Staff Spotlight: Carrie Jacoves, Development Associate

It’s time again to meet another Zimmer staff member. Say hello to Carrie, our Development Associate!

Name: Carrie Sue Jacoves
Position: Development Associate
A little bit about her: Carrie was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, in addition to going to undergraduate and graduate school locally.  She received her BA in Sociology from California State University at Northridge and her MBA at the American Jewish University (formerly  University of Judaism).

Carrie is thrilled to have cultivated her career (the last 15 and a half years) with the Zimmer Children’s Museum after her first nine years working with JCCA as the Special Events Director and then as the Site Director at the Hollywood Los Feliz JCC.

While working full time with JCCA and the Zimmer, she has raised two children (Hayden, 20 and Rachael, almost 17) and enjoys life with her husband Mitch.  When she is not here at work,  Carrie is trying to get in a Half Marathon or two but really has her eye on the full 26.2 mile course of the LA Marathon in March (and she so enjoys raising money for her efforts that directly benefit the Zimmer!).  She also enjoys her extended families (all who live near by) and loves to travel to Scuba Dive.  Other than that– you can bet she is taking a nap!

Childhood hero: I know it is cheesy, but I would have to say my mom.  She was always doing so much all at once.  Besides raising 6 kids and always having a dog while I was growing up, she entertained all the time, started a catering business, and worked out of the home too.  She was my best role model.

Take me through a day in the life of Carrie at the Zimmer.
I have always been excited to get to work to see what awaits me.  I have never had a boring day working for the Zimmer.  I work on many events simultaneously, from Zimmerpalooza, our annual art exhibit show&tell,  various theatre or movie events, our special Mother’s Day Luncheon, and of course our Gala event in November.  I love the rush of having to multi-task.  I enjoy working with the lay leaders and seeing their enthusiasm for our mission and what we bring to the community.  Additionally, I have the opportunity to assist Esther Netter in raising additional funds that are not necessarily tied to an event.  There are many specific details that go into each project and through phone calls, emails, and notes, it all comes together with the culmination of the event– my favorite day!

What’s your favorite exhibit at the Zimmer?
Rhythms of the World. Being a musician as a kid (I played violin and flute), I love that the Zimmer visitors can sit and make their own music and hear it instantaneously.  The computer program then changes the sound of the music to that of various countries, so the child learns about diversity. The written musical notes are the same but by changing the country of origin, for instance, the sounds of the instruments slightly change, and it becomes very different music.

What is the most memorable thing you have been involved in here?
It is hard to really pick one.  So I am going to pick two!  I was involved in producing these events from the very beginning.  I am proud to say we are currently working on the 12^th Annual Discovery Award Dinner, and we have come a long way since planning our first Gala back in 2001.  I have the opportunity to work closely with the honorees,  so I enjoy giving them a party for their accomplishments in their lives. Sometimes I get to surprise them with their friends and family who produce memorable pages in the Tribute Ad Journal I produce for the event too. I enjoy having relationships and interactions with them after the dinner as they become more involved with the Zimmer Museum and our youTHink arts education initiative in the public schools.

The second event/fundraiser is our series of show&tell art exhibits.  This year will be our 8^th event.  Producing an art exhibit with a different theme every year and working with the artists who donate their artwork 100% to the Zimmer has been extremely rewarding, exciting and fun.  Check it out: http://www.zimmermuseum.org/showandtell.html.  I just love when we find great homes for the art!

Thanks, Carrie! Check back next month to meet another member of the Zimmer team!

Zimmer Children’s Museum CEO Esther Netter Says “Welcome!”

“We learn by doing” is the premise for our museum, our educational outreach, and our play. Welcome to the Zimmer Children’s Museum, where kids can learn how to rescue by imagining themselves as a coast guard boat captain, as a fire fighter, or as an ambulance driver. At the Zimmer, we teach about building community by giving our visitors the chance to build theirs. Through art, creative role play, imagination, innovation, and sheer play, children of all ages can learn about what it takes to be an active part of a community by participating in our exhibits and programming. And when you are too old for the museum, you can learn by doing community service, taking action, and being a peer leader in the Zimmer’s youTHink initiative. We all learn by doing, so come visit us and “do.” 

 

“Not many years ago I began to play the cello. Most people would say that what I am doing is ‘learning to play’ the cello. But these words carry into our minds the strange idea that there exists two very different processes: (1) learning to play the cello; and (2) playing the cello. They imply that I will do the first until I have completed it, at which point I will stop the first process and begin the second. In short, I will go on ‘learning to play’ until I have ‘learned to play’ and then I will begin to play. Of course, this is nonsense. There are not two processes, but one. We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way.”

- John Holt, from Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit