AGING SERVICES SPOTLIGHT
Project Build! at Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit helps people remain safe in their homes by providing pro bono repairs and renovations for JFS clients through partnerships with local builders, remodelers and suppliers. Project Build! Assists older adults and other home-bound community members through the construction and installation of access ramps, grab bars and other modifications designed to aid mobility and improve safety.  These renovations reduce the danger of falls and allow JFS clients age in place. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries, but these accidents can be prevented through targeted interventions like home modifications. Click here for more information.
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AGENCY HIGHLIGHTS
Project Shalom
Project Shalom, a program of the Jewish Family Service of Houston's Disability Services for Jewish Families with Special Needs, was established to help those with chronic mental illness maintain a connection to the Jewish community. For over a decade, this special program has provided a place for these individuals to increase their social skills and reduce the likelihood of hospitalization. 
Group Weekly Activities
Weekly meetings offer group members a sense of belonging, support and friendship. Facilitated by a master's level therapist, each meeting includes a hot kosher lunch and a planned therapeutic/educational activity such as:
*Cooking demonstrations
*Arts and crafts projects
*Dance instruction
*Music therapy
*Day trips both in and out of Houston
*Jewish and secular holiday celebrations
Counseling and Family Therapy Provided
In addition to group meetings,supportive individual and family counseling is provided to group members.When the family of group members are available,they are invited to participate in family sessions.
Psychiatric Evaluation and Medication Management
Psychiatric services, consultation and medication management are available at JFS to clients of Project Shalom.
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Annual Diaper Drive Showers Community in Need
Jewish Family Service of Dallas is pleased to announce the 2014 Diaper Shower Benefiting the Community on October 26th. Now in its fourth year, the JFS Diaper Shower collects diapers, wipes and other baby items for the families in our community in need.
One in three families struggle to afford diapers, and safety net programs such as WIC and SNAP
(food stamps) do not cover the cost of these items.
An adequate supply of diapers can cost over
$100 per month, and for families in asset poverty (39% of residents in the greater--Dallas area
living paycheck to paycheck), this expense can be devastating.
In order to help make a difference in the lives of families, the JFS Food Pantry offers these items
to the community, and the JFS Diaper Shower helps make this happen. In 2013, the JFS Diaper Shower collected over
30,000 diapers and 38,000 wipes. The JFS Food Pantry sees over 120 families each week. With the recent SNAP benefits.
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Corporate Sports Challenge
On September 19th, the inaugural Corporate Sports Challenge benefiting Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas brought over 150 participants and 80 volunteers to Toyota Soccer Center (Home of FC Dallas) for a day of team building and fun-filled athleticism.  Teams competed in sporting events such as the Standing Broad Jump, Obstacle Course Relay, Football Toss, Running Relay, etc. for the ultimate first place prize. View more photos in the AJFCA Marketing Bank.
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Calls & Webinars
Visit AJFCA's Calendarto 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.
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Stay updated on AJFCA offerings, agency news & current trends . . .
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D'Var Torah
Lee I. Sherman
President/CEO
A Prayer for 5775
I am blessed to be able to work every day to help vulnerable populations live lives filled with dignity and respect, to build a stronger and healthier Jewish community, and to promote core Jewish values of social justice so we can make our world right and whole. I thank God for the incredible Jewish community I am part of, here at AJFCA, in Baltimore, and across the globe - one that is vibrant and resilient in the face of increasing challenges. Each new year brings with it the promise of great joy and the prospect of deep sorrow; we will laugh and cry, feel pride and anger, sense comfort and fear. I offer this prayer rooted in the knowledge that our world, God's world, is not working the way it was meant to, but that we are all implicated and committed to its repair. And, I pray that each of us is granted the strength and resolve to use our personal and communal resources to fulfilling God's intent. Amen.
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Jewish Community Leadership | |
Photo by Chris Chris Mackler
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On the evening of September 30th Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a reception at their home for Jewish Community leadership. Lee Sherman and Shelley Rood were honored to be among the 100 guests and to represent the work of the AJFCA network. In his remarks, the Vice President spoke about his strong commitment to ensuring that Holocaust Survivors live their lives in dignity, and acknowledged the great work of Aviva Sufian, U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Survivor Services, and the supports being provided by our Jewish human services agencies. Click here to view photos.
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Election Year Advocacy 
As the general elections approach on November 4th, there is increased scrutiny over the activities of charitable organizations. While we encourage relevant policy questions of elected officials and those seeking office, there are distinct lines in which we may not cross. This memo offers guidance from The Jewish Federations of North America. Please contact Shelley Rood if you have any questions. |
Domestic Violence Awareness MonthDomestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the first Day of Unity observed in October, 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect battered women's advocates acr oss the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. Click here to view a compilation of AJFCA member agency domestic violence professionals' original publications addressing domestic violence in their communities in an effort to raise awareness of this devastating epidemic.
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AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
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What It Means When Nonprofits Merge 
There are many ways we compromise as nonprofit leaders. Our time, our budgets, our resources...all for the greater good of our organizations and the communities we serve. But when is compromise necessary? And, more importantly, when is it the right thing to do? Continue reading here.
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Are You Listening to Your Board Members? 
Many boards never understand and utilize the potential each member has to invest in the organization. Having committed to a board, new members are often "on-boarded" out of any fresh, innovative, or challenging ideas they might have. Instead of grooming members to fill the usual skillset, work to build stronger boards through understanding the value each member brings to the table. Continue reading here. |
Quarterly Domestic Violence Call: Reaching Out to the Orthodox 
Reaching Out to the OrthodoxTuesday, October 28th, 2pm ET - REGISTER HERE |
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Economic Check Up: Helping Older Adults Find Programs to Boost Their Economic Security
Nearly 23 million older adults in the U.S. are economically insecure-either living in poverty or one "bad break" away from it, and lacking the resources to support their basic health, nutrition, housing, and daily needs. In this webinar, participants will learn about progress to date and lessons learned from a holistic approach to economic assistance that involves a new way of thinking about service delivery at the community level, and www.EconomicCheckUp.org, a new online consumer to  ol from the National Council on Aging, that can empower low-income seniors to assess their needs and seek assistance. Economic Check Up
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A Jewish Communal Response to Addiction 
This 2014 AJFCA Annual Conference session is geared at approaching, treating and educating about addictions within the Jewish community. Leaders in the field of addiction treatment, engagement, and preventive services will explain their modalities and techniques. Techniques such as: Abstinence model, community re-engagement, counseling, and harm reduction will be discussed, as well as prevention through education. Additionally stigma, shame and other addiction treatment barriers will also be reviewed.
A Jewish Communal Response to Addiction
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Holocaust Museum Visit 
On Monday, September 22nd, AJFCA professionals visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C. alongside VISTA Leader Nicole Escoe, JSSA VISTA Adrienne Ognibene and Adrienne's supervisor Ellen Blalock, Holocaust Survivor Program and Volunteer Coordinator, Senior Services at JSSA. Ellen organized the outing as well as a debriefing at JFNA's DC office with the JSSA home care and hospice staff on how to use the information learned to build an effective cultural competency training for working with Holocaust Survivors. Following the debriefing, the AJFCA VISTA team met to further the conversation on how lessons learned through the 10 VISTA communities might be shared with the entire AJFCA network. If you have any questions regarding the AJFCA VISTA project or have resources on Holocaust Survivor Services you'd like to share, please be in touch with Liz Woodward. |
Building a Culture of Philanthropy 
Numerous recent studies and articles have pointed out the critical role of philanthropy in communities-not only in supporting the social sector, but also in creating a culture of civic engagement, caring, and trust. But how do you actually build a culture of philanthropy in a community? Continue reading here. |
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
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Are You Sending Mixed Messages to Your  Members?
Even though members engage with your organization through multiple channels and interact with different departments, they desire the same level of communication and customer service across the board. Continue reading here.
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Putting Data to Use for a Successful Nonprofit Event
One of the simultaneously most rewarding and most difficult aspects of nonprofit work is the reliance on community members to support an organization's cause. It can be challenging to communicate the importance of a nonprofit's work in a way that motivates action in others; however, when an organization does successfully reach those people, whether they be volunteers or simply curious parties, the results can be tremendous in terms of both generosity and support. Continue reading here. |
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VOLUNTEERS/YOUNG ADULT ENGAGEMENT
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National Volunteer Caregiving Network Excellence Awards 
One-thousand dollars, a six month subscription to RideScheduler managed transportation services, a "no-charge" year from NVCN and bragging rights to tout their outstanding accomplishments will be awarded in January 2015 to two volunteer caregiving programs who demonstrate use of the best of the best not-for-profit/volunteer caregiving practices. Applicants will be vetted against volunteer caregiving benchmarks.
The application process opened on September 15th and will close on November 15th. For additional information, please contact, Rhonda Anderson, Executive Director NVCN. |
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