Recently, Rimma Zelfand, CEO of Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Boston, spoke at a conference held at Simmons College. After her presentation, people came up to her to talk and ask questions. What are the odds that three people told her how the Lauren and Mark Rubin Visiting Moms program through the The Center for Early Relationship Support changed their lives as well of the lives of their loved ones?



The first person to introduce himself to Rimma was the husband of a woman who had premature twins five years ago. When the couple finally brought the twins home from the hospital, there was a lot of confusion and the mother was under an extreme amount of stress. Luckily, the couple contacted JF&CS and soon they became involved with the Oliver, Ian, and Serenity Wolk Fragile Beginnings program as well as one of the support groups in Newton for the families of multiples. The Visiting Moms program also came to the rescue, sending a compassionate volunteer to the home for empathetic support, guidance, and companionship. The husband credited those three services for saving his marriage. Continue reading here.

  

For new refugees, resettling in the U.S. is about more than finding a job and a new home; it's about rebuilding a sense of community and fostering new long-lasting relationships.

While New York and Chicago are large metropolises with vibrant inner-city neighborhoods and comprehensive public transportation systems, Toledo, Ohio is a small city with a spread-out population and limited public transportation, making it hard to get around.



Ghaziyah, a 63-year old Iraqi widow who resettled to the U.S. to reunite with her son just a few months ago, initially struggled to connect with a community in Toledo. The closest refugee assistance organization was more than an hour away by car in Columbus. Settling in was hard for her as five of her six children are in Iraq and she has never worked professionally.

The opening of HIAS partner US Together's new office this past month, however, is dramatically improving the lives of refugees like Ghaziyah. Continue reading here.

Calls & Webinars

Visit  AJFCA's Calendar
to learn more about free calls and webinars. For more information login to the Member Resources section of the AJFCA website, followed by Webinars. Contact Megan at 410-843-7327 with questions.

Sept., 10th, 8pm ET REGISTER HERE

Join professionals from four AJFCA agencies as they recreate a popular 2014 AJFCA Annual Conference workshop. Presenters will relay their experiences in working with programs at their agencies aimed at teens, families and young adults. Listen to what works to attract and retain young donors to support your agency. The webinar will focus on:

• using an agency program to promote community outreach and engagement,
• creating hands-on experiences to engage younger donors on a deeper level, 
• messaging the value of engaging with the agency in a way that resonate with younger donors, and 
• creating opportunities to link the donor's engagement with their Jewish values.