Hillel Academy has hired Patty Caruso as its director of development. She’s assisting with fund raising, marketing, public relations, publicity, and outreach to continue the Jewish day school’s already growing enrollment.

Elaine Bettman is one of eight honorees for this year’s YWCA Women of Influence Awards Luncheon, to be held March 13 at the Dayton Convention Center.

Ann Berger is coordinating the chefs for The Ronald McDonald House of Dayton’s 4th Annual Doors of Compassion Fundraiser on March 29. Ann served as the event’s first chair in 2011, as co-chair in 2012, and as an honorary co-chair last year. The program begins with dinner prepared by one of several chefs, served in a private residence. “What makes this event so unique is that our guests will not know who’s home they are going to until a couple days before the event,” Ann says. Following dinner, guests meet for an after party, with the location revealed only after the meals. Among the chefs participating this year are Adam Baumgarten of Bernstein’s Fine Catering and Jeff Blumer of Bellyfire. Erv Pavlofsky of ProduceOne provides the salad greens for the dinners and allows event planners use of ProduceOne warehouse space to organize and distribute the food items to the chefs. Those opening their homes for the dinners include Gary and Fifi Froelich, Lauren and Aaron Hamer, Marilyn and Larry Klaben, and Andi Rabiner. Arlene Stine is on the chefs committee. Ann says that kosher and vegetarian meals will be available upon request.

Rachel Wilson has the lead in the play Expecting Isabel at The Dayton Theatre Guild, Feb. 29 through March 16. This marks Rachel’s eighth show with The Guild.

Noah Faust recently had his toy invention, Conjoynts, sold on zulily.com, an online retailer, as part of its Kid Inventors Day. Noah has since participated with Zulily on two other sales events. “I came up with the idea in my high school engineering class,” Noah says. “The school had recently purchased a laser engraver, which inspired me to try and create a more open-ended version of those wooden puzzles you see in science museum gift shops. Using AutoDesk Inventor and some scrap plywood, I worked out the tolerances and created the toy.” He also credits encouragement from his high school engineering teacher and a successful Kickstarter campaign (online entrepreneurial fund raising). He manufactured 500 Conjoynts sets and shipped them to backers in countries all over the world. Noah has been selling Conjoynts on his website, conjoynts.com, and to various retailers around the Midwest. In February, he pitched Conjoynts to WakeUp StartUp, a monthly entrepreneurship gathering in Columbus. Noah is a sophomore honors student at Ohio State studying electrical engineering. He is the son of Sara and Mitchell Faust.

At the Annual Community Scout Shabbat Service on Jan. 31, Temple Beth Or’s Rabbi Judy Chessin received the Shofar Award from the Dayton Jewish Committee on Scouting and National Jewish Committee on Scouting. The Shofar Award recognizes outstanding service by adults in the promotion of Scouting among Jewish youths. More than 100 Scouts and adult Scouters attended this year’s service, which was held at Temple Beth Or.

Send your Kvelling items to Rachel at kvellingcorner@gmail.com.

To read the complete March 2014 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.