Accelerating Social, Academic and Health Equity
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Monthly Report to the Community | |
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Dear JFS Friends, Supporters and Collaborative Partners,
I hope your 2024 is off to a good start and that you and your family members are in good health. Last year JFS experienced tremendous growth across all programs. Here are how the numbers break down:
Individuals served:
- Jewish Family Assistance: 477
- Food Distributions to Jewish Households: 2,500
- Programs that serve Older Adults: 550
- Immigrant and Resettlement Services: 2,973
- Information/Referral/Community Assistance: 1,300
= 7,800 lives impacted in 2023
In case you missed it, the 2023 Annual Report to the Community is now available which provides a few of the highlights of this important work. Some notable mentions include:
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The shortage of affordable housing pushed many clients to the brink of homelessness. Our Family Assistance case managers worked diligently with dozens of individuals and families to ensure they had safe shelter and were not living on the street.
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Through and to the end of the pandemic, the Patient Navigator staff and volunteers found new and innovative ways to help Older Adults gain access to vital health care, and as regular operations have resumed, the team is ramping up to help more of our neighbors in the community get to and manage their medical appointments.
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Our Homecare team provides personal care and homemaking services to medically compromised older adults in their homes, and the program hit an all-time record of 25,000 service hours for the year.
- Thanks to the work of our Development team, and the support of our many generous donors and grantors, fundraising hit a record high of $2.6M, and with this tremendous expansion, a record high budget of $5M. 80% of the JFS budget is philanthropic dollars and it is only with this generous and ongoing support can we execute on our vital mission.
- Our Immigrant and Resettlement Services team served a record number of new arrivals, in part due to the emergency response to the Haitian Asylum Seekers.
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To address the housing shortage, JFS worked with community partners to launch the pilot Home-Share Program which connects older adults with extra space in their homes with others looking for affordable housing to rent.
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JFS also launched the JFS Center for Social Innovation which will focus on assisting local non-profit organizations to develop coordinated new/creative approaches to the many social challenges in the community, currently and more importantly in the future.
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In alignment with the 5-year strategic plan and in order to serve more individuals and families in need, new and innovative ways to harness the power of volunteers have been deployed across the agency. The team is currently recruiting for several new positions, including food insecurity specialist.
As we celebrate these historic peaks in service, we are also proud to celebrate the agency’s 45-year anniversary of making a difference in the community! Founded in 1979, JFS started as a small volunteer run organization focused on information/referral and resettlement.
Here are a few highlights from JFS’ first ten years:
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Top left, center and top right: JFS Founders Max and Julia Michelson with JFS' first Executive Director Candice Mandel lead the first Board meeting in 1979. Bottom left: JFS' first Executive Committee. Bottom right: JFS' second Executive Director Helene Kress in 1988.
1979 Prof. Jehudah Leftin has the faith and the foresight to call an organizational meeting. Jewish Family Service of Greater Framingham, Inc. is incorporated as a non-sectarian, non-profit agency. JFS starts operation with an all-volunteer Information and Referral Service coordinated by Julia Michelson and staffed by volunteers. Volunteers helped resettle the first refugee family from the Soviet Union.
1980 JFS receives initial funding of $14,420 from the Greater Framingham Jewish Federation, allocated expressly for serving the needs of the elderly.
1981 Candace Mandel is hired as a half-time Director. The agency operates out of a former laundry room in the Federation building at 76 Salem End Road in Framingham. JFS programs expand rapidly. Clinical staff is hired.
1984 JFS begins offering Adoption Services. Ten infants are placed during the first year.
1986 JFS received its first United Way funding and begins offering Homemaker and Personal Care services.
1988 Candy Mandell retires and Helene Kress becomes Executive Director.
1990 The agency’s name is changed to Jewish Family Service of Metrowest.
Founded originally as a resettlement agency, this work continues to be part of our DNA and this expertise enables JFS to quickly respond when world conflict compels new arrivals to find safe haven in our welcoming community.
In alignment with this mission, JFS has been the lead coordinator for the local response for war evacuees from Israel for CJP, along with partner agencies Yad Chessed, JF&CS and JVS.
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Elena, from Qiryat Shemona, with her daughter Tali. Desperate to get her mom out of the war zone, JFS and other community partners helped Tali bring her mom to the U.S. and find housing with a local family.
As JFS continues to receive calls every day from new immigrant arrivals in need of assistance, we recently renewed our affiliate relationship with HIAS in order to increase assistance in this area. As of the beginning of this fiscal year (October 2023), the following cases have come through HIAS:
Already arrived:
• 2 families (8 individuals) from Venezuela
• 1 family (4 individuals) from Syria
• 1 couple (2 individuals) from Afghanistan
• 1 family (4 individuals) from Guatemala (arrive today)
Arriving in February:
• 1 family from Syrian (5 individuals)
• 2 families from Venezuela (8 individuals)
Additional families assigned but no travel yet:
• 2 individuals from Algeria
• 1 family (4 individuals) from Nicaragua
Additionally, JFS continues to work with Ukrainians through The Job Sponsorship Pathway program:
• 7 individuals already arrived
• 6 coming in February
• 9 more in the pipeline
As we embark on year 3 of the Strategic Plan, we will continue to serve our community in need, with a focus on the following areas:
Family Assistance: Prevent homelessness; work with clients to achieve financial stability.
Immigrant and Resettlement Services: Increase the number of new arrivals served; continue the Family Assistance model with the Framingham Public Schools through the Resource Room; increase partnerships with housing, ESOL, and work force providers.
Older Adult Services: Increase the number of clients served in Homecare, NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community programs), Patient Navigator, Geriatric Care Management and the Home-Share pilot program; develop long-term solutions to address food insecurity; find innovative ways to address the housing shortage to ensure safe shelter for our community’s most vulnerable members.
Thank you to all who partner with JFS to support this vital work. It is only with the help of our talented staff, volunteers, donors and community partners can we continue to serve 7,800 individuals each year. Scroll down to learn some of the ways you can get involved:
2024 will be a year of doing great things and celebrating our 45th anniversary. Partner with us and help make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who need help the most.
Sincerely,
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A Message from Board President
Allison Kates
I hope this message finds you and your families healthy and staying warm! The President’s Corner will be a new feature of the JFS Monthly Report to the Community and will highlight the wonderful work that our board members and committees are engaged in, as well as share events from the community and any other board related information.
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Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a peaceful and relaxing holiday season and you welcomed 2024 with style. For us, that meant returning home from vacation around 9pm on December 31st and my husband and I promptly going to bed, while our 10-year-old was determined to make it to midnight with his big brother and was more than happy to let us know that he succeeded by running into our room at 12:10am, yelling “I did it! I stayed up!” Hopefully this year, he’ll wait until a reasonable hour on January 1st to share his excitement with us.
Our committees have been hard at work the last few weeks. We are currently in the midst of our Board Nomination process, led by our Governance and Nominating Committee. This process typically begins in November with outreach to current board members and staff for input on potential new board members, followed by a series of interviews with selected candidates, then the final slate is voted on by the board in April, and the process culminates with our new board members being installed at the Annual Meeting in June. As you know, our board consists of a diverse group of individuals from various ethnic, religious, and professional backgrounds. Each year, we’re faced with the difficult decision of which highly qualified and dedicated people to choose… this is a good problem to have and it’s always very exciting to learn about our nominees and select our final slate!
Our Board Engagement and Education Committee is tasked with planning educational and social events for the board. For their first event, co-sponsored by Temple Shir Tikva, they will be hosting an evening with Lyana Rotstein, an Israeli educator and historian who will be sharing perspective on the impacts of the Israel-Hamas War and stories of heroism and volunteerism among Israelis. We look forward to this enlightening discussion. If you’re interested in attending, register here: https://jfsofmetrowest.wufoo.com/forms/speaker-event-lyana-rotstein-252024. The committee is also hoping to offer some fun social events and they have several other educational workshops planned for the coming months.
This is the “busy season” for our Fund Resource Committee as they prepare for Seize the Dream in May. They have already confirmed over 15 restaurants and are working with a video producer to create new JFS promotional materials. Over 400 Special Friends letters were sent to previous Seize the Dream supporters and honorees letters will be sent this month, so keep an eye on the mail for those. In addition to Seize the Dream preps, the committee partnered with Mitzvah Metrowest to host an event that raised $20,000 to support Israeli evacuees and are hosting events with other partner agencies to attract new young donors and volunteers. In addition, for the first time, we will have three runners in the Boston Marathon this year running in support of JFS! And although there is still snow on the ground, our team is already planning some summer events both locally and on the Cape. I told you they’ve been busy!
Finally, our annual Board Retreat took place on January 21st and focused on the theme of “Knowledge is Power,” specifically around the topic of refugees and immigrants. We were fortunate to hear from a Venezuelan family who JFS has helped to resettle in Brookline, as well as from the Executive Director of the MA Office of Refugees and Immigrants, who talked about the challenges that Massachusetts is facing as we navigate how to handle the influx of migrants. The Director of Immigrant Services at JFS also joined us to discuss the different populations of immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers that JFS is currently supporting, the laws governing housing, healthcare, and work authorization eligibility for each different status, and the biggest needs that our caseworkers are seeing and how we can address them as this crisis continues. It was an incredibly informative morning and three hours didn’t seem like enough to learn all there is to know about our refugee and immigrant populations. We hope to do more board education around this topic in the coming months.
In partnership,
Allison
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Earlier this month, Mitzvah Metrowest held a fundraiser at Spiga in Needham to help Israeli Evacuees resettle in the Metrowest area and beyond. Mitzvah Metrowest partnered with JFS for this incredible event to bring awareness and support to the war in Israel. Lucia Panichella Chief of Programs and Partnerships, spoke about 3 specific Israeli families that JFS has supported in the last few months, and the impact donating can have on even more families.
LEARN MORE
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This week JFS received a very generous donation from a local teen named Elianna. Elianna decided to do a mitzvah project with JFS in honor of becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
She asked friends, family, and peers to donate personal care items for teen girls around her age. Elianna then gathered all of the donations and brought them to JFS to be distributed through the JFS Resource Room at Framingham Public Schools.
A big thank you to Elianna for gathering personal care items for the Resource Room!
LEARN MORE
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JFS of Metrowest has been selected by local Stop & Shop store leadership as the benefiting hunger organization in the Stop & Shop Bloomin’ 4 Good Program for the month of February!
Every $10.99 Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet with the red circle sticker (pictured above) sold at the store located at 235 Old Connecticut Path, Framingham MA supports the JFS Lucy & Joe Press Food Pantry.
Help to fight food insecurity and support JFS by purchasing a Bloomin’ 4 Good bouquet at this Stop & Shop location!
LEARN MORE
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JFS is pleased to announce the promotion of Senior Director, Lucia Panichella, to Chief of Programs and Partnerships. Ms. Panichella began her career at JFS as a graduate student intern while getting her Masters of Social Work from Boston University. In her 19 years at JFS, Ms. Panichella has gained a vast amount of experience working in, and later leading, programs supporting immigrants, refugees and older adults. In her new role, Ms. Panichella will continue to build upon these accomplishments to foster expansion of JFS’ work in these and other critical areas of community need.
LEARN MORE
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JFS is Proud to Announce Our Partnership with Team Framingham for the 2024 Boston Marathon! | |
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JFS of Metrowest is proud to announce our partnership with Team Framingham for the 2024 Boston Marathon! Three members from Team Framingham Cynthia Fraine, Jerome Rubin, and John Schultz have decided to run to benefit JFS of Metrowest. Click here to learn more about JFS or donate.
Cynthia Fraine
Cynthia is a kindergarten teacher in Framingham, MA. She is very excited to support JFS of Metrowest because the support can directly impact the students and families she works with. By donating to Cynthia, JFS of Metrowest can provide vital resources and services to those in need. Some of the programs that your donation would support would be resettlement, food assistance, and career counseling. Every donation, no matter the size, will make a difference!
Click here to view Cynthia's Given Gain page
Jerome Rubin
Jerome is passionate about supporting individuals and families in need, especially when it comes to mental health, senior care, and food assistance. Donating to Jerome will help JFS of Metrowest make a meaningful impact on the lives of those struggling, providing them with the resources and support they need to thrive. Together, we can make a difference and create a stronger, more compassionate community.
Click here to view Jerome's Given Gain page
John Schultz
John is the Assistant Fire Chief at the Framingham Fire Department. He decided to run the Boston Marathon in support of JFS because he has seen firsthand the work we do in the community and beyond. John was very impressed with the resettlement work we have done and continue to do with the asylum seekers in Framingham. He is thrilled to raise money for JFS of Metrowest and support his community!
Click here to view John's Given Gain page
LEARN MORE
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Stephanie Juma
With JFS since: November 2023
Job Title: Housing Specialist
From: Grew up in Jordan, Lebanese Father and Swiss Mother
Speaks: English, French and Arabic
I enjoyed being a JFS Volunteer for Refugee Resettlement program for 6 years and working at a grassroot level with refugees. Love spending time with my husband and our 2 teenage boys going on nature walks, hiking, enjoying culinary experiences, traveling and visiting family.
"Having seen first-hand from working with JFS resettled refugees how important housing is to the success of their settlement in the US because it impacts all aspects of their lives."
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Amaral Eliacin
With JFS since: November 2023
Job Title: Case Manager
From: Haiti
Speaks: French, Haitian Creole, English
I have a background as an Aviation Technician and in Business Administration.
"Working with JFS is really important to me, because JFS gives me opportunity to help Haitian migrants by assisting them on their Immigration status, etc."
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SEIZE THE DREAM
WEDNESDAY MAY 15, 2024, 6:00PM
The Westin Waltham Boston, Waltham MA
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JFS is excited to celebrate its 45th year anniversary
with our extraordinary 2024 honorees:
Martin Cohen
and receiving the
JFS Max Michelson Humanitarian Award:
Yale Appliance Company
and
Yale Appliance Foundation
Click to Learn More
or
Click here to reserve a Special Friends Sponsorship
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JFS & Team Framingham's Fundraiser at Jack's Abby!
Order dine in or take out on February 28th and mention JFS of Metrowest.
20% of your purchases that day will be donated back to the cause!
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JFS of Metrowest, in collaboration with the City of Framingham Office of Community Development and with the Framingham Council on Aging - Callahan Center has launched the Framingham Senior Home-Share pilot program. This innovative program connects older adults with extra space in their homes with others looking for affordable housing to rent.
If you are interested in participating in this program, please click here to complete the form and a representative will contact you shortly. If you have questions or would like to learn more about this program, please contact Diana O'Brien via email dobrien@jfsmw.org or by phone at 508-875-3100 x 700.
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Need help caring for an aging loved one?
JFS Geriatric Care Managers can help.
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Join us at our upcoming Memory Cafe on February 14th,
at Temple Beth Am from 1pm-2:30pm!
Memory Cafés are a comfortable, social gathering that allow people experiencing memory loss and a loved one/caregiver to engage in an activity, connect, socialize, and build new support networks. Cafés are free to attend and welcome to all!
Click to RSVP
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JFS in partnership with Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) provides support to eligible clients who are unemployed or underemployed.
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JFS in partnership with Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) provides support to eligible clients who are unemployed or underemployed.
LEARN MORE
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Are you in need of mental health services?
CLICK HERE
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JFS Supports Our Veterans | |
JFS has a commitment with our partner agencies to ensure
no veteran is left behind.
When we think of the sacrifices that veterans make, we often think of time, life, or obvious physical injuries. Sometimes the sacrifices are more subtle, however. Veterans who served in combat zones experience both Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at higher rates than the general population because of their exposure to hazards like explosions as well as other forms of violence and trauma.
To help veterans and their families, we’ve created a guide to walk you through the basics of dementia and memory care. In this guide, you’ll explore several ways that the VA can help you afford memory care services.
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WANT TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE? VOLUNTEER! | |
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New Volunteer Opportunities:
FAN Food Support Volunteer
Role & Responsibilities
- Support FAN staff by assisting with tasks related to helping clients obtain adequate food
- Meet with clients to assist with pantry use
- As requested by staff, gather food from the pantry and deliver it to the clients house
- Organize and update food related resources for staff and client use
- Calls to area pantries to update the pantries list
- Assist clients with basic SNAP applications
- Create pamphlets/information sheets for clients to save money and eat well on a budget
- Additional administrative tasks to support the program
Qualifications and Education Requirements
- Any background in human services is helpful
Preferred Skills
- Strong interpersonal skills for working with clients
- Highly organized
- Strong phone and computer skills
- Comfortable with phone research and computer searches
- Able to work independently once trained and set up
- Comfortable with paperwork and managing documentation
A flexible schedule is helpful but not required.
Flexible expectations in case the needs of the program shift from week to week
Interested? Click here to complete the form!
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Introducing Marie France Valentin
Marie France Valentin brings multi-lingual skills and culture competence as well as a caring, dedicated and conscientious nature to her volunteer role at JFS. Having herself experienced the impact of emigrating from her home in Haiti and the challenges of resettlement in this new country, Ms. Valentin is acutely and empathically aware of the struggles arriving migrants face. She understands the importance of extending solidarity to those fellow citizens who are in need of a helping hand.
“My dreams and hopes are definitely to make a positive, long-lasting impact on these people to smoothly transition into our new culture and on their future development to become a healthy, happy, safe and secure one thus advancing the Mission and Vision of JFS throughout the MetroWest region and beyond.”
Ms. Valentin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronic Systems Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology and has over a decade of experience working in the field of Biomedical and Systems Engineering. Ms. Valentin was referred to JFS’ Volunteer Program by Fr. Carl Chudy of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, one of JFS’ partners in a community-wide, multi-denominational initiative targeted to fighting racism and anti-Semitism.
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Second Chance Cars is a Massachusetts nonprofit with a mission to connect low income working adults with affordable vehicles so they can maintain living wage jobs and support their families.
SCC solicits “gently used” car donations from the public and offers in return:
- The highest tax deduction – the car’s retail value
- The most rewarding donor experience – meeting who got your car
- The most impact – getting someone to work
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Make a Legacy Gift to JFS of Metrowest and
Join the JFS Generation to Generation Legacy Circle
Your concerns and priorities have helped shape JFS today. Your legacy gift will help shape tomorrow.
To ensure that the values and concerns that have inspired your involvement in JFS will endure for generations to come, consider:
- Including JFS in your estate planning -
- Making a gift to JFS as a bequest in a will or trust -
- Designating a gift to the JFS Endowment Fund -
Together, we can maintain the agency’s promise to the community to stand up for those left behind.
Contact Jayne Lampert, Senior Director of Philanthropy today
to learn how you can become a member of the Legacy Circle
Email: jlampert@jfsmw.org - Call: 508-875-3100 x 430
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JFS COMMITTEE ON ANTI-RACISM & FIGHTING ANTISEMITISM | |
To learn about upcoming news and events as they occur, like/follow the JFS Committee on Anti-Racism and Fighting Antisemitism social media channels, and CLICK HERE for a list of resources specific to this work.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT...
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JFS is a multi-year recipient of the 4-star Charity Navigator rating with a 100% PERFECT SCORE! Less than one-tenth of one percent of charities rated earn a perfect score.
- JFS serves over 7,500 individuals yearly, 40% of whom are not Jewish
- JFS engages over 300 volunteers across 17 programs
- JFS distributed over 7,000 clothing items for children of low income families in the past six months
- JFS serves 3,500 older adults by increasing access to healthcare and safe aging solutions
- JFS, in partnership with CJP, distributed 6,000 holiday meals for Passover and Rosh Hashanah
- JFS resettled almost 300 displaced refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Venezuela in partnership with local faith organizations
- JFS works hand in hand with immigrants and families from 60+ countries
- JFS is a community convener in the areas of bigotry and antisemitism
- JFS works with over 100 collaborative community partners throughout Massachusetts
- 80% of JFS' total annual revenue is philanthropic dollars, supported by donors like you!
Partner with JFS and make a meaningful impact in our community.
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Thank you to all who partner with JFS to
Accelerate Social, Academic and Health Equity in our community.
Your help is needed - get involved today!
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