Donald and Bonnie Dwares donate $1M to Alliance JCC
“Donald and Bonnie Dwares have made an incredible gift that not only ensures the survival of this wonderful facility (which was dedicated in 1971), but also reminds fellow Jewish Rhode Islanders that now is the time to modernize and revitalize the center of our Jewish community,” Jeffrey Savit, president and chief executive officer of the Alliance, said in a statement. “Donald and Bonnie envision the (soon to be re-named) Dwares JCC to be the central address where the entire community will come to congregate, recreate, learn and flourish.”
“We just couldn’t let this fold; [the JCC building] is an icon for the entire Rhode Island Jewish community,” said Donald in an interview with The Jewish Voice. Donald, the retired president of the Slater Companies, a Pawtucket-based textile manufacturer, said that he hopes their contribution will be “the seed that will grow into the necessary funds to redo the entire plant.”
Their gift has already motivated others to make donations to contribute to renovations of the facility, expected to begin in the late spring of 2014. To date, approximately $1.75 million has been raised for this initiative, said Savit, adding that they look to double that amount before construction begins.
Just what will be the renovations include? According to Savit, the Alliance anticipates that the gift will be used to design a stunning front entrance; improve accessibility – by installing ramps, a new elevator and making access into and within the building more accessible to individuals with limited mobility or with disabilities and younger children.
In addition, building-wide security will be increased and public lobby spaces will be made more comfortable and communal. As a result, visitors to the Dwares JCC will be able to more readily access the diverse programs offered by the Alliance, the Alliance partner agencies and synagogues and its tenants, the Holocaust Education and Resource Center and the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association, and will enjoy a more comfortable environment throughout the building, said Savit. The Alliance has not yet selected an architect or builder, he said.
Given the Dwares’ generous financial commitment, the building will be dedicated to their late parents – Martha Dwares Feingold and David Dwares and Pearl and Herbert Sachs.
“Our parents,” said Donald, “did so much for us. They taught us to give back to the community that helped us as we grew up. And the Alliance JCC is the best way that we can help the community, as it serves all the people in Rhode Island, and especially the Jewish community.”
“We were always hoping to do something [for the JCC building],” said Bonnie, who noted that many young people today lack the Yiddishkeit values they learned from their parents. “It’s very sad.”
Donald, a Rhode Island native, remembers meeting up with childhood friends when the building was located across the Sessions Street baseball field. He grew up on Laurel Avenue, just a few blocks away. “I remember when the JCC was built.”
Bonnie, who has lived in Rhode Island for the past 45 years, said, “Our kids went to day camp there, nursery school there, played basketball there, had birthday celebrations in the pool and played ball in the fields. We have to let today’s children enjoy the [Alliance JCC] just like our two sons, David and Marc. I couldn’t let it go down.”
Now Florida residents, the couple returns to Rhode Island for the summer months. But with strong ties to Providence, they are committed to rebuilding pride in this Jewish community.
“Fabulous people settled in Rhode Island and built the Jewish infrastructure, like the Hassenfelds, the Resses, the Riesmans, the Fains, the Rosens, the Rumplers, the Alperins, the Baxts and so many others,” said Donald. “They founded The Miriam Hospital, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, Jewish Family Service, the Home for the Aged and, of course, the Jewish Community Center. They built them all and the organizations thrived. Now it’s up to us to keep these institutions alive and vibrant and re-instill the pride in the Jewish community. We have to do it for the elderly, the middle-aged and especially for our youth. It is our responsibility.”
With a decline in both the Jewish population and in giving, Donald said, “We have to dig deeper, work harder and get more people involved. We can’t leave this work for the other guys, because the other guys moved out. Just like us.”
Recognizing the Alliance JCC’s needs and eager to keep the Alliance JCC alive and lively, Donald said, “We need to send a message: The Jewish community is still alive in Rhode Island. We can build one organization at a time. Let’s rebuild this facility now and bring it up-to-date so that the doors will be open to everyone. This is a community center established by Jews for all the members of the [larger] community.”
Philanthropy is not new to Donald and Bonnie Dwares. They have been active participants in Temple Emanu-El, the Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Service and The Miriam Hospital. They have also supported the Dana Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and Moses Brown School, from which both their sons graduated.
Bonnie explained that when Donald turned 75 this past April, he gave himself a party in Palm Beach. When his friends asked about a birthday gift, Bonnie suggested that a contribution to the [Alliance] JCC in Rhode Island would make Donald happy … and contribute they did. They raised more than $150,000. When it was announced at the party, Donald became very emotional. “My invitation said, ‘no gifts please,’ so I didn’t expect anything,” said Bonnie.
“We are a proud community that deserves a beautiful, renovated Alliance JCC,” said Savit, “and one that once again needs to be taken advantage of by our community members. As philanthropists who give simply for the greater good of our Rhode Island Jewish community, and who possess sterling values and wisdom, Donald and Bonnie inspire me – and should inspire us all. Our community is blessed to have them in our corner.”
Savit added, “From its inception on Benefit Street in 1914, to its former site on Sessions Street, to our present location on Elmgrove Avenue, the JCC has been just that – a center, a home, for the Jewish community. Donald and Bonnie Dwares’ grace and generosity will ensure that our community, and our much needed programs, will, indeed, continue to have a home that is accessible to each and every member of our community.”
“This gift is for everyone – the young and old, the abled and the disabled, mothers and fathers, and Jews as well as non-Jews,” Bonnie added. “Everyone wins with the Alliance JCC.”
For more information, contact Alliance President and CEO Jeffrey Savit: 421-4111 or jsa-vit@jewishallianceri.org.
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