I served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member at the International Rescue Committee in San Diego prior to starting my second term of service at Holocaust Community Services in Chicago. At the IRC, I worked in the micro finance sector mainly serving refugees from all over the world. The IRC in San Diego has various loan services ranging from small business loans to credit-building loans. I had an amazing and inspirational experience serving different members of the refugee community from the seasoned and well established entrepreneurs, to the newly arrived families.



When my service term came to an end at the IRC, I knew I wanted to have more service experience. I was looking for opportunities that would further expose me to the wide range of challenges and the solutions that exist in various communities. I went into my first year of service wanting to get exposure to the field of micro finance and its positive impacts, and I came out wanting to explore other areas of work employed to positively impact communities.

I came across the VISTA position available at Holocaust Community Services and was intrigued by the existence of survivor communities especially from the former Soviet Union. I am learning that this lack of awareness is common among many people based on the reaction I get when I tell people who I am currently serving. I decided to apply knowing the position would give me a very different experience from my work as a micro finance coordinator, and I was looking forward to diversifying my skill set. I knew I was going to have a one of a kind experience serving the aging population of this survivor community.



It has been three months since I have started my second service term with Holocaust Community Services, and it has been an honor to meet these living legacies, let alone to serve them. Americrops VISTA has made it possible for me to serve these communities, while it has also allowed me to grow both personally and professionally.  I am very grateful for that.

  ReelAbilities: Houston Disabilities Film Festival (February 8-12, 2015), hosted by the Jewish Family Service of Houston's Alexander Institute for Inclusion in collaboration with Houston's Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities is a city-wide film and arts festival which uses the arts to promote inclusion and celebrate the lives, stories, and artwork of people with disabilities - making impact that lasts far beyond the week of the festival.



A robust and exciting array of films, special events, and extraordinary speakers from around the country are being featured this year. Check out the festival trailer here. Tickets go on January 15th here. Questions? Contact Jess Faerman, ReelAbilities Coordinator.

  Being the sibling of a child with a disability can be overwhelming and difficult at times. For all children, and especially these siblings, additional support and attention can make a significant difference in their lives.



Jewish Family & Career Services of Atlanta is thrilled to announce a new addition to PAL! PAL has extended their services to meet the needs of Jewish families in the community. PAL will now be serving siblings of children with disabilities by matching them with a Big Brother or Sister in a one-on-one mentoring relationship.If you know a family with children between the ages of 5 and 17 that may benefit, please connect them to the PAL program by contacting 770.677.9390. Read more about the decision to offer these expanded services here.

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.

How to Make Your Cause Go Viral: Social Media Strategies for 2015
Jan., 21st, 12pm PT
REGISTER HERE

Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month

Planning & Delivery of Older Adult Services

Development Quarterly Webinar - Passive Revenue Sources

Join Daniel Goodman, President of Special Kids Fund and Co - Founder of

CharityChoice Gift Cards for AJFCA's Quarterly Development Conference Call as we discuss generating revenue from existing systems. CharityChoice Gift Cards was born in 2004 and is a nonprofit pioneer in creating charity gift cards that can enable your communities to participate in helping your Jewish family service agency. This program makes it possible for everyone to add a charitable dimension to their special

occasion; by giving a charity gift, whenever ...meaningful matters. CharityChoice is an Official Donation Site for the American Red

Cross. They recently launched a turnkey solution, 'Donate Your Card', converting unused retail gift card balances into cash donations. Forty percent of merchant gift card recipients do not use the total value of card. American households have an average of $300 in unused gift cards. This 30-minute webinar will showcase three examples of passive revenue sources. The last 30 minutes of the webinar will be devoted to Q&A and professionals sharing what existing revenue

generating systems they currently employ at their agencies.

PurchasingPoint Discount Program Webinar -

RESCHEDULED

AJFCA partners with the National Human Services Assembly to provide our members access to the PurchasingPointŪ program, an exclusive discount program for nonprofits that leverages group buying power to get access to significant savings from your everyday vendors. The program is designed to help nonprofits reduce overhead costs by providing access to discounts on a vast range of products and services including, but not limited to: office supplies, shipping, copiers, postage equipment, furniture, cleaning supplies, promotional merchandise, car rental, cell phones, and more.