Stay on top of today's ever-changing economic landscape with Mutual of America's Economic Perspective, written by Thomas J. Dillman, President of Mutual of America Capital Management LLC. Learn more.
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Mutual of America is a valued AJFCA partner and sponsor of the 2016 AJFCA Annual Conference.
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AGENCY HIGHLIGHTS
JCFS Winnipeg Develops Elder Abuse Awareness Resources
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Alpert JFCS Provides In-Service Training for Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month
Based upon materials gathered at the Ruderman Foundation Inclusion Summit in Boston, the admissions director for the Levine Jewish Residential and Family Service's programs, Andrea Cohan, conducted a thought provoking in-service training for Alpert's Jewish Family & Children's Service's entire staff along with visitors from Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County and Friedman Commission on Jewish Education. The presentation included a glimpse into the challenges families faced raising children with disabilities in the 50's and 60's before the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, the progression of services required based upon the Supreme Court Ruling in the Ohlmstead Act of 1999, and what persons with disabilities would like to see in their future. One important result has been the increased self-confidence and visibility of people with disabilities and their ability to self-advocate.  The presentation brought to light the fact that persons with disabilities want the tools that will enable them to be productive members of society. The group held an animated discussion on the power of words and the impact words have on each of us. Words like inclusion, transition, and disability apply to all of us. Words like "special " and "special needs" marginalize those individuals with a disability. This prompted a lively and engaging discussion on how to best use vocabulary to continue to respect the diversity of JFCS clients and population.
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Senior Resource Connect aims to leverage the expertise of Jewish family services agencies assisting older adults in the community, increase referrals to member agency programs, streamline referrals between agencies, and act as an information hub on all matters of senior services.
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Share this great news with your community.
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The Voice and Vision for Stronger Communities
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D'Var Torah
Lee I. Sherman
President/CEO
This Wednesday was the sixth annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day. Over 140 professionals, lay leaders, and advocates came together on Capitol Hill to lobby for legislation designed to include persons with disabilities in equal pay, fully integrated employment and increase awareness of the need for sufficient respite for caregivers. These are critical issues in the continuing struggle to ensure that the 20% of our population who have a disability, and their families, are fully included in all aspects of our society. More than 25 years after the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is still much work to be done.
 As Jews, we have a rich tradition of inclusion in our teachings. This week's parashah, T'rumah, relates the story of the building of the Tabernacle. God instructs Moses to "Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him." 25:2. There is a clear understanding that the Tabernacle is for all of the people, whatever they may look like or their various abilities. And, most importantly, it is their hearts, their passion and commitment, that includes them in this fundraising activity - not any sense of physical or mental ability. For, the Tabernacle is a place where God will dwell among the people, all the people, so each individual must have equal access to that sacred space.
We know these lessons. We are reminded each time we read this Torah reading, and others throughout the year. But, our actions are sometimes slow to follow these teachings. And so, the work continues for all of us, to ensure that for more than one day a year, or one month, we are dedicated to a fully-inclusive world. Thanks to all of you for being part of that movement.
Shabbat Shalom.
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Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD) AJFCA was proud to be among the co-sponsors of the 2016 JDAD on February 10th. During the meeting over 140 professionals and advocates from across the country came together to learn about and advocate for legislation impacting persons with disabilities and caregivers. Participants learned about disability policy in the Obama Administration, listened to a panel of experts discuss competitive integrated employment, received policy briefings on the Transition to Independence Act (S.1604), the Lifespan Respite Care reauthorization Act (H.R.3913) and the RAISE Family Caregivers Act (H.R.3099) from policy experts at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and AARP, enjoyed a luncheon featuring speeches by members of Congress, and spent the afternoon in advocacy meetings with members of the House of Representatives. Use the following links to read the legislative briefings for H.R.3099, H.R.3915 and S.1604 from the Jewish Federations of North America.
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2016 JFNA Health and Long-Term Care Kick-off
Call
Join The Jewish Federations of North America's for their annual Health and Long-Term Care call to discuss the recent launch of JFNA's Strategic Health Resource Center, the Center's goals and priorities for 2016, and key legislative, regulatory and policy developments in the health and long-term care areas with federations and their partner agencies throughout the country.
Participants will hear from David Butler, Chair of JFNA's Domestic Policy & Government Affairs Council, Keith Libman and Julie Kass, co-chairs of JFNA's Health & Long-Term Care Committee, William Daroff, Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Director of the Washington Office, as well as the Center's health policy staff about how the health services and long-term care fields are undergoing dramatic changes that could impact many of our partner agencies.
To participate on the call, please dial the appropriate number listed below and have the conference ID number ready for the operator who will connect you to the call:  Tuesday, February 23rd - 4pm ET
Participant Toll Free Dial-In Number: USA/Canada: 1-877-559-2802
Conference ID: 29658435
In preparation for the call, the draft 2016 Health and Long-Term Care Strategic Memorandum can be accessed via the link below for your review.
To RSVP, please click here by close of business on February 19th. If you would like to review the document, please click here. Please be in touch with Allison Redisch if you have any questions about the RSVP form or document. |
International Women's Day 
International Women's Day, March 8th is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women's Day (IWD) has been observed since in the early 1900's - a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.
Is your agency plan programming surrounding this day? Are you holding an event? Please share it with the network by emailing Megan.
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NEWS & TRENDS in AGENCY PROGRAMMING
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Compensation and the Jewish Question 
Imagine a world in which high performing, high potential university graduates are recruited to work in Jewish communal institutions with the same attractive and compelling packages offered to their classmates going into finance or law or corporate work. Continue reading here. |
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Site Visits: Good Due Diligence or Organizational Intrusion? A Philanthro-ethical Perspective
Site visits? How is that an ethical issue? Every "how-to" manual on grantmaking due diligence talks about how useful a site visit can be. After all, 990's, annual reports, and proposal narratives can tell us only so much - a lot, but sometimes grantors really want to get the full flavor of a potential grantee. Read the entire article here.
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AJFCA MEMBER NEWS & BENEFITS
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2016 AJFCA Annual Conference
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Join AJFCA for a dynamic and informative conference full of networking opportunities and engaging speakers in sunny San Diego.
Discuss trending topics with colleagues at this year's Networking Luncheons. Learn more here.______________________________________
Awards
AJFCA's 2016 Awards' Guidelines are now available. All award submissions are due TODAY - Friday, February 12th.
- KOVOD Award
- Agency Video
- Replicable Programming in the area of:
- Disabilities Services
- Behavioral Health Services
- Holocaust Survivor Support Services
- Leadership Award
- Distinguished Service Award
- Joseph S. Kaplan Memorial Scholarship
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Click here to learn more about the 2016 Annual Conference. Contact Megan
with questions.
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Disabilities Services Discussion Call: Working with Schools and SynagoguesJoin members of our network in this one-hour discussion on working with schools and synagogues to promote inclusion of youth with disabilities. Cindy Land, Community Inclusion Coordinator at JF&CS of Jacksonville, will discuss her agency's work with Jewish day schools to enable students with disabilities and their families to access educational supports and to train school staff on working with students with additional needs. Participants will discuss programs involving schools and synagogues that aim to educate the community about the inclusion of individuals of all abilities
Working with Schools and Synagogues
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5 Opportunities to Boost Giving, Donor Loyalty, and Job Satisfaction 
Take it from peers in the field: Most communications and development teams aren't communicating, cooperating, or collaborating with each other. Team goals are often quite different, with the two departments sometimes working at cross-purposes, unknowingly sabotaging fundraising results. But there's good news: This disconnect is fixable. Learn more here. |
5 Fundraising Mistakes Nonprofits Make 
Fundraising is such a misunderstood enterprise. And it's not just misunderstood by nonprofit leaders in the trenches. Continue reading here. |
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