- Donor Stories
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- Financial Assistance
When Jessica Youngman had the chance to go Columbia University, she needed a way to finance it. So she contacted JFCS’ Financial Aid Center, which has existed for many decades to help the people of our community get a start in life. The Center is supported by many JFCS friends, including JFCS Financial Aid Committee member Dr. Carl Grunfeld, along with his in-laws, Albert (z’’l) and Janet Schultz (z’’l).
Dr. Carl Grunfeld
They created the Miriam Schultz Grunfeld Scholarship Fund for Youth in loving memory of Carl’s late wife as a way to pay homage to a beloved individual and former JFCS Board member—and to impart the value that investing in the next generation is the right thing to do … and makes good sense.
With JFCS funding in hand, Jessica successfully completed her master’s degree at Columbia’s Teachers College. Today, she has her dream job: Talent Consultant at Salesforce.com, where she focuses on talent development and employee engagement. “I’m lucky to be able to work in the field I studied, and I’m very grateful to JFCS,” she says. “It is gratifying to feel supported by my community.”
“That’s the power of the Financial Aid Center,” says Carl. “It has helped hundreds of bright, young people in so many ways to attain their education and get ahead in life. It also inspires many of them to give back to their community when they are able to do so.”
In addition to providing scholarships and loans, JFCS offers comprehensive services to students to help them prepare for college, including paid internships, mentoring relationships, and financial planning and budgeting for college and graduate school.
Sofiya Feerer,
JFCS Financial Aid Center beneficiary
Another beneficiary of the Financial Aid Center, Sofiya Feerer, now an estate and tax planning attorney, says that the assistance she received from JFCS during her undergraduate and law school years was “life-changing.” She adds, “It’s so important for those of us whose families cannot provide financial resources to be able to turn to JFCS. In my case, I’m not sure what I would have done otherwise.”
“We strongly believe that part of our obligation to hard-working young people in our community is to provide them with the tools and resources they need to launch successfully,”says Sharon Litsky, former member of the JFCS Board of Directors and Chair of the agency’s Loans and Grants Committee. “That’s why the Financial Aid Center is so integral to the comprehensive system of care provided by our agency.”
To learn how you can invest in the future of our students, contact Barbara Farber at 415-449-3858 or email [email protected].
You can also make a gift to the Financial Aid Center here >