A Message from the President

and Executive Director

“Achieve more than you thought possible,” is our Jewish Community Services’ tagline. These words were meant for our constituents who engage in our services and programs. This year, however, they ring true for our agency as well. The year again brought many challenges beyond the normative matters that a large human service agency is called upon to assist and help its community.

Our staff provided supports to our clients, the community and Associated system staff to address fears, uncertainty, pain and worry this year as we continued to see the suffering in the Ukraine, the horrors of October 7th, the escalation of antisemitism and hate that particularly affected our college campuses. Our staff showed resilience and strength as they helped others when they themselves were struggling.

Our Jewish Critical Incident Response Team was called upon several times this year to provide support for too many tragic situations that occurred in our community. The mental health crisis remains high as the community of all ages tries to make sense of the world around them. JCS has continued to innovate programs and learn and implement new modalities of treatment to address the mental wellness of those who seek services at our agency and others who we serve at schools, universities, synagogues, and organizations. All this while we continued our financial wellness programs, career services, supported our clients with disabilities and their families, supported the elderly to age in place and responded to the thousands of calls that we received from the community. This was more than we thought possible, yet we achieved it.

A strong and vibrant agency can only achieve success with supporters and partners. JCS is fortunate to be guided by the remarkable leadership, ambassadorship, and dedication of our Board of Directors and our JCS Advisory Council. We collaborate and are thankful for our many Associated partner agencies for the work we do together to meet the needs of our community more effectively. We also rely upon and are so pleased to have many partners outside of our Jewish community who work with us to develop initiatives that serve a broad population. We are so grateful for the many donors and foundations who believe in and support our work. We are fortunate to have the staff of The Associated as visionary thought partners and dedicated collaborators and are profoundly grateful for The Associated’s allocation and fundraising efforts that enable JCS to achieve our mission of serving the community.

And this is how it is all possible…

With gratitude,

Jewish Community Services (JCS) provides programs and services for people of all ages and backgrounds, helping them achieve their goals, enhance their well-being, and maximize their independence.

As an agency rooted in the principles and traditions of Judaism, we affirm a commitment to the following values:

Wellness, Prevention & Support

FAST FACTS

Our Impact

Aging in Place

We first met Ada, a Holocaust survivor, in 2010 when she requested homecare services. Her determination to continue living independently at home with the support of daily assistance would remain a recurring theme over the years as her needs changed. No matter how they evolved, we adapted our services to accommodate. When she had a stroke in September 2023 at the age of 99, she was determined to return back home after a week in the hospital. In partnership with the Claims Conference and KAVOD, JCS was able to ensure additional hours of homecare and funding for hospice supplies to make that possible. When she passed, she passed peacefully, surrounded by her devoted family, in her own home as she had requested all along.

*Social services for Nazi victims have been supported by grants from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the Maryland Department of Aging, and KAVOD SHEF (in partnership with Seed the Dream Foundation).

Memory Café

Patient Care Connection

Georgia was diagnosed with a learning disability at age ten, which amplified her significant school-related anxiety. Emotional outbursts and shutdowns were often triggered around attending classes and completing her assignments. With the help of a trained JCS therapist, Georgia learned to identify potential barriers, communicate her needs, and implement strategies to help her cope. Today, she is in a new school environment and has a much more positive take on learning thanks to a new handle on how to manage her anxiety.

Dual citizen Julia was in Israel for her niece’s wedding when Hamas attacked on October 7. Alone in her hotel while many of her relatives were gathered at her brother’s house, she could hear the shelling nearby and was directed to the shelter across the hall from her hotel room. While she later was able to attend a family-only private ceremony in another shelter before safely returning back home to the United States, that feeling of being alone, anxious, and fearful never quite left. Her trauma invaded her waking and sleeping moments and she worries for her family’s safety every day. She joined JCS’ Mindful Art workshops, which encourages participants to experiment with different means of creative self-expression to foster healing and enhance well-being. Being able to share her story and have a safe place to express herself has allowed her to continue working through her trauma and fear in a healthy, meaningful way.

Grief

JCS offers a variety of programs to help children, teens, and adults navigate the grief journey. Through counseling, support groups, and workshops, trained grief counselors reassure participants of their forever connection to their special someone. A young child asked a grief specialist who was facilitating our Heartstrings program for children, “How far can the ‘invisible’ string reach?” When she explained it reaches everywhere and anywhere, to whomever you love, he replied, “That’s a relief.”

Teen Wellness

​​The pressures facing young people today continue to mount, placing increasing numbers at risk. ​​Our professional health educators provide engaging, interactive programs that help children, teens, and young adults develop skills that enhance mental well-being, build resilience, and promote healthy decision-making.

Kevin was diagnosed with a significant developmental disorder as a young child, which led him to becoming a permanent resident of JCS’ Community Living Group Homes. Throughout the years, he has lived in several JCS-operated homes, and always with the same two roommates who became his lifelong friends. However, both passed away within a short time of one another, leaving Kevin on his own. JCS staff worried that moving to a new facility without his long-time roommates would be a difficult adjustment for Kevin and did their best to ease his transition. With the support and dedication of JCS’ staff, Kevin quickly adjusted and has flourished in his new home with his younger roommates. He now enjoys partaking in a variety of events at home in his community, including parties, exercise activities, and group activities.

Ignite Career Center

Caleb provided translation services for JCS when a refugee family needed help. A refugee from Afghanistan himself, he was providing interpretation services as a means to an end while he sought to continue his career in project management. Unfortunately, his project management skills in Afghanistan weren’t translating quite as he had hoped upon arriving in the United States. With the support of an Ignite career coach, he was able to develop a resume that aligned with American job search expectations, optimize his LinkedIn profile, and craft a cover letter that shared his qualifications. Today, Caleb works for a prestigious local university and continues to look for educational opportunities to enhance his capabilities.

Brian came to the Ignite Career Center after losing his job of four years as a medical billing specialist at a nonprofit organization. He was feeling discouraged and anxious about finding employment, which was further compounded by medical issues and personal challenges that hindered his job search. With the support of a personal career coach, he refined his resume and practiced interviewing skills to become a stronger contender for employment. Today, he has a new role at a medical billing company, a higher salary, and is considered a trusted authority on Medicaid and Medicare billing. As he shared with his career coach, “Strange but uplifting feeling, to get to stick a thumb in the eye of my own imposter syndrome!”

Ignite Career Center of JCS is a proud partner of Project EM, a national initiative of Jewish human service agencies providing support to job seekers and employers.

Lauren H. Braunstein

Vice President-At-Large

Mark E. Pressman, M.Ed., MBA

Treasurer

John Buergenthal, SPHR

Assistant Treasurer

Karen D. Oppenheimer, LCSW-C, M.Ed.

Secretary