Most people know that Jewish Family & Career Services provides programs concerning family, work, education, older adults, immigrants and refugees. Even if they know about a few JFCS programs, most people are probably only familiar with a small section of the services provided by the agency. For those who have ever wondered about the scope of JFCS’ work in the community, here are recent results from a few initiatives:
Adoption Services: In February, JFCS worked with 24 families for adoption services, ranging from introductory information through post placement. The agency just completed its annual adoption license renewal, and all client evaluations were positive.
Counseling Services: As more Americans receive health coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, mental health treatment may become more difficult due to a lack of professionals who accept Medicaid patients. To help address this, JFCS is applying to become a Medicaid provider for counseling services.
Passport Around Louisville Service: PALS provided 172 rides to seniors in January, despite several days when transportation was canceled due to severe winter weather.
Klein Older Adult Services: In February, JFCS staff gave presentations to University of Louisville faculty and staff and Brown Forman employees regarding caregiver needs and support systems.
Marjorie and Robert Kohn Pledge 13 Program: Students have begun service projects including math tutoring in an under-served elementary school and a food drive for the JFCS Food Pantry.
Carole and Larry Goldberg Family Mitzvah Program: Volunteers spent time with five area seniors and helped them change their clocks for daylight saving time.
Workforce Development: The first cycle of Employment Search Jumpstart in 2014 helped 12 participants to improve their job search skills.
Jobs and Enterprise Center: Two clients received business loans from the Community Action Partnership in January. Two groups completed credit-building classes in February.
Career Academy: Two new international clients have enrolled in career planning and seven more are enrolled in the next round of career search workshops. One client completed her bookkeeping certification and was placed in an accounting internship with a local nonprofit.
Assets for Independence: JFCS has partnered with Norton Healthcare and Trilogy Health Services to offer Individual Development Accounts (IDA) to their employees. The IDA helps low wage earners save money to pay for education or to buy a home. More than 70 employees had requested applications in early February, and many more are expected. These programs include employees in Kentucky and four other states.
These are only a few of the specific ways that JFCS has positively impacted our community in the early months of 2014. The agency has several other exciting programs underway and in development. To learn how you can help with these and other programs, contact JFCS at 452-6341 or send an email to info@jfcslouisville.org.