The Korkin Family
Left to right
Kerri Korkin Sonenshine, Gerry & Sally Korkin, Suzanne Korkin Afergan
On Monday, May 9th, Hillel at Miami will be joining 150 other Hillels around the world for the third annual #HillelGlobalGivingWeek. Thanks to the incredible generosity of former Hillel at Miami Board President (2012 - 2020), Gerry Korkin, and his wife, Sally, together with their daughters, Suzanne Afergan and Kerri Sonenshine, all gifts to support Hillel at Miami during Hillel Global Giving Week from May 9-13 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000 (and a maximum of $2,000 per gift) to strengthen Jewish life at Miami University!
It’s an honor to introduce you to the Korkin family so that you can learn about their generosity and commitment to Jewish life at Miami University.
Shabbat Shalom,
Whitney Fisch, MSW
Executive Director
Sally and I raised our daughters, Kerri and Suzanne, in Wyoming, Ohio. Kerri met her husband, Danny, at the University of Pennsylvania, and they live in Newport Beach, CA. Suzanne met her husband, Mike Afergan, while living in Boston following college and graduate school, and they live in Newton, MA.
Sally and I did not have a class at home to instruct our daughters about giving back. They learned by osmosis through watching and listening to us in our home. Giving was not just about making a financial gift, but the gift of time and work as well. The phrase, give us your time, your talent and your treasure is relevant in the Korkin family. Our daughters saw us involved in Wyoming school and civic programs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters (each of us was a “Big”), Rockdale Temple, the Union for Reform Judaism, Hebrew Union College and more. During my career as a Development Director at Miami University, I stopped by the Hillel building, spoke with the director at that time, asking if I could be of help. Of course.
How does this translate to today? Serving as President of Hillel at Miami was important to ensure there was a Jewish presence on campus and a place for Jewish students to connect.
In Boston, Suzanne volunteers at Jewish Big Brothers of Boston, was president of their elementary school’s PTO, and chaired the Education Committee at their temple. Coach Mike has trained Maya (12) and Ben (9) to play soccer, catch softballs and pitch baseballs on multiple teams. In California, Kerri and Danny have both served on the board of directors of their children’s schools and Kerri as president of Human Options, an organization working with survivors of domestic violence. Their daughter Maggie, a second year at NYU, serves on a board at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Learning. Sarah (16) serves on the Jewish student organization’s board at her school. Tobey (7) I am sure will find his way shortly.
The Korkin, Afergan and Sonenshine families are proud to offer a matching gift for Hillel Global Giving Week that will benefit Hillel at Miami University. Please join us and be supportive of the 1,000+ Jewish students on the Oxford campus who celebrate their Judaism in a meaningful way.
~Gerry Korkin
