Craig Meltzner & Elaine Walter

L’dor v’dor (from generation to generation) is a Jewish phrase which refers to continuity, the responsibility of passing on knowledge and traditions to sustain them for the future. This concept informs our plans to leave a bequest to CDSS.

We met folk dancing, and our marriage and family life has been enriched by community dance and song, largely from our home base in Northern California. We’ve danced throughout the U.S. and even in Jerusalem, courtesy of an American expatriate dancer. As toddlers, our daughters fell asleep on the sidelines of contra dances, and as they grew, joined us on the dance floor and at summer camps. This summer we look forward to CDSS Family Week at Ogontz with our daughter and 2-year-old granddaughter—the next generation to share the tradition with us.

As local dance organizers, we appreciate the volunteer energy and resources that sustain our communities. We are inspired by the musicians, callers, song leaders, composers, choreographers, and instructors who preserve and extend these traditions.

For over 100 years, CDSS has supported and connected us as individuals and communities who love participatory dance, music, and song. As a former CDSS Board member and Treasurer, I know that developing a sustainable financial base is essential to CDSS’s future. I was proud to help implement CDSS’s “robust reserves” plan. We are pleased to include CDSS in our estate plan to help ensure CDSS will be here for decades to come, to help spread the joy to future generations—l’dor v’dor.