Now in her second year as a JFM Board Member, Lainey Bokhaut knows that having young people represented on the Board of Directors, herself the youngest, is necessary for the future of the Foundation and the community.
"It's important that there still be appealing ways to be involved in the community, even if we are not as religiously observant as the generations before us," says Bokhaut.
"I joined the board to be involved in the places where critical decisions are being made. It's important that we elevate the voices and address the desires of young adults in our community.
A few years ago, another young professional in the community and I tried to do what we could to try and maintain connections among those who have grown up in the community together and reconnect with those who may have drifted apart.
Summer camps and Jewish schooling naturally kept us connected while we were young. As we grow and veer off in different directions, more effort must be made to maintain our connectedness."
Attending Gray Academy until grade five and spending her summers at BB Camp, Lainey developed those connections to the community she now seeks to rekindle and maintain for her peers and future generations.
A tax accountant who specializes in working with physicians and medical clinics, Lainey's desire to help the community be a place she wants to see succeed is evident as her commitment to the board is noticeable to anyone who is around her.
Lainey joined the JFM Board of Directors in 2021 and also currently sits on the audit and finance committee.