnerships for Same-Sex Couples
The Union for Reform Judaism, both regionally and nationally, supports same gender marriage. Here in California, we have opposed bills to make same gender marriages unconstitutional in California, as well as banning all legal rights for same gender couples, such as domestic partnerships. When these bills or initiatives come up again in the future, we will oppose them.
A coalition of Jews from both Reform, Conservative and secular Jewish organizations called Jews for Marriage Equality has formed to fight these measures. From their mission statement:
"We oppose discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their children and therefore support the freedom to marry for all couples."
"The most fundamental human right, after the necessities of food, clothing and shelter, is the right to affection and the supportive love of other human beings. We can grow in our capacity to be human -- to be loving -- in a family unit. This right to love and to form a family is
fundamental to being human. As the American Declaration of Independence affirms, human beings have an essential right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.""
We must continue working to educate the Jewish community of Southern California on the importance of equal civil marriage rights for gay and lesbian people.
Visit Jews for Marriage Equality online at http://www.jewsformarriageequality.org to find out what you can do to help defeat California ballot initiatives to ban civil marriage and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples, and get more information on the group's mission, plans, and volunteer involvement opportunities.
Jewish Orange County Special Fund for Survivors of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina is one of the deadliest storms ever to hit the Southeast. In New Orleans alone – a city with over 150 years of thriving Jewish life – more than 10,000 Jewish men, women and children have been evacuated, and thousands more remain in the danger zone. Over thirty synagogues, community, volunteer and service organizations are among the institutions affected. They include Touro Synagogue, the oldest Jewish house of worship outside the 13 original colonies of the United States; and Woldenberg Village, the only Jewish retirement community in the entire Gulf Coast region.
Funds raised by the Jewish Federation of Orange County are being utilized for immediate and targeted needs, in cooperation with the New Orleans Jewish community and other hard-hit Southeast UJC communities.
Donate by phone at 949-435-3484, online at www.jewishorangecounty.org, or mail to Hurricane Katrina Relief JFOC, Jewish Federation of Orange County, 1 Federation Way, Suite 210, Irvine, CA 92603-0174.
Volunteering at the shelter
The shelter provides temporary housing to homeless families. Anyone interested in volunteering at the shelter should contact Bonnie Richmond at 949-551-2266.
Adopt a Library project
Would you like to get involved in the Adopt a Library project as part of Congregation Kolot’s social action program? Please contact Debby Koken if you are interested in learning more about this project: dkoken@hmausa.com or 714-965-3466.
Religious Action Center
Send mail to Congregation Kolot with questions or
comments about this web site.
