Jewish Family & Children's Service Blog

Reunite with Birth Mother

5/25/2012 2:10:00 PM

Jane*, a 37-year-old woman who contacted Adoption Resources last year, had always been told that she had been adopted through JF&CS. Due to deliver her first child in six months, she was now curious to learn more about her medical history.

Tags: Adoption Resources

Category: Children & Families

Reflections from Training and Traveling in Southeast Asia

5/7/2012 9:11:00 AM

How do we translate the concepts that underlie the work of our CERS to young, inexperienced community providers half a world away?

Tags: CERS,Early Connections

Category: Children & Families

On Processing a Guardianship Client’s Death

5/1/2012 12:58:00 PM

I am a social work student at Simmons College. The JF&CS Guardianship Program was my first field placement.

Tags: Guardianship,geriatric care management

Category: Seniors

Celebrating National Volunteer Week

4/20/2012 10:44:00 AM

Thank you to all our volunteers for generously sharing your energy, expertise, and compassion with those in need. We would not be able to do our work without you.

Tags: JF&CS Volunteer News Spring 2012,Rimma Zelfand

Category: JF&CS

Feeding Families

4/19/2012 2:06:00 PM

Volunteer Jennifer Wall is a former personal chef and healthcare professional who is helping the agency feed families in need.

Tags: JF&CS Volunteer News Spring 2012,Family Table,volunteering

Category: JF&CS

Finding Her Path

4/18/2012 11:21:00 AM

JF&CS volunteer Susan Adams first learned about social work at a job fair in eighth grade, and decided that’s what she wanted to do when she grew up. But her journey took another road.

Tags: JF&CS Volunteer News Spring 2012,CERS,Visiting Moms,volunteering

Category: Children & Families

Protecting Benefits

4/17/2012 12:57:00 PM

Thanks to the tireless work of volunteer Mark Bronstein, Family Table recipients don't have to worry about losing their SSI benefits.

Tags: JF&CS Volunteer News Spring 2012,Family Table,Bet Tzedek Legal Services,volunteering

Category: JF&CS

Disabilities Shabbat Dinners

4/16/2012 1:55:00 PM

JF&CS makes it possible for people with disabilities to enjoy the special Shabbat dinner meal and is looking for volunteers to help.

Tags: JF&CS Volunteer News Spring 2012,disabilities,CHAI,donate,volunteering

Category: People with Disabilities

Staying in Balance at the Passover Table

4/5/2012 10:25:00 AM

If food was simply fuel for us, like gas is for cars, eating a balanced Passover meal would be easier.

Tags: Passover

Category: JF&CS

April is Financial Literacy Month

4/3/2012 11:30:00 AM

The need for Americans to change financial habits has gained attention in the past decade with the recent consumer credit crunch and “great recession.”

Tags: Center for Family Assistance,financial literacy

Category: JF&CS

Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat

3/28/2012 2:39:00 PM

On the eve of the Exodus, Pharaoh asked Moses, “Who are the ones who will be leaving with you?,” and Moses replied, “We will all go, young and old.”

Tags: Friendly Visitor Program,Passover

Category: Seniors

Helping Preemie Parents Untie the Knots of Fear and Hope

3/23/2012 10:05:00 AM

This week I received an amazing letter of gratitude from a mother who has recently been served by Fragile Beginnings.

Tags: CERS,Fragile Beginnings,preemies

Category: Children & Families

Feeling Blessed and Grateful

3/8/2012 11:30:00 AM

I love the 10,000 Maniacs song “These Are Days,” about those contented moments when “you know it’s true that you are blessed and lucky.”

Tags: human services,Benefit,fundraising

Category: JF&CS

Pledging to End Violence Against Women

3/6/2012 1:58:00 PM

Last week I had the pleasure of attending White Ribbon Day, an event that brings men together to pledge to help end violence against women.

Tags: White Ribbon Day,Journey to Safety

Category: JF&CS

Healthy JF&CS Celebrates National Nutrition Month

3/1/2012 12:03:00 PM

Have you ever sat at your computer and thought, “I am really stressed and could use a break right now?"

Tags: National Nutrition Month

Category: JF&CS

Fear and Trembling in Marriage

2/27/2012 3:13:00 PM

On Thursday, March 1, all men are called upon to stand up and take action against the domestic abuse against women.

Tags: White Ribbon Day,Journey to Safety

Category: JF&CS

Telling the Truth to Others in Power

2/24/2012 11:28:00 AM

I write from a perspective of privilege and safety. I am a white male, having never victimized by violence.

Tags: White Ribbon Day,Journey to Safety

Category: JF&CS

Lessons Learned

2/14/2012 11:00:00 AM

Today I received a call from a former client, who adopted three children with her husband and has recently moved to another state.

Tags: adoption,post adoption

Category: Children & Families

Hip Club for Men

1/12/2012 3:15:00 PM

Turning sixty was a huge disconnect with all other aspects of my identity. So, you can imagine how I took the news that I would need a total hip replacement.

Tags: VNA

Category: Seniors

What sort of miracles have you experienced?

1/5/2012 3:50:00 PM

This was the question posed to a group of frail elders who attended our Sixth Annual Friendly Visitor Hanukkah Celebration.

Tags: Hanukkah,Friendly Visitor Program

Category: Seniors

Bringing CERS to Southeast Asia

12/30/2011 10:37:00 AM

For many years, I have had the fantasy of spending some time in another part of the world. I have wanted not to simply travel but to have some reason to be there.

Tags: CERS,Early Connections

Category: Children & Families

How Death Changes Us

12/21/2011 11:29:00 AM

There is something about our jobs as geriatric care managers that pulls us into the lives of our clients so intimately that their deaths change us.

Tags: geriatric care management,Your Elder Experts

Category: Seniors

Finding Light in Times of Darkness

12/8/2011 4:05:00 PM

Most of us look forward to celebrating holidays with friends and family. But for those who are grieving a loss, the holiday can seem unbearably sad.

Tags: Hanukkah,geriatric care management

Category: Seniors

Happy Holidays from CERS

12/1/2011 9:25:00 AM

The holiday season is upon us, which is a prospect that likely fills you with happiness, trepidation, or a mix in between.

Tags: CERS

Category: Children & Families

JF&CS Helps Shine a Big Spotlight on Little Babies

11/18/2011 3:12:00 PM

Yesterday was World Prematurity Day, which aims to raise awareness that prematurity is a significant problem.

Tags: CERS,preemies,Fragile Beginnings

Category: Children & Families

Testimony in Favor of House Bill 3527

11/17/2011 9:04:00 AM

On Wednesday I spoke before the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities at the State House about a proposed change in the clinical standards that determine eligibility for adult services.

Tags: disabilities

Category: People with Disabilities

2011 CHAI Celebration Raised Much Needed Funds

11/15/2011 11:18:00 AM

On November 3, more than 250 friends of JF&CS Services for People with Disabilities gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston for the 2011 CHAI Celebration.

Tags: disabilities,CHAI,fundraising,donations

Category: People with Disabilities

IPTI Attracts National Attention

11/9/2011 2:12:00 PM

Eight years ago JF&CS embraced the idea of becoming a hub for Infant Mental Health training in Boston and welcomed the creation of the Infant-Parent Training Institute.

Tags: CERS,IPTI

Category: Children & Families

November is National Adoption Month

11/1/2011 1:12:00 PM

November marks National Adoption Month, which was proclaimed in 1995 by President Bill Clinton.

Tags: adoption,post adoption

Category: Children & Families

JF&CS on WBUR

10/21/2011 4:09:00 PM

I heard the Radio Boston story about a man with Alzheimer’s who sings with the JF&CS Tremble Clefs choral group for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Tags: Tremble Clefs,Parkinson's disease,Parkinson's Family Support

Category: Seniors

Parkinson’s Community Quilt Project

9/20/2011 2:48:00 PM

“The morning cruise began with a sunny, clear sky and balmy warm wind on my boat. Receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease threw me off course."

Tags: Parkinson's disease,Parkinson's Family Support

Category: Seniors

The Journey of Grief During the Days of Awe

9/14/2011 3:21:00 PM

Miriam, a 24-year-old graduate student, tragically experienced the sudden death of her brother this past year.

Tags: Days of Awe

Category: Seniors

Parkinson’s Support Group for Men

9/1/2011 3:49:00 PM

A wonderful article was just published in a national OT journal about our Parkinson's Family Support program's summer men's group.

Tags: Parkinson's disease,Parkinson's Family Support

Category: Seniors

Special Needs Education Resource Center

7/6/2011 2:05:00 PM

The Special Needs Education Resource Center provides critical education, family support, and specialized medical consultation services to disabled children and their families in Ukraine.

Tags: Special Needs Education Resource Center,special needs,Ukraine,Dnepropetrovsk,Ukraine

Category: People with Disabilities

Unlocking the Door to Community Living

6/24/2011 2:42:00 PM

Raising a child with disabilities is inevitably a challenge. Having a child who is leaving the special education system in these tough budgetary times is especially daunting.

Tags: disabilities,CJP

Category: People with Disabilities

CHAI Works Clients Give Back

4/13/2011 1:59:00 PM

One of the biggest aspects of the CHAI Works program is volunteering. Our participants and staff contribute more than 500 hours/week to more than 20 community organizations.

Tags: CHAI,disabilities,volunteering

Category: People with Disabilities

CHAI Client Plays Piano at Fenway

3/15/2011 10:27:00 AM

Evan Taylor, a client of the JF&CS CHAI Day Program, was the featured pianist at the 2010 Walk Now for Autism Speaks Greater Boston Awards Dinner at Fenway Park.

Tags: disabilities,CHAI

Category: People with Disabilities

February is National Jewish Disability Awareness Month

2/23/2011 9:44:00 AM

Join us in acknowledging this special month designated to honor our Jewish friends and family members who have disabilities or special needs.

Tags: disabilities,CHAI

Category: People with Disabilities

Chanukkah Celebration Brings People Together

1/26/2011 1:13:00 PM

Services for People with Disabilities celebrated the Festival of Lights at its annual Chanukkah party held at the JF&CS Headquarters in Waltham.

Tags: JF&CS News Winter 2011,disabilities,chanukkah

Category: People with Disabilities

Giving Thanks

12/2/2010 2:36:00 PM

CHAI Works offers a wide range of vocational skill building, educational, and fitness opportunities throughout the week, including a spirituality class, which wrote a Thanksgiving poem.

Tags: CHAI,Disabilities Resource Network,disabilities

Category: People with Disabilities