Publication Date: Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Guest Opinion: A model of 'community' in a corner of Palo Alto
Guest Opinion: A model of 'community' in a corner of Palo Alto
(November 02, 2005) by Shelley Hebert
When I think back on phone calls that changed my life, one is sure to be the call that ultimately led to my becoming executive director for the development phase of the Campus for Jewish Life.
While this large, complex project may appear to be about buildings, for me it has always been about people and community. Through my story I hope I can convey the spirit and values behind this remarkable undertaking and why it has attracted dedicated volunteers and professionals at every level.
In March 2002, I was a volunteer board member of the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center -- a nonprofit whose continued existence was in peril after it lost its leased facility of nearly 20 years. Like many others, I realized that losing the JCC would be devastating.
An audacious plan had been launched by then-new JCC President Carol Saal: to buy land on which to build a new, permanent home -- but the deal was dangling by a slender thread.
Fundraising was proceeding at a record-setting pace thanks to heroic efforts and remarkably generous response, with more than $22 million committed from private donors in less than six months. But even that amount was far short of what we needed to buy 12 acres in high-priced Palo Alto.
With deadlines on the deal looming and other potential buyers waiting in the wings, the only solution was to find someone else willing to purchase a portion of the land from us -- and to do that at lightning speed.
I knew that many in our community were being priced out of the housing market here, so I made one phone call to ask for a recommendation about nonprofit housing developers. I got two names.
Then I made the phone call that changed my life: "Hello, I know you don't know me," I began, "but I'm a board member of the JCC in Palo Alto. We're looking for someone interested in developing a portion of a large site as housing for people who may not be able to afford homes here, and who also can make a sizable investment in a very short period of time. Are you interested?"
I nearly fell off my chair when the voice on the phone said, "Yes. I'm definitely interested. Can I come to your house tonight?"
The voice belonged to Lydia Tan, vice president of California's largest non-profit housing developer, BRIDGE Housing. Although BRIDGE is headquartered in San Francisco, Lydia is a Palo Alto resident. She and I both live just a few blocks from the site.
From that moment on, our small group of Jewish community volunteers worked night and day to solve problems that seemed so arduous and complex that even highly experienced real estate developers said it was impossible. We had no organizational structure, staff or offices, but we did have an abundance of the secret sauce of Silicon Valley -- unwavering determination, skill at working as a virtual team and a cell phone in every pocket. In our case, it was being applied to a nonprofit, not a venture start-up.
None of us were being paid (except the attorneys!), yet each of us worked harder than at any job we'd ever held. I'd never met people like this before. They opened my eyes to the power and potential of community effort. And having experienced that, I was hooked.
On June 21, 2002, the Campus for Jewish Life (a nonprofit formed for this purpose), became the new owner of 901 San Antonio Road. Then came the even harder work of planning the project, raising the funds and receiving required approvals -- with the JCC, the Jewish Home of San Francisco and the Jewish Community Federation all working together.
In early 2003, I was transformed from an impassioned volunteer into an impassioned executive director. The exhilaration of being part of the small initial group has been replaced by the gratification, and awe, of being part of a project whose vision and impact are so much greater than any of us could have ever imagined -- not only for the Jewish community but for our entire community.
Fundraising is continuing to go very well as the progress we are making builds confidence that the impossible dream really is coming true. It is a privilege to express the commitment of this amazing group that the campus will be a testament to the power of community, transforming and enriching the lives of countless others, as it has mine.
Shelley Hebert (pronounced e-bair) is executive director for campus development of the Campus for Jewish Life being planned for the southeast corner of Palo Alto. She is a 16-year resident of Palo Alto, a Stanford graduate. She formerly was director of business development for Stanford, communications director for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and chief administrative officer for an early stage venture capital firm. She and her husband have two sons. She can be e-mailed at shelley@campusforjewishlife.org.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
