Welcome to Humans of JF&CS! Periodically, we will be featuring two different staff members to highlight the amazing work they do.

Behind our 40+ programs are compassionate, committed, and dedicated staff who care deeply about our mission and our agency. With this broad range of programs comes a team of staff members with diverse interests, passions, and skills, who all share a deep commitment to improve people's lives. We hope these staff spotlights give you a taste of the incredible individuals behind our services and a sense of the deep compassion and dedication they bring every day.

Ruth Maffa

I am one of the Senior Development Officers within Institutional Advancement. My primary role is to raise the philanthropic dollars needed to support our life changing programs. I also reach out and thank current donors and ask what moved them to make a gift to JF&CS. I try to identify ways for them to become involved since we have so many great volunteer opportunities. I really believe that the more someone is engaged with the agency, the more connected they feel to us. Sometime this is an inspiration to become a donor, and sometimes it inspires a current donor to increase their support.

I also reach out to prospective donors, which is very fun. I make sure they learn about the whole agency and find out what at JF&CS touches them, because inevitably something "clicks." It's all about making a connection. If I know that someone has a parent who has Alzheimer's, I'm of course going to let them know about the programs we have for older adults, or if they are a new mom, I'll let them know that we have services for new moms. I like to say that I'm more of a relationship manager than anything else. I try to find something that's unique and interesting about every single person that I meet since it's about relationship-building!

What's fulfilling for me is how each of the donors, prospective donors and volunteers that I work with are unique because they are each connected to the agency in their own way. I get to meet a variety of people with lots of different interests and backgrounds. I'm so interested in people and their stories, so it's really meaningful for me. Working with all ranges of staff, from administrators to clinicians, I also learn so much.

Gail Leichtman

I am a Geriatric Care Manager and am a part of an amazing team of care managers at JF&CS. We get calls from people who need some help navigating the maze of resources available to help seniors. We go to the senior's home and do a complete assessment. I look at what the older adults have, what they want and what their kids want, and try to fix whatever the problem is. I look at every different area of their lives: safety, medical care, finances, legal protection, social life and their mental and emotional health. I try not to change anything that's already working.

I like my job because I like to fix things and I like older adults. I particularly like the clients who have multiple problems, because I love being able to help make their lives better. I like to visit people in their homes because I get to see the full picture and I can see what their lives are really like, in order to help them make the best decisions about how to live the fullest life possible.

I was in private practice for a long time and was hesitant to work for a human service agency. I have never regretted my decision because JF&CS is a great agency! The people here are so good at what they do and are such caring people. The people on my team are a particularly supportive bunch of people, and that is something that was impossible to find while working alone.