Chabad of Plano/Collin County will celebrate its 30th anniversary March 27 with its annual gala, Going Forward with Strength. Rabbi Menachem Block and his wife, Rivkie Block, will be honored during the event for their three decades of service as the founders and leaders of Chabad of Plano/Collin County.

“When my wife, Rivkie, and I arrived in Plano from Brooklyn with two young children 30 years ago, we knew we had a big job ahead,” Menachem Block said in a statement. “At that time Plano housed a population of 100,000 people with a fledgling Jewish community. Our goal was to fill that void, and with the help of so many loyal friends and supporters, we have been successful. In fact, we are outgrowing our current structure."

From 1992 to 2000, the Blocks worked out of their home, holding Hebrew school, services and classes there. When the Chabad center opened in 2000, it offered a synagogue, a Hebrew school, Camp Gan Israel, a Jewish library, holiday celebrations and more.

“This is a couple who continue to put people first, and they have grown Chabad into a thriving, inspirational community—a community that has expanded through the leadership of their children,” Chabad supporter Howard Shapiro said in a statement.

Of the Blocks' eight children, four of them lead Chabad centers of their own with their spouses in Legacy West, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Rockwall.

The March 27 celebration is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Chabad of Plano/Collin County is located at 3904 W. Park Blvd., Plano. 972-596-8270. www.chabadplano.org