Inclusive Playground for Temple Israel of Brevard
Tax deductible
Temple Israel of Brevard believes that family and faith create a sense of community for those who come to worship. And there is no better way to get parents and children interacting outside of services and religious school than to provide a whimsical play space where kids are excited to play and parents and adults can gather to socialize in a safe, outdoor environment. An inclusive playground would remove barriers to exclusion, both physical and social, providing a 'sensory rich' experience for all.
Our congregation membership includes special needs children as well as a number of vulnerable senior adults. In addition, 38% of our membership is financially needy with limited social or recreational outlets. Since inclusion is a core value of our faith and congregational philosophy, we have identified a need to bring together children and families of all walks of life and abilities for activities beyond worship. We believe an inclusionary playground is an important first step. Our only restriction is funding.
It is our vision that this playground would attract young families to our temple who could use the playground at any time. It would be an additional opportunity for Jewish families of all walks of life to come together for Jewish friendship and fellowship.
Eventually, we would like to take our concept a step further in Phase II of this project and plan to add a small park-like area with a boardwalk overlooking a nature refuge, swings for adults, and a butterfly garden. When completed, this playground will address the special needs of children and vulnerable adults and fill a need within our community offered by few faith communities. In addition to meeting unmet needs, we also hope this distinctive playground will attract membership and be an additional source of outside rental revenue, fulfilling our sustainability goals.
^Proposed Inclusive Playground for Temple Israel of Brevard
More information about Temple Israel of Brevard: Temple Israel is a dynamic Reform Congregation that was formed on Merritt Island, Florida, in 1965. In 1997, we moved from our first dedicated house of worship to our current location in Viera, Florida. After facing a myriad of hurdles that threatened our sustainability, a decision was made in 2018 to sell 7½ acres of our 10-acre property. We used the remaining 2½ acres to build an 8,500 square-foot synagogue nearby the existing structure.
Our decision to build in a new location allowed us to reduce maintenance and operational costs as well as create a building and grounds with a fresh look that better meets the needs of our current congregation while allowing room for modest growth. Building so close to our prior house of worship minimized the impact to our congregation while maximizing our exposure to the growing Viera/North Melbourne, Florida community.
Through a lease-back arrangement, our congregation’s activities were housed in the current synagogue through June 2020. Due to COVID-19, we are worshipping virtually until it is safe for our new temple to finally open its doors to our eager congregation.
^Rendering of the new Temple Israel of Brevard building
Our congregation membership includes special needs children as well as a number of vulnerable senior adults. In addition, 38% of our membership is financially needy with limited social or recreational outlets. Since inclusion is a core value of our faith and congregational philosophy, we have identified a need to bring together children and families of all walks of life and abilities for activities beyond worship. We believe an inclusionary playground is an important first step. Our only restriction is funding.
It is our vision that this playground would attract young families to our temple who could use the playground at any time. It would be an additional opportunity for Jewish families of all walks of life to come together for Jewish friendship and fellowship.
Eventually, we would like to take our concept a step further in Phase II of this project and plan to add a small park-like area with a boardwalk overlooking a nature refuge, swings for adults, and a butterfly garden. When completed, this playground will address the special needs of children and vulnerable adults and fill a need within our community offered by few faith communities. In addition to meeting unmet needs, we also hope this distinctive playground will attract membership and be an additional source of outside rental revenue, fulfilling our sustainability goals.
^Proposed Inclusive Playground for Temple Israel of BrevardMore information about Temple Israel of Brevard: Temple Israel is a dynamic Reform Congregation that was formed on Merritt Island, Florida, in 1965. In 1997, we moved from our first dedicated house of worship to our current location in Viera, Florida. After facing a myriad of hurdles that threatened our sustainability, a decision was made in 2018 to sell 7½ acres of our 10-acre property. We used the remaining 2½ acres to build an 8,500 square-foot synagogue nearby the existing structure.
Our decision to build in a new location allowed us to reduce maintenance and operational costs as well as create a building and grounds with a fresh look that better meets the needs of our current congregation while allowing room for modest growth. Building so close to our prior house of worship minimized the impact to our congregation while maximizing our exposure to the growing Viera/North Melbourne, Florida community.
Through a lease-back arrangement, our congregation’s activities were housed in the current synagogue through June 2020. Due to COVID-19, we are worshipping virtually until it is safe for our new temple to finally open its doors to our eager congregation.
^Rendering of the new Temple Israel of Brevard buildingOrganizer
Temple Israel
Organizer
Melbourne, FL
Temple Israel of Brevard
Beneficiary