We are so grateful for you all. We received a huge response to our upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on April 14 and are excited to see many of you there. If you are not able to join us, there are other chances, like the opportunity drawing below, to celebrate volunteer appreciation all month long!
Thank you to everyone who came out to make Valentine’s Day cards and decorate cookies for participants at the JFS College Avenue Center. Together, we had a fun afternoon celebrating each other and bringing joy to older adults in our community.
Did you know that JFS also operates community programs in Palm Springs? Our Palm Springs team provides vital assistance to the community including housing and nutritional support and help with basic necessities. We are excited to announce that our Palm Springs location will now be offering volunteer opportunities! Volunteers will be assisting with packing snack bags, sorting donations, providing outreach to the community, and helping to deliver food to our assisted housing residents.
What a playful Leap Day we had at the BAOAC this year. Thank you to everyone who helped bring laughs and smiles to our participants. Last month, Jewish Family Service also helped Johan, a frequent BAOAC participant, celebrate his 92nd birthday. For the past seven years, we’ve been blessed by Johan’s warmth, good humor, and his love of dancing.
Recently, JFS received this thank you note from a home-delivered meals recipient that illustrates just how meaningful your support is. To further show their appreciation, they also donated seeds to contribute to our Pauline Foster Garden. Long-time Garden volunteer, Tammy Vener, is excited to plant the seeds and watch them grow!
“Thank you seems hardly enough to say but is so heartfelt and beyond words! Thank you for always being so thoughtful and kind! Your hard work and dedication are immensely appreciated! May God’s richest of blessings be with you and your family always!”
The Center for Jewish Care at JFS recently welcomed 60 Holocaust Survivors and their friends and family to a spring luncheon. Our thanks to Congregation Beth Israel of San Diego; Rita Heller, a member of San Diego Generations of the Shoah; and the California Department of Social Services’ Holocaust Survivors Assistance Program Grant, for sponsoring this meaningful gathering.
Together, we enjoyed the warmth of community and the sounds of San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir who entertained us with songs in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English. Guests departed with their hearts full and mishloach manot (Purim care packages) generously provided by the Bat Harim Hadassah Group with hamantaschen from Brigitte’s Bakery and D.Z. Akin’s.
Several JFS volunteers assisted with providing transportation to help Survivors attend the event—thank you for your support!
In March, JFS partnered with Harvard Law School to have ten students spend their spring break with Jewish Family Service’s Immigration Legal Services Department. All week long, they provided assistance with DACA renewals, work permit applications for guests of the San Diego Rapid Response Network, research for complex case questions, and country conditions.
This experience allowed the students to have in-person interaction with many individuals who are receiving pro bono legal services from Jewish Family Service’s Immigration Legal Services Department. Combined, their work totaled over 400 hours, or the equivalent of one full-time staff member working for ten work weeks! Our thanks to Harvard Law for an impactful partnership supporting vital legal work along the border.
Did you know that JFS is on the forefront of programs addressing economic security? Guaranteed income is unconditional and recurring cash payments that are used to support the basic needs of low-income recipients. The JFS Economic Mobility and Opportunity team currently leads four innovative programs that address the root causes of poverty and socioeconomic disparities: The San Diego for Every Child Guaranteed Income Pilot, the Family Income for Empowerment Program, the Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow, and the Black Women’s Resilience Project. The primary goal of this work is to craft a cohesive regional narrative about the equitable redistribution of power through strategies such as flexible financial investments in families, like guaranteed income, targeted community-driven programming, and power-building in policy and practice for governmental, non-profit, and philanthropic entities alike.
Learn how this program has made a difference for one San Diego family >>
We’re making it even easier for you to share your ideas. Use our Virtual Suggestion Box to send us all your questions, concerns, and feedback!
Thank you for being a JFS Volunteer!
Every day, volunteers make our impactful work possible. We appreciate your time and dedication to uplifting our community.
Sunni Robertson
Director
Kimberly Molin
Lead Coordinator
Jennifer Labrada Valencia
Coordinator
Anna Davis-Noe
Coordinator
Evan Rhoderick
Coordinator
Together we’re building a stronger, healthier, more resilient San Diego.
Questions? Please contact us at [email protected] or (858) 637‑3050.
