Nonprofit Group Squeezes In Last-Minute Donations

On a day when many people were lounging at home on a holiday break, the fund-raising staff at the Jewish Federation / Valley Alliance trooped into work for one of its busiest days of the year.

It was Dec. 31, the last day for donors to squeeze in a 1998 tax write-off by making a charitable contribution to the nonprofit group. The Jewish Federation raised about $6.5 million in 1998 for social services in the San Fernando and nearby valleys, said David Levy, the director of the Valley fund-raising campaign.

“This is a big day for us. It’s like our April 15,” Levy said, referring to another annual tax deadline.

So the fund-raisers skipped leaving work early to slip off to a New Year’s Eve gala. You never know who might be calling with a last-minute pledge.

“One year, someone called us at four o’clock and gave us $6,000 on a credit card, which is why no one can leave the office early,” Levy said.

The millions raised will go to a wide variety of programs in the San Fernando, Conejo, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys. Among other things, the group runs a kosher food pantry and two domestic violence centers in the San Fernando Valley, provides social workers for families in crisis, and offers adult day care for Alzheimer’s patients.

The federation will kick off its 1999 fund-raising campaign with a celebration Saturday at the Madrid Theater in Canoga Park. For more information or to reserve tickets, call (818) 464-3200.