This year, JF&CS enjoyed great success, including our record breaking Benefit. Over the past year we have also faced, and will continue to wrestle with, the many challenges facing the agency. As we adapt to the changes taking place, I know that we will have to make hard choices, and that we will make those choices together. The staff, Board, and committee members work incredibly hard to ensure that we stay true to our core values and our mission, by continuing to provide thousands of clients with the support they need and deserve.

In order to maintain the vibrancy of this organization, and to plan for the future, we have embarked on an intensive Strategic Planning process with Deloitte Consulting. With great collaboration of staff and Board, we are working on the development of a three-year plan which will convey a focused strategy for JF&CS. Over the summer the entire Board will be invited to share their input as together we create a road map to guide us forward. This tremendous effort will enable JF&CS to face necessary change, while embracing new areas of growth and improvement.

L'dor v'dor refers to continuity, to the responsibility of passing on knowledge and traditions from one generation to the next. At JF&CS, we all carry a torch that was lit over 153 years ago. We bear the weight and responsibility for caring for those in our community in need. We care for the youngest and the oldest, the hungry and the lonely. We care for survivors as long as they need us, and we watch families blossom through adoption. We have learned how to take care of our community from the generations that came before us, and together we will pass on what we know to those who come next.