“A distinct memory I have is of feeling safe here at the J,” said Jamie Kippur Yoder, while sitting in the J’s upstairs art studio, a place where her youngest daughter creates art alongside her Early Childhood Education (ECE) classmates.

Jamie has spent most of her life as a community member at the J, from preschool in the ECE program to summer Camp J to the Maccabi Games, when she was just 12 years old. “I think you had to be 13, but if it was in your hometown, you could be 12. I played basketball there that year, not for my athleticism,” Jamie jokes. “But because I was tall.” 

“We hosted kids from Israel that we actually still talk to. We’re still connected with them, via Facebook. But, for sure, Maccabi Games is one of my most distinct memories here.”
 

Even earlier than that, Jamie remembers hiding under the table of her ECE class, tears streaming down her face, as a clown was visiting her class. “I was terrified of clowns, and Jill [Rosenzweig], who ran early childhood back in the day, took me out of the room. She made me feel so safe and just so loved.”
 

The J’s ECE program has touched Jamie’s life in many ways. “My strongest relationships are with the families I met at the J growing up.” Jamie has been in the wedding parties of many of the friends she made through the J, and they were in hers. “Something really special to our family is that my kids have then been in the weddings of the other kids that I met when I was in preschool here. I think it’s unique.”
 

When it came to deciding where Jamie wanted to send her daughters to preschool, the J was an easy choice. “I chose to send my daughters to the J because I was super comfortable here. I was familiar with it, and I felt like my kids were first and foremost safe. I’ve also loved all the teachers where I feel like they’re more family than even sometimes our own family.”
 

While Jamie’s family is Jewish, she explained that “some of my closest friends that I’ve met through my kids being at school here are actually not Jewish at all. They’ve loved it and they love coming over for challah on Fridays! The J impacts the whole Tucson community by being somewhere that anyone can go.”
 

“I think another unique thing about the J is the leadership and how apparent they are and how accessible they are. It’s so cool that Todd [Tucson J President + CEO] is in the front, and my girls feel comfortable enough to go up to him and comment on his cool socks when they walk in,” said Jamie. “Having leaders from the community like Fran Katz [Chief Development Officer] in a position here is so nice to see because these people know this community inside and out.”
 

So, all of these years later, why has Jamie continued to make the J a part of her life? The J “has a little bit of everything,” Jamie said. Her daughters can attend preschool and summer camp, she can meet up with friends to exercise at the Fitness and Wellness Center, and the pool and splashpad make for family fun throughout the year. Her youngest daughter’s answer? “Playing with my friends,” and, of course, the challah.