Member Highlights November 2019

The best part of our NETWORK is sharing successes. We want to promote your organizations. Let your fellow member agencies know what's going on in your community! Share updates with Megan , Director of Marketing & Communications.

A Name Change to Hamilton Jewish Family Services More than 60 friends of Hamilton Jewish Family Services , along with Board, Staff, and Volunteers, braved the cold and snow to attend Hamilton JFS's first annual Community Open House. The idea behind this night was to create opportunity for interested individuals to tour the agency firsthand, have their question answered, and to network with the community. That evening, Hamilton JFS announced their name change from Hamilton Jewish Social Services, shared the values that guide the agency, the new logo, and new website .

Collat JFS CARES Director Wins National Alzheimer's Award Pam Leonard, LBSW, CDP, of Collat Jewish Family Services in Birmingham, has been named Dementia Care Professional of the Year by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. In 2015, Pam led the launch of CJFS CARES as greater Birmingham’s first half-day respite program for families affected by dementia. Nearly five years later, CARES has helped the community launch additional programs to offer social, physical and cognitive engagement for people affected by Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke and other memory and movement disorders. Read more here .

JFCS Minneapolis and PRISM’s leaders’ Commentary on SNAP Cuts Published in Star Tribune Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis ' Advocacy Committee works to raise awareness, further change, and/or advocate funding for mission-related issues that JFCS programs and services address. Food security is one of the committee’s focus areas. In light of recent cuts to the SNAP, JFCS CEO Judy Halper and PRISM Executive Director Michelle Ness wrote a commentary that was published in the Star Tribune this month. Click here to read their commentary on startribune.com2 .

JFS Detroit Receives Grant for Legal Referral Service   Jewish Family Service of Detroit received a grant for its Legal Referral Service for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Funding from the Oakland County Bar Foundation will allow the agency’s Legal Referral Service to provide professional trainings and educational programs to JFS staff, the legal community, as well as the broader community on prevalent legal topics. The JFS Legal Referral Service was created to help JFS clients facing tough economic times to obtain legal consultation and possible representation.

JFS San Antonio Receives $100,000 Matching Grant Jewish Family Service of San Antonio was selected as one of the four organizations for a $100,000 matching grant from The Wade Richmond Foundation. This grant will enable JFS San Antonio to raise funds for mental health and social services.

Marjie Sokoll Presents Spirited Aging Program Marjie Sokoll, Director of Spirituality and Aging and founder and director of Jewish Family & Children's Service of Boston's   Jewish Healing Connections was invited to Chicago to present her Spirited Aging program for   JCFS Chicago ,  Emanuel Congregation , and  The Selfhelp Home ! Spirited Aging supports people of all ages and backgrounds in their search to find meaning, joy, and spirituality in their lives as they grow older.

JFS Seattle Selected as Uber Community Impact Initiative Partner In 2017, Uber Health responded to the need for transportation to be less of a barrier to stability for those with mobility and mental health challenges with the launch of its Community Impact Initiative, designed to provide financial assistance and rides to more than 45 nonprofit organizations across the region. As a grant recipient of the initiative, Jewish Family Service of Seattle can provide clients with free rides that are used for essential medical, mental health or dental appointments. For many clients, reliable and safe Uber rides have proven to be an invaluable resource. Continue reading here.

JFS LA Celebrates Completion of New Center Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles is celebrating the “topping off” of the last beam in the construction of their new headquarters, the Lois and Richard Gunther Center, which will house their administrative offices. The new center will have 28,341 square feet of space, including a fitness center and dining room. The new facility will house mental health services, support services for Holocaust survivors including Café Europa, counseling for victims of intimate partner violence, and an expansion of JFS’ older adult Health and Wellness Center. Learn more here.

Josefina Santiago Named Ultreya Honoree Josefina Santiago, Director of Workforce Development at JVSSoCa l, is a 2019 Ultreya honoree, a voice for justice, equity, and youth empowerment! The Urban Foundation’s annual “Ultreya!” celebration honors the difficult journey traveled by Kid City’s first generation college students. These students experience financial shortages, physical and mental stress, lack of transportation, housing, and increasingly, even lack of food. Learn more here .

Share exciting news with the Network about innovative, sustainable, programming and events, awards and grants and timely highlights. Email Megan .

‌