November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time when we recognize the millions of Americans who are caring for loved ones with illnesses, disabilities, and other physical, cognitive, and mental health conditions. From helping with shopping and transportation to providing complex medical care in their own homes, these family caregivers are a vital component of the health and long-term care system and a critical resource sustaining our national economy. For older adults facing the devastating toll of social isolation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also a lifeline to the outside world and source of hope for better days ahead. Continue reading here.

This year, NJHSA invites you to share your experiences in response to COVID-19, and are asking you to strongly consider what our sector should do, moving forward, as we continue to navigate the implications of the global pandemic. Learn more here and access the rfps.

RespectAbility joined NJHSA! RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization that works collaboratively with employers, entertainment leaders, governors, policy makers, educators, self-advocates, non-profits, faith-based organizations, philanthropists and the media to fight stigmas and advance opportunities. Led by diverse people with disabilities and allies, RespectAbility knows that people with disabilities and their families have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. Please join us in welcoming them.

Robin Mencher will join Jewish Family & Community Services of East Bay on December 14, 2020 as the new Executive Director. Robin comes to JFCS East Bay after a distinguished tenure at KQED Public Media, where she most recently served as Executive Director of KQED Education. There, she built an educational service around the impact outcomes of equity and access, media literacy, and youth civic engagement. Prior to that, Robin worked as a Program Director at the San Francisco Education Fund and as a high school teacher in San Lorenzo. Robin is a longtime member of the East Bay community and brings expertise in nonprofit management, partnership building, fundraising, and leadership development. 

Wednesday, December 9th | 11:30am ET | REGISTER

The Network is pleased to announce a new partnership with Get Connected by Galaxy Digital, a volunteer management software company that's created a powerful web-based tool to simplify volunteer management and boost volunteer engagement. Learn how you can Get Connected by Galaxy Digital. You'll discover more about the 15% across the board discount and the 25% discount once there are 20 members using Get Connected! Get Connected offers powerful features including Volunteer App, Hours Tracking, Scheduling, Event Management, Volunteer Check-In, and Groups & Teams. Sign up for a personalized group webinar presented by a volunteer management technology specialist from Galaxy Digital. See how other NJHSA partners are using Get Connected and how the system can help you save time and grow your program!

NJHSA invites the participation of NJHSA US member agencies in good standing to join in a collaborative response to a Request for Proposals issued by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and its Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care. The focus for this Request for Proposals is for National Networks to provide for Innovations in Person-Centered, Trauma-informed Supportive Services for Older Adults with Histories of Trauma with a program response utilizing technology to address social isolation. The JFNA and its Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care is issuing this RFP as an initiative of its grant from the US Administration for Community Living (ACL). Learn more here.

Please note: Funding Opportunity for US NJHSA Member Agencies

In some of the webinars Start Co has been presenting for the Network agencies and in our individual discussions with groups across the country; we have been discussing not just how to build new programs and services, but also other interventions that may better enable those programs and services. Sometimes it is hard to pull ourselves out of the day to day work and take a macro look at the social landscape we are building in. Continue reading Andre's latest blog here.

Listen to the November 4th webinar, Risk Factors & Competitive Landscape here.

Talking Scale | Wednesday, December 9th | 1pm ET | REGISTER

**Non-Members are encouraged to contact Karen Rosen, Director of Membership,

The NJHSA Board of Directors approved the 2021 US and Canadian Public Policy Agendas earlier this week.

This past Election Day, voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota approved measures to regulate cannabis for adult recreational use, bringing the total to 15 states and 3 territories, while 34 states and two territories allow medical marijuana. Visit the sites below for state-by-state regulations and federal guidance.

Building on the success of the annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, NJHSA has partnered with JFNA to bring you Jewish Disability Advocacy Month (JDAM) in February, a monthlong virtual educational and community-building experience culminating in a week of action and advocacy. The programming will be designed to fight societal stigma surrounding individuals with disabilities and promote opportunities for full inclusion in the Jewish community and beyond. JFNA needs your help! Key to JDAM’s success is support of local partner agencies like you. There is no cost to being a Local Partner and the event is free for participants. Learn more here.

As JFNA proudly advances care for Holocaust survivors through their Holocaust Survivor Initiative, they are also excited to announce the JFNA Center on Aging and Trauma! A new grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living builds on the lessons learned from serving Holocaust survivors to develop innovations in person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) care for Holocaust survivors and other populations with a history of trauma and their family caregivers as well. JFNA's site, AgingAndTrauma.org, offers resources on the PCTI approach, including summaries of JFNA-funded programs, inspiring blog posts from subgrantees, publications, webinars, and brand new infographics. Learn more here.

From November 12th-30th, @ServetheMoment will mobilize Jewish young adults and college students (ages 18-29) to complete acts of service and learning targeted towards combating the food insecurity crisis exacerbated by COVID-19. The US is facing the most severe food insecurity crisis since the Great Depression. Food insecurity has increased by 70% since the start of the pandemic, with Black, Latinx, and Indigenous families disproportionately affected by both food insecurity and COVID-19. Join @RepairtheWorld and the #JewishServiceAlliance to #ServetheMoment through volunteering with organizations providing critical assistance this fall. This month, join us to #VolunteerVirtually, serve in person following CDC guidelines, learn about food insecurity, and mobilize our communities to join us: servethemoment.org

As the pandemic exacerbates the many injustices in our country, we know that the work of our placements is incredibly urgent, and that the demand for their services has only increased during Covid-19. Similarly, we know that right now, many young people are facing an uncertain job market and the question of how they can jumpstart meaningful careers, plug into justice work, and find community during times of isolation. Click here to learn more about joining the Jewish Service Corps.

With 75% of Jewish organizations scheduled to be looking for new top leadership in the next five years as baby boomer CEOs retire, JWI’s Jewish Communal Women’s Leadership Project is clearing the path for women to ascend to these executive positions. A select group of senior-level women seeking C-suite positions piloted the project in fall 2019; in 2020, JWI is taking the project national. Learn more here.

NJHSA is partnering with Days of Gratitude to help us lift our blessings and build our resilience in the face of the pandemic and current challenges.

Days of Gratitude will culminate in May with a worldwide celebration of gratitude, in the seven days leading up to Shavuot. Join the global gratitude journey and explore Days of Gratitude activities. Sign up to join Days of Gratitude today.

These local grants are designed to address the unique needs of the communities where Walmart operates. They include a variety of organizations, such as animal shelters, elder services and community clean-up projects. Deadline: Open. Learn more information here.

The AmeriCorps Seniors program is committed, in this grant competition, to focus on programs that actively engage in removing structural racial inequities, advancing racial equality, and increasing opportunity in order to achieve sustainable change in communities. AmeriCorps Seniors encourages grant applications to include work plans that advance justice and equality in areas such as education. Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 3, 2021. Learn more here.

The Connected Care Pilot Program will provide up to $100 million from the Universal Service Fund (USF) over a three-year period to selected applicants to support the provision of connected care services. The Commission adopted final rules for the Connected Care Pilot Program on April 2, 2020 (see FCC 20-44). The Pilot Program will provide funding for selected pilot projects to cover 85% of the eligible costs of broadband connectivity, network equipment, and information services necessary to provide connected care services to the intended patient population. The Pilot Program will not fund end-user devices or medical equipment. Deadline: December 7th. Learn more here.

A listing of open positions at member agencies can be found here.

Non-members may post positions for 60 days for a fee. Email Megan to learn more.