Meet Claudia (right), Emely (left) and Erick (center), a multigenerational JCC Early Childhood Education (ECE) family!
Claudia and Emely are both ECE teachers (they have been since 2009 and 2023 respectively) and Erick is a current ECE student.
Read more of their story inside this issue or at JCCindy.org/blog.
FEBRUARY
2025
SHEVAT 5785
Volume 30, Issue 2
Youth Programs
Register for these programs that begin in mid-February and early March!
• Tennis and swim lessons: Multiple options per week
• Pottery: Wed, Feb 19 | 4:30 pm | $36 / $28 JCC Members
Make a chip and dip bowl!
Register at JCCindy.org/programs
School’s Out Days
presents Note
Mon, Feb 17 Presidents' Day
Wed, Mar 5
Wash. Twp. eLearning Day
Drop-off (8 – 9:30 am) and pick-up (4:30–6 pm) at the Kraft Youth Wing
A 2024-25 ASC Health Form is required of every participant prior to their attending the program
Pack every day: lunch, swimsuit, towel, water bottle
Register at JCCindy.org/school-holidays-day-camps
$60 (+$35/each add’l child) Nonmembers
Kosher-style dinner, swim time, movie, crafts, activities
ASC Health Form required of every participant
JCCindy.org/kids-late-nights
Hitting forehand in tennis
A sample School's Out Day schedule
The process of painting pottery
Streamline arms in swim lessons
Financial assistance available! Learn more and apply at JCCindy.org
Member RegistrationPriority Day
Questions? Keep an eye on JCC social media mid-February for a CampJCC takeover in Stories! Grades K–9 + CIT
Sun, Mar 2 | 8 am–10 pm | JCCindy.org/summer-camps
For ONE DAY ONLY, JCC members get the opportunity to register online for CampJCC before registration opens to the public! Priority registration gets your rate locked in at a 7% discount only available on Mar 2 between 8 am–10 pm. Public registration opens Sun, Mar 9 and remains open throughout camp season. Discount not applicable to sports/travel weeks.
Yom HaMishpacha (Family Day)
Sun, Mar 2 | 11 am – 3 pm
Enjoy activities for the whole family, including:
• Open swim in the Backer Therapy Pool at varying depths
• A bounce house and obstacle course followed by teen pick-up basketball in the Schloss (small) Gym
• Family pickleball followed by open play
• Tabletop games in the Kraft Youth Wing
• And more! This event is FREE for JCC members, and non-members who accompany them will NOT be charged a guest fee! Registration is appreciated to ensure enough snacks are provided. Full, detailed schedule coming soon!
PROGRAMS
Chanukah Celebrations
Kids of all ages, from Early Childhood Education (ECE) students to BBYO youth group teens, celebrated Chanukah at the J in December!
JCC Maccabi Games
Teens: There's still time to sign up to head to Tucson this summer with the J's JCC Maccabi Games delegation! Play your favorite sport (or attend as a Star Reporter) and meet other Jewish teen athletes and journalists from around the country and the world while doing so.
Fill out the form on JCCindy.org/maccabi-sign-up and Ethan Cohen, JCC Assistant Director of Youth Engagement and Special Events, will get back to you with more information.
Chanukah coloring with senior friends from Jewish Family Services
Playing with a light table for the Festival of LIghts
Smashing olives for oil
Creating "stained glass" dreidels to display around the JCC at the ECE "Let's Gelt Together" Chanukah party. Check out the final result!
The BBYO teen youth group Chanukah party was on a Friday night, so of course the attendees made challah for Shabbat!
Ms. Claudia and Ms. Emely
Claudia Velasquez, a long-standing JCC Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher, first heard about the JCC through a previous coworker who had nothing but positive remarks about the center. She followed this colleague and was eager to enter this new chapter of her life. Claudia could never have predicted that her life would change for the better. Fifteen years later, she remains a highly valued member of the JCC staff and community.
Claudia’s reason for teaching is simple: “I love kids. I love what I do.” Claudia has remained at the JCC because of the community’s supportive and comforting nature, and has loved it so much that her four children attended JCC programs when they were younger, “Not only did [the JCC] support me with my job, but all my life as well. I'm so grateful that I found them in my hard times. For me, the J isn't just a job, it's my home,” Claudia recalled. Claudia is especially grateful that now she gets to work with one of her four children, Emely, as well as her grandson, Erick.
From Mother to Daughter and Back Again
Emely Chacon, Claudia’s daughter, was inspired by her mother’s career path, which ultimately led to her employment at the JCC. Emely came to teach at the JCC because she yearned for their welcoming environment. “I came into teaching because of my mom. I went into an art major, and then I always fell back into teaching because I just like the feeling of it.” Working at the JCC is a dream come true for Emely because the center is her happy place. She adores the ECE children and is appreciative of being closer to her two-year-old son, Erick, “Having Erick here makes it ten times better. Just having him around and knowing that I can check on him or check Remini [the ECE parent app] and see, oh, he did this today, or he ate this today, gives me peace of mind.”
Claudia and Emely both appreciate the JCC’s big campus. While transitioning to different activities, they love watching the staff members interact with the children, which always puts smiles on their faces. “My favorite thing is taking the kids on a walk, in the summer or whatever weather, and we say hi to people and they wave back. I think that's so cute,” Emely said. Claudia feels the JCC provides a space for children that “lets their imagination go up and above. Not just sitting down and dictating but actually playing and learning at the same time. You've got a lot of freedom with that.”
If Claudia could sum up the JCC in one phrase, it would be “a very loving atmosphere.” And Emely loves that she's been at the JCC for virtually every milestone in her life, from a summer as a CampJCC counselor-intraining to parenting, and is able to work closely with family and friends. "It's so good that we can all support each other," she said.
Claudia with students in 2019
Erick on an ECE playground
Claudia and Emely in an ECE teacher in-service process art workshop
Erick decorating acorns with classmates
Spend Your $ummer as Staff at
Apply at JCCindy.org/careers
Plus, get your American Red Cross lifeguard certification at the J, and get reimbursed when you work as a JCC lifeguard this summer! Upcoming dates include:
Lifeguard Full Course (Age 15+): Sat–Sun, Feb 15–16 or Mar 8–9, 15–16 or 23–24 7 am–7 pm | $275
Teen and Adult Aquatics PROGRAMS
Lifeguard Review Course (Age 15+): Sat, Feb 2 or 22, or Mar 1 7:30 am–6 pm | $170
Register at JCCindy.org/red-cross-training-classes
100-Mile Swim Club
There's still time to join the 2025 100-mile swim challenge! Participate in social events along the way, and get a JCC swim cap when you finish!
Register at JCCindy.org/programs
JCC lifeguards Sam and Dagim
J Café staff serving ice cream
CampJCC counselors at the camp carnival Hitting the ball with tennis campers
Arts & Education
• Concert-Goers Social Club
Still time to register! Pre-concert sessions 6 pm, most concerts ~7:30 pm Prorated prices for late registrants cover classroom time and ticket fees. Indiana Arts Commission Lifelong Arts program.
• Politics Update with Pierre Atlas
Tue, Feb 11 | 7 pm | $12 / $8 JCC Members
Pierre Atlas, monthly opinion columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal and senior lecturer at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Indianapolis, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes including Gun Culture and Policy and Terrorism and Public Policy, helps make sense of the latest important political news.
• Time to Dance Again Israeli Dancer Reception and Recital Sun, Mar 2 | 3 pm reception, 4 pm recital | FREE Sderot, near the border between Gaza and Israel, has been affected by trauma for many years because of the tension of living under constant threat of missiles. Adi Gewurtz and Eirad Ben Gal from the Sderot Adama Movement Center use dance as a way to process post-traumatic stress and will perform an original piece exploring themes of trauma and recovery in the aftermath of October 7. Plus, during the pre-recital reception, contribute to a mosaic that will go to Sderot. Presented thanks to the support of Glick Philanthropies and the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis.
• Housing Injustice Summit with Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana Tue, Mar 11 (exhibit at JCC beginning early Mar) | 6–7:30 pm | FREE Learn the history of redlining in Indianapolis through traveling exhibition Unwelcomed and a presentation and panel discussion with people working at the front of the fight against housing injustice in Indianapolis today. Homeowners and renters alike can engage with service providers and be informed on their rights and how to be part of positive change.
More info/registration at JCCindy.org/events
Clare Longendyke, internationally recognized concert pianist and Concert-Goers Social Club class instructor
Pierre Atlas, Politics Update facilitator
Israeli dancers from Sderot processing trauma through movement
6701 Hoover Road
Indianapolis IN 46260-4198
317-251-9467 | JCCindy.org
@JCCIndianapolis
HOURS
Building
Mon–Thu: 6 am–8 pm
Fri: 6 am–6 pm
Sat–Sun: 7 am–6 pm
Admin, Early Childhood
Mon–Fri: 8 am–5 pm
HOLIDAYS
Thu, Feb 13: Tu B'Shevat Regular Hours
Visit JCCindy.org/jcc-hours for other upcoming closings
Emergency Drills
The JCC holds emergency drills approximately once a quarter to ensure staff are as prepared as possible to assist and take care of members and guests should a real emergency arise. These drills can regrettably be disruptive to members' normal routines but they play a vital role in maintaining the highest standards of safety and security for the JCC community. JCC staff take these exercises seriously, practicing various emergency scenarios and response protocols that could help save lives in a real crisis, and the lessons learned from each drill help refine emergency procedures and identify areas where response time and effectiveness can be improved.
The JCC appreciates members' patience and understanding as staff work and train to create the safest possible environment for everyone who walks through the JCC's doors. These temporary interruptions contribute to a well-prepared staff that stands ready to handle any situation that may arise.
