JVS 2020 Year In Review

2020 YEAR IN REVIEW

Greetings!

2020 will certainly go down in the history books as a once in a lifetime year. A global pandemic, a related severe recession, stark racial violence and inequities, and a highly polarized election have all had their impact on JVS, our clients and our work. We look forward to 2021 with hope and a continued commitment to our mission and work. Like many, we will not be the organization we were, as we commit to taking full advantage of the technology and new ways of working we have adopted by necessity and now see as an opportunity.

We will be focusing on helping our clients, our state, and our nation through what we hope will be a strong economic recovery. We will expand our long-standing commitment to racial equity and grow our impact in the Black community and other communities of color. And, we look forward to a renewed focus on assisting the many refugees that will again be welcomed to our country and our state as they seek safety, opportunity, and a path to the American dream.

Continue reading for a quick recap of this year. Check out our website for a complete timeline of the year and this infographic for key milestones and accomplishments.

COVID RESPONSE

In mid-March, JVS quickly moved to a remote operating and service delivery model. This included technology and management changes to support staff and technology/curriculum/coaching adjustments for services.

COVID also caused Massachusetts to go from the lowest unemployment rate in the nation to the highest in two weeks. We needed to shift our focus from job quality to re-employment almost overnight. In response, we created an on-line Talent Match Portal, helping job seekers with re-employment and employers with quickly filling positions remotely.

THE NEW NORMAL

As the weeks became months, we knew that we had to not only adjust to the new normal but introduce and implement long-term solutions for the digital divide our clients are experiencing and how workforce development can play a role in the economic recovery. Throughout this year, we shared our experiences and recommendations by hosting three virtual forums and serving as panelists for a number of other workforce industry forums and webinars.

This summer, we had many firsts. We hired a new Chief Information Officer - welcome, Jim Santiago. We announced that BCAE joined the JVS family. Learn more about this exciting union and our plans for the near future. We also piloted a laptop lending initiative called the Technology Access Program. To date, we have loaned out 130 laptops and 45 hotspot connections across all programs.

In late October, we livestreamed elevate: The JVS Gala. This annual fundraising event has traditionally been held at a Boston hotel to celebrate our clients and honor key stakeholders and partners. This year, we all celebrated from our living rooms. Impressively, we attracted 300+ attendees and raised over $475,000! Thank you to our sponsors, staff, volunteers and vendors for making this event possible.

We have many exciting plans for 2021! Subscribe to our new distribution lists to stay up-to-date. To ensure that our staff, volunteers, and students can start the new year with renewed energy and focus, all JVS services will be closed from December 24th through January 3rd.

We thank you for all you have done to support our work and the work of so many others during this difficult year, and we look forward to joining you for a better year ahead.

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Jerry Rubin

President and CEO

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