CBI Gets Grant
Congregation B’nai Israel has received a two-year grant from the Orange County Community Service Programs’ “Project Faith in Youth.” Project Faith in Youth seeks to build the capacity of faith-based organizations (FBOs) to provide alcohol and other drug prevention services to their faith communities. CBI is the first Jewish FBO to receive this prestigious grant.
Research has shown that participation in a faith community, together with a strong alcohol and other drug prevention program, are important factors that can reduce young people’s risk for substance abuse amid strong peer pressure, media influences, and cultural norms.
As a grantee, CBI will plan and implement four activities to strengthen “protective factors” among youth, such as meaningful participation in the community environment, connectedness to the faith community, and positive adult and peer relationships.
The grant was funded by the County of Orange Health Care Agency – Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Education Team.
For more information, please contact Alan Rusonik, CBI’s Director of Lifelong Learning at (714) 730-5161.
OCJBA Gets Rolling
The Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) unanimously approved the Orange County Jewish Bar Association (OCJBA) as an affiliate bar association of the OCBA in February. The OCJBA has approximately 80 members and a 250-person e-mail list. According to its mission statement, the OCJBA is “providing a social environment that will engender comradeship among its members, building upon the foundation of thousands of years of Jewish tradition steeped in the law (Torah), fostering the application of Jewish principles and morality, and committing good deeds (Mitzvot) and acts of kindness (Tzedakah) while practicing law and serving the community.”
“Why diversity-rich Orange County did not have a Jewish Bar Association simply baffled me,” said founder and President of the OCJBA, Jordon P. Steinberg, a Newport Beach certified family law specialist with Minyard Morris LLP. “After researching southern California and expanding the search nationwide, I could not find a county-sponsored Jewish Bar Association anywhere.”
“The driving force behind the formation of this organization was to network and publicize the accomplishments of its members throughout the Orange County legal community,” Steinberg said. “Many people asked me ‘why’ we need a Jewish Bar Association and my simple reply was ‘why not?”
Through a direct mail marketing campaign in early October 2009 and in-person meetings, Steinberg gauged the desire of the community to have such an organization in Orange County. “The response was overwhelmingly positive. Without a collective effort, this venture would have remained a lost cause,” said Steinberg.
OCJBA’s membership comprises judges, commissioners, and attorneys throughout Orange County. Its membership is open to all California bar members and law students in good standing.
Through the generosity of one of its founding members, Ronald Schwartz, the OCJBA hosts monthly meetings at Muldoon’s Irish Pub in Newport Beach the first Tuesday of each month (excluding December) at 5:30 p.m. There is no cover charge, hors d’oeuvres are hosted, and guests simply pay for their beverages while enjoying networking, humor, and a sense of community.
“The meetings are light and infused with humor to relieve the stress from the practice of law. At the end of the day, it’s simply a group of individuals sharing a common bond and enjoying each other’s company,” Steinberg concluded.
For additional information, contact Jordon P. Steinberg at P.O. Box 6130, Newport Beach, California 92658 or e-mail jsteinberg@minyardmorris.com .
