We function as independent organizations and yet we comprise a network of Jewish family and vocational service agencies that change lives, strengthen families and represent the Jewish communal impulse to care for our own and our neighbors.  The following stories [i]  are meant to remind us all of the impact we all have. 

Brian is a young man who has never let his developmental disability slow him down, but he didn't have much contact with the community.  That changed after he became involved in the Horvitz YouthAbility program of JFSA in Cleveland, which led him to volunteer throughout the community and earned him a Volunteer of the Year award. 

 

Rachel's life was upended by her husband's gambling losses, divorce and serious head injury and a long hospital stay as a result of a freak accident.  The Ruth & Nor ma n  Rales JFS in Boca Raton prov ided Rachel with a gateway to a new career-Certified Nursing Assistant-through its Career & Employment Services Program.  
 

Army veteran, Roland, struggling through a bad divorce, found himself laid off from his job at a car dealership, with few other job options.  The JVS Marina del Rey WorkSource Center (a part of JVS Los Angeles) led him not only to job training but also to housing, banking and health resources.  Roland went from no job and living in a storage unit to an apartment and a career in apartment-building maintenance he and his seven year-old daughter could be proud of. 
 

Lack of fluency in English was a barrier for Ludwin, a recent immigrant from Guatemala.  He found a job but knowing only six words of English limited his options.  The English language program of the JVS in Boston opened up his options, helping him rise pretty quickly to the position restaurant manager.
 

There are countless examples of life-changing help provided by the membership of Network agencies in the U.S., Canada and Israel.  To reflect the reframing discussed in the previous edition of this newsletter, our Network of agencies is building well-being for individuals, families and communities day-in and day-out.

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