News & Impact

When Gabe was 45, he developed adult-onset diabetes, leaving him blind and jobless. “Devastated is an understatement,” says Gabe. “I was panicked and emotionally paralyzed. I didn’t know where to turn. Thank G-d a friend directed me to the People with Disabilities Program at JFCS. It has been a lifesaver and has enabled me to be independent which is really important to me.” Each year, JFCS helps hundreds of adults like Gabe—people with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities who want to strengthen their lives. Gabe and others meet regularly with counselors from JFCS who offer hope, comfort, and coping tools.… Read More

Loneliness is a major issue for the elderly and has been linked closely with poor health. Debby Katz and John Perkins are volunteers with JFCS’ Senior Companions program. They regularly visit elderly clients and have seen the positive impact of their companionship first hand. They are also getting as much out of the program as the seniors whose lives they touch. Debby and John have found that volunteering is one of the best ways to give back to your community and get connected with others. Both retired professionals, they are among the hundreds of volunteers who have helped our elderly… Read More

On Friday, May 17, JFCS’ Adoption Connection was honored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for our work with LGBT families. Ellen Kahn, Director of HRC’s Family Project, came to personally present the All Children – All Families Agency Seal of Recognition*. As many of you know, Adoption Connection has welcomed LGBT families in our adoption program since its inception in 1985.  Being inclusive seemed completely natural and normal to us when we started out, and LGBT outreach has been an integral part of our program for 28 years. Ellen acknowledged that while Adoption Connection has been providing services to… Read More

Media Alert What: A Tribute to Holocaust Survivors: Honoring Those Who Gave Their Testimonies When: Sunday, June 9, 2:00 – 4:00 pm Where: The Palace Hotel Why: Bay Area Holocaust survivors will be recognized for the vital role they have played as educators. Now all well into their 80s and 90s, the survivors have shared their stories of moral courage, tolerance, and social responsibility to younger generations in person and on videotape. In addition, the JFCS Holocaust Center, which holds the sixth largest collection of video survivor testimonies in the world, and the USC Shoah Foundation—co-sponsors of this special program—will… Read More

Philanthropist Bill Lowenberg z”l, who survived Auschwitz, spent much of his life educating children, grandchildren, and countless others about the lessons of the Holocaust. Two years after his death, the JFCS Holocaust Center renamed its survivor speaker program as the William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau, in tribute to his legacy of courage and leadership. “It was very important to my father that young people understand the Holocaust and that they never forget. He saw the impact that eyewitness testimonies had on students,” says Susan Lowenberg, Bill’s daughter. In tribute to her father, Susan and her spouse, Joyce Newstat, dedicated… Read More

“He is such a faxxx like i can’t belief his dum stupid shirt. what a xxxx fairy.” Has your child ever received a text like this? If so, he has experienced cyberbullying. “When one child targets another through an electronic device like an iPhone to threaten, humiliate, or torment, he or she has engaged in cyberbullying,” says bullying expert Holly Pedersen, MFT, PhD, Director of the Community Education Center of Parents Place on the Peninsula. “What makes this form of bullying so lethal is that it usually falls under the radar until it’s too late—when the message goes viral. In… Read More