Judy Gross: Making A Difference at the JCC and Beyond

Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's literacy programs rest on one basic truth: One person can make a huge difference in another person's life. Judy Gross, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's Director of Literacy + Math Programs, embodies this principle while inspiring thousands of others to make a difference as well.

Gross was raised with the value of helping others. "Long before there was such a thing as community service requirements," she says, "my parents encouraged their children to give back in a meaningful way."

A commercial real estate lawyer before she had her children, Elana, 28, and Rebecca, 24, Gross was introduced to the JCC's Gift of Literacy program in 1998. Just a few months later, she ran into a second-grader she had tutored who greeted her with a smile and hug, and it occurred to Gross that this could be a captivating career path. She enrolled at Teachers College, earning a degree as a reading specialist while continuing to volunteer with the JCC. Not only was she interested in teaching, but she also appreciated the value of recruiting and training dedicated volunteers to help students succeed. Upon graduating, she was hired as a Gift of Literacy afterschool teacher, and in 2001 became the program's coordinator of volunteers.

"I look forward to my job every day," Gross says. "I work with the cutest kids and the kindest adults. I meet committed, devoted people. We see the kids grow, and get to know their families. I also enjoy getting to know our volunteers, most of whom have had fascinating work lives and all of whom value the importance of academic achievement to ensure success in life."

Under her leadership, the program has grown from 80 volunteers to close to 400. It's expanded from two public schools to six, with ten literacy and six math programs. The program also works with three community-based partner organizations: Stryckers Bay Neighborhood Council, The Dome Project, and West End Intergenerational Residence. In addition, it now includes high school-level tutoring in NYS Regents subject areas, college mentoring, and a summer math/ literacy tutoring program with more than 100 volunteers serving 75 students.

But promoting literacy is only one way Gross works to help others. An avid bicyclist, she is the JCC team captain for the annual Hazon Ride and Retreat, helping to raise money for environmental organizations under Jewish auspices. During Labor Day weekend, riders travel to the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut, coming together for Shabbat services, discussion groups, exercise classes, and ride days.

Gross is proud that her daughters have adopted her values in their own lives. "The girls came to schools with me, recognized the needs of others, and followed their strengths to find careers that better the world." Elana works for a marketing agency that helps organizations such as Taglit-Birthright Israel and Hillel International engage millennials through social media and is her mother's co-captain for the Hazon Ride and Retreat. Rebecca works and lives in the African nation of Malawi, where she began her own nonprofit organization, teaching financial literacy and business skills to high school girls and dropouts.

Bringing together adults who care and children eager to learn is "thrilling," Gross says. "It makes a big city a friendly village."

Sherri Lerner is the former editorial director at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She has written and edited for numerous publications and is currently on the staff of the Wechsler Center.