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At 5 feet 2 inches tall, Alan Engel was given little chance of making the baseball team at Ohio State University.
Even the physical education director at the Jewish Community Center in Engel's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, told him that his prospects for playing at the college level were slim to none.
But Engel didn't let the naysayers deter him. He was determined to play for Ohio State, and he did.
"When somebody says, 'You can't do it,' I probably get more motivated and strive a little bit harder and try to figure out ways to do it," he says. "Those kinds of things motivate me."
Engel, who for the past 13 years has been executive director of the Jewish Community Federation of Louisville Inc., describes himself as "competitive and fairly aggressive."
"I think in order to succeed you have to know what you want," he explains. "You have to have a goal. You have to go after it. If you don't, you're not going to reach it. I think being aggressive and assertive are attributes that are very healthy and can enhance one's success."
Bringing an aggressive styie
Now 55, Engel's collegiate baseball days are long behind him, but he still brings his competitive and aggressive nature to his job with the Jewish Community Federation.
The federation, founded in 1934, is a nonprofit agency that serves as the long-range planning and financial-resourcedevelopment body for the Louisville Jewish community. It is one of nearly 200 Jewish federations across the country.
Through its 16-person staff and several hundred volunteers, the group raises funds through the annual United Jewish Campaign and allocates those resources to provide ongoing financial support for social service agencies here and abroad. The federation also maintains an endowment fund of more than $ 15 million.
The goal for this year's fund-raising campaign is $3 million. Money raised assists a number of local agencies, including the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family and Vocational Service, the Louisville Hebrew School, the High School of Jewish Studies, Eliahu Academy and others.
In addition to fund raising, the federation is active in community relations and education, and in providing leadership development and training for the 9,000 members of Louisville's Jewish community.
The federation also plans missions to...