Newsletter
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Our most current TASK Newsletter is also available to obtain information related to people with disabilities.
Winter 2008
 From the Executive Director
Dear Family and Friends,
It is a great honor for me to be writing to you as the Interim Executive Director at JFCS. I first joined JFCS 11 years ago and have spent the last decade working to carry out the mission of this great agency. I feel blessed to be part of this dedicated staff who care so deeply about the members of our community.
Since Marv’s retirement and my appointment, I have seen the community rally around the agency and offering support in many different ways. We had an unprecedented number of volunteers and financial contributors to our Thanksgiving Food basket project this year. With donations from the Sisterhood and the Social Action Council at Congregation Beth Israel and the Social Action Club at Rose Schnitzer Manor, coupled with our ongoing support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, we were able to provide Thanksgiving baskets to 51 needy families.
The JFCS TASK fundraiser at Kenny and Zuke’s was successful in raising over $15,000 for this fantastic program. Thanks to the wonderful supporters who participated in the event and the contributions of Kenny and Zuke’s Deli and classical guitarist, Peter Zisa. Peter later offered to make a contribution from the sale of his holiday CD and encourage donations to JFCS at the Season of Lights, a special holiday concert featuring many local musicians including a number of his child protégés. It was a magical evening and made me realize the many ways that we can help others.
I thought of the older woman who needed a Thanksgiving food basket but, because of her declining health, could not cook the meal. A volunteer, who works as a professional chef, cooked the meal for her so that she could enjoy her Thanksgiving at home with her grown son who has a disability.
You can help JFCS in many ways as well. I ask you to think of the people who are less fortunate and need our help. By participating in the JFCS Family Campaign, you are offering our community’s most vulnerable citizens a helping hand to keep their family from homelessness, provide the support of a helpful counselor when the world seems to offer no hope, to support a family overwhelmed by the needs of their child with disabilities, and to bring the bright light of a companion to an older person needing assistance to stay in her home. These are the faces of the people we see everyday at JFCS. With your help we can provide them with the services and support they need to live their lives with dignity and compassion. In keeping with the Jewish tradition of Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam, please join me in fulfilling our agency’s vital mission.
I thank you all for your past support and hope that you will give generously this year so that we can continue working together to make our community strong.
I wish you and your family a happy and healthy new year.
Marian Fenimore
Interim Executive Director
JFCS Sponsors Interfaith Council on Mental Health “Chaplain in Residence” Series
JFCS Inclusion Specialist Corinne Bacharach-Speigel and other ICMH Chaplain in Residency participants.
The JFCS TASK program was instrumental in founding the non-profit Interfaith Disabilities Network of Oregon, which combines the resources of faith-based organizations in helping religious organizations be more welcoming of people with disabilities. One of its programs, the Interfaith Council on Mental Health (ICMH), recently completed its second major series of events, “An Interfaith Approach to Mental health: Spirituality, Companionship, and Outreach”. Featuring Rev. Dr. Craig Rennebohm of Seattle, the eight workshops offered in November were attended by 84 people living with mental illness, their families, mental health professionals and service providers, and local clergy and congregational support members.
Recent Grant Awards Help JFCS Expand Programs
JFCS would like to thank the following Foundations for the generous grants they have awarded JFCS in the recent months. Without support from groups such as these, JFCS would not be able to continue to provide critical services to those most in need.
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger - $9,000 – for our Emergency Aid program.
Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, Community Endowment Fund - $2,000 - for the TASK Respite Care program
Judith & Edwin Cohen Foundation - $11,000 – to support our Lifeline Program and Home Care Assistant professional development.
Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Inc. - $32,600 to provide services for Holocaust Survivors.
Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation - $6,000 - General operating support.
JFCS Offers New Respite Care Program
Thanks to a generous grant of $2,000 from the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, Jewish Family & Child Service will be offering a Respite Care Program for families with children or adolescents with a disability. Respite care is temporary, short-term care for an individual with special needs. JFCS TASK Inclusion Specialist, Corinne Spiegel, MS Spec. Ed., says, “One of the biggest issues that parents face when raising children with special needs is taking adequate time for themselves to feel nurtured and positive. This time allows them to continue to provide the extra effort needed to meet the extraordinary demands of their family. Having respite care also allows the children to establish individual identities and enrich their own growth and development through a positive connection with another caring adult.”
The Respite Care program will provide a needed break for parents, while assuring that trained and enthusiastic volunteers are providing appropriate attention and care for their child.
“By providing affordable, quality respite care, offered by trained volunteer providers, JFCS seeks to strengthen the stability of families and caregivers of children and adolescents with a disability, while at the same time enhancing the quality of life of the young person. In addition, it is our hope that volunteers who are providing respite care not only receive training and experience working with people with disabilities, but also feel valued and connected to someone needing assistance,” says JFCS’s Volunteer Coordinator, Erin Singer, MSW.
If you are a caregiver of a child with special needs, and are interested in participating in the Respite Care Program, call Corinne Spiegel at 503-226-7079 ext. 22 or email Corinne@jfcs-portland.org. |
