A Community that Cares
Dear Friends,
A few years ago when the agency created a new strategic plan, we concluded that we needed to expand our services to children. At that point, we were resettling families with children, as well as helping kids through our counseling service, but we knew we needed to do more. Beginning a new area of service is not easy in a small agency. It is important to ensure that we have enough staff, space, and money to sustain. It took a couple of years, and we now have a virtual explosion of kids in and around JFS. What are they doing? They are making visiting seniors, baking holiday goodies, creating “Welcome to America” packages, doing crafts projects to brighten many lives, stuffing packets and mailers, collecting toiletries for the needy – and having a blast! Kids are bringing their friends, their parents, and their siblings to join in on their fun. Children as young as preschoolers through high school are discovering that there is much in their world that needs repairing, and that they can do it.
JFS has become a conduit for over 200 kids in the past year alone who have donated their time and skills. And you know what? Young volunteers not only touch the lives of others, through their volunteer work they touch their own hearts and souls, too. The real magic of JFS is that often it is hard to know who benefits more.
This season, our volunteers continue to bring the light of Hanukkah to children in need. Community groups once again partnered with JFS to bring beautiful gifts to kids and families. At press time, SVYAD, Congregation Beth David YAD and Rabbi Fenton’s Chaverim for Change all contributed brightly wrapped toys and gifts to warm the hearts of many children.
To all our volunteers of all ages, as well as to the rest of our growing JFS family, I wish you a happy Hanukkah and 2008!
B’shalom,
Mindy
Beginning a New Year and a New Term
One day, at our JFS offices, Marilyn Popper, our former volunteer coordinator, excitedly drew me into her work area to show me a stack of challah covers. These were lovingly hand made challah covers intended to be used as part of our new Shabbat Shalom package program. They were made by 20 school-age children, both Jewish and non-Jewish, on our Kids Mitzvah Day. The challah covers were created as works of art by the children who understood how they were to be used.
One non-Jewish parent was so impressed with the process that she volunteered to deliver the challah cover to its recipient. It’s yet another way in which JFS is helping with tikkun olam. Indeed, one parent, when asked why she brought her children to Kids Mitzvah Day said, “I want [my children] to learn the importance of doing mitzvot, of giving to others, of thinking beyond themselves.”
On another note, I am pleased to tell you that our JFS board of directors this year has grown with a number of new faces - folk with many different skills, of many different ages, and with many different perspectives. We can expect wonderful things from them as we move through the year.
Finally, I wish you a happy Hanukkah.
B'Shalom,
Steve
Annual Report Card (June 2007)
Members of the board of directors, agency staff, dedicated volunteers, family and supporters of Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley: welcome to all of you, and thank you so much for spending the evening with JFS. This is a night of celebration. Together we had a year of great accomplishment, and you made it happen.
In delivering my Annual Address, I decided to have a little fun, and let you in on the game. Two years ago, our Board formed a new Strategic Planning Committee. Under the leadership of Howard Pomerantz, his committee and the entire JFS board developed a three-year strategic plan that has become my “compass”. I use its goals and strategies to dictate the work of the agency. This past year I added a goal of my own, and we will discuss it. So, rather than give you a dry run-down of the progress we met, join me as I become the teacher who has issued a report card for its prized pupil.
Welcome “parents” to this report card conference. Your beloved child, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley, has had a remarkable year, and it is time to review her report card. We began the year on a high: Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley was voted Best Agency Of The South Bay by j. magazine readers! Wow! Thank you to all of you who voted.
Our first goal to review is:
Educate our community about JFS services.
This has been one of our largest challenges. We really don’t want to remain one of Jewish Silicon Valley’s best-kept secrets. So what did we do this year?
- We created a new agency brochure that has been distributed to over 4000 households.
- We created an agency video that you will see tonight. We will use it to present at agency functions and to potential donors. It portrayed the diversity of our services, the joy of volunteering, as well as how JFS makes a difference in our community. I offer my heartfelt thanks to the production team of Larry Brickman and Allan Berkowitz.
- We reached out to the large Israeli community, particularly the newly arrived young families, that tend to not affiliate with traditional Jewish organizations. Our staff is helping them feel at home in Silicon Valley.
- We increased the number of households who receive our quarterly newsletter. We made sure that everyone on our holocaust survivor mailing list, as well as new friends, receives it. All in all, we added over 200 names. And people tell me they actually read it!
- We continued our outreach to community agencies and groups. Our staff are a strong presence at Chai House, United Way, FEMA, Jewish Day Schools, and within several refugee alliances.
How can we improve our outreach? Staff will continue its work in these and other areas. I am also looking to our board members to continue their commitment to speak to other boards and community groups to educate them about JFS.
Overall Grade: B+. Good effort – now let’s keep it up!
Next goal:
Broaden financial support in the community.
Financial support is the lifeline that makes our work possible.
- Our board established several goals regarding solicitation of our donors. One goal is that by the end of this month, we would increase our current donor base by 25 people. We increased it by 75 people. We had another goal that we would increase the gifts of 5 donors to $1000 or more. Two donors graciously did this. So we have work to do here. Another goal involved increasing the gifts of our $250+ donors. We did well here. But we can and will do more in the coming year.
Funding also occurs on the corporate, foundation, and contract level.
- We set a goal to identify and receive funds from 6 new funding sources. We applied to, and received funds from FEMA, Humanitarian Aid Foundation, Citigroup, and Santa Clara Kaiser Foundation. Funds from these sources will go toward emergency food, support for Holocaust survivors from the former Soviet Union, our Connections to Work program, and our To Life! wellness program for seniors. We are grateful for these funds, and will work to bring in even more next year.
- We set a goal to increase our contracts and multi-year funding.
- United Way Silicon Valley gave us initial approval of our proposal for 2007-08. Our funding will go up by a minimum of $35,000, and could be as much as $135,000. We will know in two weeks.
- Our contract with Santa Clara County for our county refugee vocational services (Connections to Work) has been increased from $128,000 to $192,500.
We did very well in this area!
- Finally, our goal was to conduct a financially successful fundraising event. Small Plates, High Spirits and All That Jazz was amazing. We netted over $52,000! Kudos for so many reasons to co-chairs Thelma Ramm and Sandy Silver. Our Small Plates, High Spirits and All That Jazz introduced JFS staff, board, programs, volunteers – and spirit – to a whole new group of people.
Overall Grade: B on the midterm, and an A on the final. Overall grade: B+.
Our next goal:
Provide more programs and services for young adults, youth and children.
- This past year we greatly increased the number and kind of volunteering and community service programs for kids, teens, and young adults. Children as young as 4 years old decorated holiday cards and food baskets. Girl Scouts created beautiful bags for Passover packages. Hebrew High teens designed flashcards for our English language students and helped us get out a mailing for holocaust survivors. Whole families, day school students, and teens visited shut-ins and helped conduct holiday services at nursing homes.
- We increased our outreach to young Israeli families. As I mentioned earlier, social services counselor Lizi Oceransky’s work in the Israeli community has introduced many young Israelis to JFS programs.
- We coordinated our counseling services with a group of trusted therapists. Lizi provides supportive counseling onsite, as well as, at area day schools. In addition, we have made arrangements with psychotherapists - former JFS employees – who have agreed to conduct intensive counseling at reduced rates for JFS clients. This is an excellent arrangement for our clients and us.
- We began the “Raising Parents” program with the APJCC Preschool and now provide parenting services to preschool parents. We are encouraged by the success of this new program.
Overall Grade: B, with an A for effort.
Another important goal:
Increase the number of persons who volunteer through JFS.
This was an area where we shined, and truly, I tip my hat to former Volunteer Coordinator Marilyn Popper who changed the face of volunteering at JFS.
- We went from less than 300 volunteers to more than 450 volunteers (including adults, teens, children, seniors, and families) who touched thousands of lives. I’m looking out at some of you now. You are holiday package preparers and deliverers, Chaplain Aides, Knitzvah members; ESL tutors, toy and food drive organizers, Friendly Visitors, & much more!
- We expanded holiday programs and distributed more gifts and packages to many more individuals than we ever did.
- Our Knitzvah members, spearheaded by the unstoppable Barbara Berlant, knit, crocheted, and sewed hundreds of blankets, booties, caps, sweaters, and more for isolated seniors, preemies in the NICU, children at the shelter, and families in need. You’ll hear more about them in a special presentation later.
Overall Grade: A+!
Our board set goals for itself in the areas of:
Board development and trainin
- By far, the most exciting accomplishment was to recruit five Board members who are being installed tonight. (They’re the ones with the gold stars on their board ribbons.) Yasher koach, congratulations to our Board and welcome, welcome to our new members. May you live long and help us prosper!
- Our board conducted an excellent retreat that help set the course of the year, and it had great results. I look forward to another successful one this year.
- Under the guidance and hard work of board members Rosalie Sogolow and Addie Kopp, we updated our agency’s by-laws. Thank you, Rosalie and Addie, for getting us back on track.
This year we will examine the role of our Advisory Council. It’s time to do that.
Overall Grade: A-. Excellent work. Let’s stay on track.
Almost 2 years ago, we moved back home to the new Levy Family Campus. So we developed the goal of:
Maximizing the opportunities afforded by being on a community campus.
- Every week, an old friend and new JFS friends-in-the making walk through our offices.
- We are good and respectful partners with our fellow campus agencies.
We can do more to take advantage of being in our new home.
Overall Grade: B.
Finally, I developed a goal of my own:
To provide appropriate support and infrastructure for our growing programs.
JFS has now become, for the first time ever, a $1,000,000+ agency. This is very exciting --- and also carries with it the responsibility to be sure that we have enough space, staff, and resources to do our work. We have begun to hire new staff in new positions, have considered expanding our hours of operation, and will build and use additional space. It’s all a work in progress, and we will review it next year to see how well we managed.
So – no grade in this area. But wish us luck, be patient with us through our growing pains, and please continue to support us as we serve you even better.
So, thank you, parents, for allowing me to teach such a willing pupil this year. A good, solid report card. I hereby promote you to your “28th year.”
B’shalom,
Mindy
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