Jewish Family Service 2021 Friends of the Family Campaign

Stories

OF HOPE

Helping to write the next chapter with your support Jewish Family Service Friends Campaign

Over 15,000 people come through Jewish Family Service’s

doors each year.

Each with their own unique story and struggles. The loss of a job or loved one. A mental health crisis. A crisis of global proportions.

Navigating these difficult times can feel like the world is ending. But when JFS enters the narrative, the story shifts.

When community members need help, JFS provides critical older adult, mental health and wellness, and safety net services. And it’s only with your generosity to the Friends of the Family campaign that we can help them write their next chapter.

Like we did recently for Kendra...

When Kendra moved to the Detroit area,

it wasn’t just to live in a new place. It was the chance to live a new life.

After summoning the courage to leave her abusive husband, Kendra headed straight for her great-aunt Bobbie’s house. She and her three small children arrived with just one suitcase each, a few toys and a carload of uncertainty.

Bobbie gave the family a safe place to stay. But her small condo didn’t have much room, which meant the kids slept on the floor.

It wasn’t ideal, but Kendra appreciated that Bobbie looked after the kids while she job-hunted and searched for a home of their own.

Kendra felt overwhelmed

by the process and knew she needed help. That’s when she contacted Jewish Family Service.

We connected her with a case manager who provided her with housing resources.

We worked with her to create a long-term plan to ensure financial stability and provided financial assistance so her kids would be appropriately dressed come winter.

And our social workers provided counseling to help them cope with all the changes as they rebuilt their new life.

While Kendra slowly got back on her feet, she realized that her

stay with Bobbie turned out to be helpful for both of them.

Because Kendra could see that her great-aunt needed help, too.

So she got her connected with a JFS geriatric care manager who arranged for Kosher Meals on Wheels, home care services and a personal emergency response system to ensure Bobbie would be safe living on her own.

Today, their story continues. Not without its setbacks, but with each day made easier knowing they have the support of JFS and generous people like you.

Our community is at the heart of all we do.

Thanks to the generosity and support from donors like you, together, we can keep writing new chapters for people like Kendra. Her family’s story is but one of the thousands your donation impacts.

To donate to the Friends of the Family campaign, visit jfsdetroit.org/friends or call 248.592.2339.

Friends gifts of $250 or more may qualify for a sponsorship for our 2022 Spotlight Event.

Your generosity supports: OLDER ADULTS Assistive Technology Chronic Disease Management ElderCare Solutions of Michigan Friendly Visitors Geriatric Care Management Holocaust Survivor Assistance Home Care Kosher Meals on Wheels Mind University Transportation

SAFETY NET Domestic Abuse Intervention Family Support Services Health Care Navigation Legal Referral Service ORTHODOX COMMUNITY* Lev Detroit Resource Center Passover Assistance Safety Kid School-Based Services Uniform Assistance

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS RUSSIAN-SPEAKING COMMUNITY* A Single Soul Suicide Prevention Mental Health Cancer Thrivers Network for Jewish Women Translation and Interpretation Community Education Counseling *Members of the these communities have Jewish Addiction Resource Alliance access to all JFS resources as well as these specialized services.

We Need to Talk Youth and School-Based Services

Mission:

Inspired by the wisdom and values of Jewish tradition, we strengthen lives through compassionate service.

Board of Directors Executive Committee

Julie Teicher – Chair Marc Bakst – Chair-Elect and Treasurer Shelly Rubenfire – Secretary Suzan F. Curhan – Immediate Past Chair Dorothy Barak Danielle DePriest Karen Goldberg Driggs Helen Katz Jason Page Amy Singer Perry Ohren – CEO

Board

Karen Freedland Berger Anita Blender Rhonda Brown Emily Camiener Rabbi Levi Dubov Jeri Fishman Michelle Freeman Jerry Frohlich David Gach Allan Gale Bill Goldstein Sue Hersh Rabbi Marla Hornsten

Melissa Orley Lax Randy Orley Julie Rothstein Avi Rubin Sandy Schwartz Becca Steinman-DeGroot Ellen Tabak Renee Unger Sara Voight Jordon Wertheimer David Witten Andi Wolfe Margie Yaker Sarah Roberts – NEXTGen Liaison

Sally & Graham Orley and Suzanne & Joseph Orley Building 6555 West Maple Road  West Bloomfield, MI 48322 25900 Greenfield Road, Suite 405  Oak Park, MI 48237

248.592.2313  jfsdetroit.org