The Year in Review

Tom Beck, JFS Executive Director

A common thread running through service organizations that have been around as long as we have is the ability to remain committed to core values while also adapting to essential contemporary needs. Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey has always been responsive to the changing needs of the community and profoundly grounded by the Jewish tradition of repairing the world.This has been the case for 102 years. Our community takes a great deal of pride in JFS. We provide compassion, kindness, and dignity in our professional work. We are the highest expression of this community’s values. And we are theinstrument to effect positive change in our community. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure that these values are lived by and the commitment is held. We also collect statistics to see how well we are doing. What is the reason for this? We need to be confident that we are having an impact on people’s lives. Do our services positively effect change in the clients we serve? Is the community investment from all our funding sources well-spent? I believe that the statistics presented tonight provide answers to those questions. The statistics generated by the data we collected concerning our Care Transitions Program are a prime example. In this program, a team consisting of a JFS social worker and registered nurse works with patients at Trinitas Regional Medical Center to coordinate care as they transition from acute hospital care to home care. The statistics show that over the past 2 1⁄2 years, our efforts have resulted in a 50% reduction in re-hospitalizations of these patients. I am proud to report that our team was recently rated #1 in our tri-county program reducing re-hospitalizations. During 2013, we provided homecare services to the elderly and the frail, play therapy to children, and emergency family services to those who, through no fault of their own, found themselves without income or a stable home. The Economic Response Initiative, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest and a private donor, has become a model for helping people find work. In fact, 450 individuals have been served through this program since the beginning of the recession. Our goal, as always, is to help people live with dignity and independence. Because of the generosity and humanity of our gifted professional staff, volunteers, and donors, we served a total of 7,100 individuals with the following services:

• 28,100 hours of Individual and Family Counseling, including Social Work and Registered Nurse home visits to the elderly;
• 37,600 hours of Home Care services (a record);
• 20,350 Kosher Meals on Wheels;
• 254 Group and Family Life Education Programs to 870 individuals(examples of these programs include: T’ai Chi, blood pressure screenings, parenting groups, health fairs, socialization groups,and others);
• 2,200 individuals helped by our Food Pantry and Food Assistance programs (a record);
• 2,416 Personal Care Transportation rides to medical appointments; and 350 individuals served by our Urban Community Fruit and Vegetable Garden.

As the lead agency for the state of New Jersey, we now direct $2.5 million in funding from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany to services for Holocaust Survivors throughout New Jersey. This is the 5th We continue to be the lead agency of the county-wide Home Health Aide Training funded through the Union County Division on Aging. highest allocation in the United States.During the past year, we conducted two classes, each lasting one month. Since its inception three years ago, we have helped 125 individuals to get their Home Health Aide License. We have also been re-modeling our basement to into a state-of-the-art Home Health Aide Training Center.
New this year is our Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia Program. A JFS Social Worker and Registered Nurse work with caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients and those with other forms of Dementia. With financing by the Healthcare Foundation, The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, and, most recently, the Merck Foundation, we are now well-positioned to apply for a federal grant. Caregivers will have their physical and emotional health strengthened and, as a result, nursing home placement for patients will be delayed by 18 months. Our fundraisers, namely our Gala Dinner, mailings and grants were all record breakers over the past year. Many thanks to our dedicated board members and volunteers who made this happen. It definitely takes a village to ensure success. I need to extend hearty gratitude to Abe Suckno for leading our Board these last two years with sophistication, confidence, good judgment, and dedication during these most challenging times. Our slate of officers couldn’t be better. I look forward to working with our new President, David Levenberg. We are in very capable hands. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our 2014 honorees: Volunteers of the Year Eugene Brotsky and Laura Weitzman; Youth Community Service Awards are being presented
to Shaya and Yona Bodner, Josh Klapper, Moshe Niren, and Avi, Rachel, and Tova Pekarsky. We are most appreciative for all the community has done to help us meet so many needs. We continue to be ready to serve, help, and respond even more effectively than in the past. Thanks to all our funding sources: The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest; The Union County Division on Aging; The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany; The United Ways; and so many foundations and corporations (over 70 in all). I invite everyone from the community to help in any way they can. Please contact me or Elie Bodner, our Volunteer Coordinator and become part of our village.