Front row: Nathan Jaffe, Bootsie Goldmeier, Dolores Bartel, Miriam Seeherman Back row: Stan Samuels, Elinore Porter, Linda Spindel, Amy Levy, Jay Klebanoff, Martin Mendelsohn, Elena Barr Baum.
Eleven former Jewish Family Service presidents convened at the home of Beth and Nathan Jaffe last month to show their support for JFS and to reconnect with like-minded agency leaders. The first annual Past Presidents Lunch launched this new society of leadership dedicated to supporting the work of JFS through advocacy and philanthropy.
“The input and engagement of our former leadership is essential as we build a vibrant and strong agency for future generations,” says Betty Ann Levin, JFS executive director. “Our presidents have been instrumental in building and growing this remarkable agency and thus their leadership is essential in the agency’s future success.”
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater has been caring for the aged, sick, and vulnerable for more than 65 years. In the early 20th century, a group of nine women from Hebrew Ladies Charity Society went door to door for donations to help the community’s needy. Hebrew Ladies Charity Society eventually formed Jewish Family Service of Tidewater to formally take care of the community’s human service needs. Today, JFS’ programs and services include counseling, home health care for those recovering from sickness or injury, services for those with special needs, services for the aging and a partnership with Beth Sholom Village, the Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater.
Bootsie Goldmeier and Nathan Jaffe.
Nathan Jaffe, event co-chair, says, “It’s amazing to see how JFS has grown as our community’s needs have grown. We have expanded from a two-person agency with a $29,000 budget in 1971 to an agency with a $7-million budget boasting a wide array of programs, health care and social services in 2012.”
As baby boomers age, statistics indicate that in 25 years the demand for JFS services could double. And, since changes in health care could drastically affect the agency’s primary revenue source, it is important to carefully plan for the future. “Growing the agency’s endowment today is key in building a stable and secure JFS that offers the breadth and quality of services our community deserves,” Jaffe says.
Jaffe and Bootsie Goldmeier, event cochairs, Marcia Samuels, JFS president, Betty Ann Levin, JFS executive director, Elena Barr Baum, Jay Klebanoff, Amy Levy, Linda Spindel, Elinore Porter, Martin Mendelsohn, Stan Samuels, Dolores Bartel, Miriam Seeherman, and JFS executive committee members Lawrence Steingold, Beth Jaffe and Jeff Cooper and JFS development staff Jennifer Karotkin Adut and Sue Graves attended.
“Reading the remembrances of the past presidents in the beautiful Memory Book created by JFS staff put into perspective how far the agency has come and how much our past presidents can enrich our agency through their experiences and their understanding of our mission. It is our hope that the past presidents will provide support for our agency’s programs, guidance to our board leadership, and help in ensuring the financial security of JFS so that we can continue to meet the needs of our community well into the future,” says Samuels.
Jewish Family Service is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.