The 84th Hadassah-WIZO Bazaar is over and done. The last one. There is some grieving, of course, and some bittersweet emotion. There are memories and fond feelings, and ambivalence and regrets, to be sure. But one thing is also sure: this one was the last.

I went this past October to say “goodbye.” I loved watching all those intent shoppers who mostly had no idea they were supporting Israel with their purchases. And I admit I snagged a great pair of shoes. I went to cheer on and talk to those hard-working volunteers – mostly women – whose love and endurance made the bazaar a yearly “happening.” They used to get thousands of volunteers and representatives from scores of chapters.

I spoke with one volunteer who had worked at 40 bazaars and was working this last one with both her mother and her daughter. This woman admitted simply that “times have changed” – the bazaar couldn’t sustain itself with less volunteers, less chapters, less shoppers and less bargains. The economy has changed, and organizers couldn’t get enough donated merchandise anymore, and there are now dozens of flea markets and dollar stores where a convenient metziah can be found all year long.

And we all know that a good volunteer is hard to find these days. Both men and women work incredibly long hours, and in their precious spare time, they want to “chill out.” Many workplaces expect night-time meetings as part of a supposed eight-hour working day, and people have little time left for their kids, let alone hobbies.

And, perhaps most sadly, few young women appreciate anymore the vast opportunities for meaningful interaction, leadership development and tikkun olam that women’s organizations such as Hadassah-WIZO (of which I am proud to be a lifetime member) offer.

They mistakenly look upon these groups as little more than the envelope stuffers and brownie bakers of their mother’s generation. How wrong they are!

Yet these are the realities, folks. People’s lives have changed. So organizations need to change, too. The bazaar made me think of the question that all of us involved in fundraising and charitable organizations should be willing to ask ourselves: what happens when a very good program – one that the community loves and respects – has reached its “best by” date? When its shelf life says “expired?” How do we re-energize our institutions, propel them into new paradigms and urge them to rethink and re-evaluate and press onward when it’s much easier to just repeat the tried-and-true “same old, same old?”

It’s hard for community leaders with vision to push the community forward. People don’t always like change. They are happy with “what is.” If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, they say. And even if it is broke, can’t we fix it just a little, leaving most of it intact, please?

As Jews, we cherish tradition. But as citizens of the 21st century, we know that time marches on, and all things change. I salute Hadassah-WIZO not only for 84 years of a great program, but for the courage to move on to the next great idea.