This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In Salt Lake, the I.J. and Jeanne Wagner Jewish Community Center is a local example of a global effort to repair the world and promote peace.

The Jewish phrase is tikkun olam, according to Michael Wolfe, president of the Jewish Community Center's board. The phrase means repairing the world through social action. That, says Wolfe, is what the JCC is all about. In the early 1950s, I.J. "Izzi" Wagner established the JCC in memory of his wife Jeanne Wagner. Izzi Wagner believed that intolerance and hatred began in childhood. He founded the JCC with the hope that children of all backgrounds might grow up in an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance, free from hatred and bigotry. His statement is contained on a plaque at the JCC's Holocaust Memorial.

Located near the University of Utah Hospital, the JCC offers a full-service gym, a preschool, after-school care, summer camp and Jewish programs. Fort Douglas Country Club operated for decades at the JCC's current location and sometimes people refer to the JCC as a country club, but there is a big difference between a country club and a community center, Wolfe says. After all, a club is exclusive; a community center is inclusive.

Josh Goldberg leads the Maccibiad, a sports-oriented summer camp for boys 11-12 years old. Goldberg says that the JCC has been a central part of his own upbringing including summer camps, after-school programs and Hebrew school. He has just completed two bachelor's degrees at the University of Utah and will be going to Israel to pursue his master's degree.

"The JCC is great," said Goldberg. "We have a lot of camp counselors who went to camp here. Like the center, it's all about community and giving back something to others."

The JCC devotes a large part of its 100,000-square-foot facility to the Early Childhood Center, which has operated for 25 years. It is a completely secure facility for children 2 years old through kindergarten age. The Early Childhood Center offers drop-in day care for parents using the facility, preschool, day care, after-school, and summer camp programs. Erik Ludwig, program director at the JCC, says that he is especially proud of the Early Childhood Center and its special needs program.

Lisa Davenport operates the program, which focuses on integrating special-needs children into classes of children without special needs, a practice called mainstreaming. Davenport has a full caseload of seven children and works directly with each child in the classroom and with the teacher to offer the child an optimal, well-rounded experience.

"I focus on each child's specific needs," Davenport said. "For some it's motor skills, others have cognitive challenges; sometimes I feed children who are unable to feed themselves, or those who use a tube. I try to keep most of my work play-based, so that it doesn't feel like work to the kids."

Davenport says that she and her husband, Damian, came to Utah from Ohio four years ago because of the Beehive State's recreational opportunities.

Shannon Hollinger is the JCC aquatics director. She says the department works closely with Davenport and the kids with special needs. The aquatics instructors find working with special-needs kids exceptionally rewarding.

"With water, it is so easy to measure and to see the gains the children are making," she said.

Hollinger and an instructor tell of a young boy who was unable to put his face in the water.

"He was terrified of the pool," Hollinger said. "Now the young man is excited about getting into the water and can swim completely across the pool."

Early Childhood Development Director Sharlie Barber says that the center is fully accredited and licensed with the state, the National Association of Young Children and all applicable oversight groups.

"We follow very strict guidelines for the care and instruction of all our kids," Barber said.

The JCC is a nonprofit organization. Its major sources of funding are the Jewish Federation of Utah, fees, grants, donations and endowments. The JCC's fitness facilities include a climbing wall, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, gymnasium and a fitness center.

The JCC's slogan, "Enriching lives for 80 years," comes as the ready response from both the staff and people using the facility when asked about the JCC's purpose.

"Our programs are for everyone," Wolfe wrote in the JCC's August 2005 newsletter. "We do not discriminate and we encourage those who cannot afford our programs to apply for scholarships. Last year, we provided more than $50,000 in scholarships."