Dear Friends,

As I conclude my term as President of the Board of Jewish Family & Children’s Service, I find myself filled with gratitude and pride. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve in this role.

For more than three decades, my connection to JF&CS as a volunteer has been a labor of love. I firmly believe that the work this agency does—caring for people when they are facing some of life’s hardest moments—is the most important work there is. 

Over these past three years, I’ve had a front-row seat to what it truly means to meet the moment. One moment that will stay with me occurred last November during the sudden shutdown in SNAP benefits. As people faced the immediate reality of not knowing how they would put food on the table, JF&CS mobilized rapidly. The generosity and commitment of this community made it possible for JF&CS to provide 900 people with food in just over one week. To witness that kind of urgency, compassion, and coordination in action—to know lives were tangibly improved in real time—was profoundly moving.

That moment is just one example of what I have seen time and again: the extraordinary dedication of the JF&CS team and the steadfast support that surrounds them. JF&CS today is operating in one of the most challenging environments the human services world has ever seen. And yet, day after day, our staff and volunteers show up with skill, care, and an unwavering commitment to the mission. Guided by the agency’s “Under One Roof” strategy and strengthened by the partnership of donors who believe deeply in this work, they deliver an incredible range of services with excellence and humanity.

I know that so many of us who care about JF&CS are bound by a sense of shared responsibility for one another, and a desire to leave the world better than we found it. This is the foundation on which the agency stands, and it’s what continues to inspire my connection to this work.

To the remarkable staff, volunteers, board members, donors, and partners who make this work possible: Thank you! It has been an honor to serve alongside you, and I am deeply appreciative of the work we will continue to do together.

Steven Weil
President, 2023–2026