Stagiare Update
January 27, 2010
I received my regular update today from Aviva Segal, the early intervention specialist who heads our programs and was really pleased with what she had to say. She let me know that we already have a stagiare from McGill booked for next year. It is still really early for this but this volunteer really wanted to join. McGill said it was too late for this year so she informed us that she will wait for placement in the 2010/2011 session of the early intervention program. She told Aviva that she heard such wonderful things about the program from her peers who have been or are currently stagiares. In addition, two of Aviva's current stagiares who are helping her with the interventions now going on, extended their placements from one term to a full year. This means a lot as the reputation of both The Mack Belson Early Academic Intervention Program and The Mack Belson Reading Camp is growing within the universities. We rely on these stagiares to help us with our programs and they in turn get to benefit from the experience of working with Aviva in what are becoming top notch programs. How great is it that the Education/Psych department of...
[More]
Posted at: 07:36 PM | 2 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
The Mack Belson Early Intervention Program and Summer Reading Camp Update
December 16, 2009
Today I had a meeting with Aviva Segal at BJEC to get an update on the screenings that were recently completed on over 500 kindergarten students for The Mack Belson Early Academic Intervention Program. First and foremost, I would like to say how happy David and I are with Aviva at the helm of this wonderful program. Her level of commitment and professionalism is beyond reproach and each time I meet with her, I am reminded how lucky we are to have such an amazing administrator. We are also grateful to Dr. Karen Gazith and Fiona Nanson for their dedication and all the BJEC personnel including Helene Kaufman, Randi Glazer, Frumet Singer and Shifra Manis for helping with the day to day running of these programs. The purpose of this meeting was to talk about what has happened so far during this academic school year and what is in store for the months to come. With the help of Ed/Psych Master level stagiares from the department of Education at Mcgill University, Aviva has completed the assessments. When school resumes in January, interventions will begin for those children determined to be in some need of help. In May, reassessments will occur for a percentage of children. Of...
[More]
Posted at: 09:38 PM | 7 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
A Great Night At The Mack Belson Foundation First Annual Poker Tournament
November 6, 2009
Last night, 100 players attended our first annual poker tournament held at Le Living Room. Produced in conjunction with C3 Events, everyone had a great time. The food and cocktails started at 6pm and poker got under way at approximately 7:30. We didn't know what to expect with regard to attendance but everything fell into place. Although we have organized three previous fundraisers, this was the first time we attempted a poker night and we could not be happier with the results of the evening. Money was raised to help fund The Mack Belson Early Academic Intervention Program and The Mack Belson Reading Camp and people had fun. A big thank you must be extended to Eric Liverman and Donny Prashker who were adament about doing a poker tournament, who convinced David and I to go ahead with it and who helped us every step of the way. Another thank you to Steve Merling of C3 who helped us with the logistics and who was a great tournament director. Our deepest gratitude goes to all the volunteers of which there are too many to name but who we could not do without. As usual, Ruby Belson did a great job, this time calling...
[More]
Posted at: 05:07 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
The Mack Belson Foundation 2009 First Annual Poker Tournament
August 28, 2009
We are really pleased to announce that our first annual poker tournament will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5th at Le Living Room. We are also really happy to be working with Steve Merling of C3 events who has been an absolute pleasure to deal with. This tournament is happening because David has been playing poker on Thursday nights for years with the same guys. A great group of men who have been wanting to do a poker tournament in Mack's memory and to benefit the foundation for a couple of years. We held back because we did not want our fundraisers to compete with each other but this year, we felt confident and have decided to go ahead. We have worked very hard over the past 3 years to establish ourselves and although there is a lot of work still left to do, we know that we have come a long way. The Mack Belson Early Academic Intervention Program and The Mack Belson Reading Camp, both administered by the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre are growing and we are so proud of these two programs. This year, the early intervention program will be in 17 Jewish elementary schools and we have plans to extend the 2010 reading...
[More]
Posted at: 10:31 PM | 1 Comment | Add Comment | Permalink
The Mack Belson Reading Camp A Huge Success
July 16, 2009
Today was the last day of the Mack Belson Summer Reading Camp and again, I showed up to quietly observe. I had the privilege of meeting a young boy who was practicing reading a script with Fiona (Nanson). He informed me that he was intent on pursuing an acting career and Fiona thought that he would enjoy reading an actual script. This made me laugh, as well as his mother, who was patiently waiting for him. I got to talking with her and explained who I was. I asked her how the camp experience had been for her and her son and was really happy to hear her comments. How wonderful is it that her biggest complaint was that the camp was not long enough. She said her son, who had been having difficulty reading, had shown tremendous improvement and that the BJEC staff could not have been more accommodating. I also received an email from Aviva Segal who runs the program and she had attached some testimonials from parents about the camp. I will be posting them on the website tonight. On this third anniversary of Mack's death, I take comfort in the success of the reading camp named after...
[More]
Posted at: 04:38 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
The Mack Belson Reading Camp Begins
June 29, 2009
Welcome to the first post of The Mack Belson Foundation Apple Blog, a new feature on our website. It is here that I will be able to offer a personal insight into the developments and initiatives of the foundation and keep everyone in touch with what is going on. This morning I dropped into the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre so I could be there for the first day of The Mack Belson Reading Camp. I had a chance to meet some of the parents and to peek in on the kids in the pre-reading group. I did not want to stay too long and kind of faded into the background but not before I had a chance to take it all in. There are twenty kids registered in the camp which may not sound like a big number but to us, it means the world. Twenty kids who will get a chance to improve their reading skills and increase their chances of academic success. This is what it is all about. A big thank you to Aviva Segal, Karen Gazith and Fiona Nanson for their hard work in creating this camp. There is a need for it and our hope is for it...
[More]
Posted at: 10:28 PM | 2 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
