News & Impact

Ten minutes before Ma’ayan Epstein, 18, was due to give the speech at her high school graduation she got a call from Michelle Lamphere, Director of JFCS’ Financial Aid Center. “When I answered the phone Michelle said, ‘I have some information.’ I didn’t want bad news right before my speech, but she interrupted to say I had won the scholarship! It made my whole graduation even sweeter.” The scholarship Ma’ayan is referring to is the Vivienne S. Camp Scholarship, a competitive award given out annually by JFCS’ Financial Aid Center to two Bay Area high school seniors. This year the… Read More

Once survivors of domestic violence take the courageous step to leave their abuser, they face an uphill climb to self-sufficiency. Homelessness, trauma, debt, and few job skills can create unsurmountable hurdles to creating a new life—oftentimes leading them back to their abuser. That’s why JFCS’ Dream Program helps women and their children with not only finding stable long-term housing, but with a multitude of other wrap-around services and support necessary to get them back on their feet. JFCS recently expanded its Dream Program to offer more housing and services to an increased number of families who have survived domestic violence.… Read More

Many of us get to know Jewish Family and Children’s Services when a crisis strikes. Whether it’s a child struggling with a disability, job loss, divorce, or a sick parent, one bad thing can really knock you down. JFCS gets us back up. It happened to me when my sister’s dementia rapidly progressed. JFCS brought in trained professionals who knew how to manage her condition; her situation improved, and I was beyond relieved. When I heard about another JFCS client who is suffering from dementia and is all on her own, I was moved to share her story with you:… Read More

A few years ago Beverly* knew she was in trouble but didn’t know where to turn. Surgery left her with excruciating stomach and joint pain, making it difficult to walk. Beverly had to leave her part-time job due to her disability and was behind on her rent. One day she returned home to find a notice in her mail: her rent for her Peninsula apartment was going up $200 a month—an astronomical amount on her small fixed income. Feeling despondent, she talked to a friend who said, “Have you ever thought about calling JFCS?” “I never considered myself the type… Read More

“JFCS is our community’s safety net,” Teresa says, and here’s how: Struggling with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, Teresa felt lost and overwhelmed when she picked up the phone and made her first call to JFCS. An attorney in her early 60s who lost her job during recent economic hard times, she was suddenly unable to care for herself and was alone in the face of a medical crisis without family or close friends to help. Teresa says, “After getting home from surgery I could barely leave my bed, let alone care for myself or my home. Jewish Family and… Read More

When Alex Ike got the call letting him know he’d been chosen to receive a scholarship through JFCS’ Financial Aid Center he almost fell out of his chair. He says, “I called my mother immediately, and she practically screamed … we were both ecstatic.” The same excitement and relief were palpable at the home of seventeen year old Simone Leibowitz after learning that she would also be a recipient of a $26,000 scholarship to be disbursed over four years. The JFCS Financial Aid Center’s Loans and Grants Committee reviewed applications from Bay Area high school seniors as part of a… Read More