A Year of Impact, Growth, Community Connection
Friends, supporters, agency partners, and community leaders joined Jewish Family & Career Services (JFCS) recently for a heartfelt celebration of another remarkable year of growth and accomplishments at its 2025 Annual Meeting.
JFCS CEO Dr. David Finke marked many milestones for the agency including continued expansion across all five of its core pillars: Clinical Services, Klein Older Adult Services, Family Stability, Career & Economic Opportunities, and the new pillar specifically for Immigrant & Refugee Services that we excitingly launched this past year.
This new pillar, Finke said, comes thanks to a continued partnership with the Jewish Heritage Fund, Jewish Community of Louisville, and other community stakeholders. It reflects years of growth in refugee support. The program offers services such as professional recredentialing assistance, workforce integration, and JFCS’s Match Savings Program, which helps empower families to save toward education, housing, and small business goals.
Finke shared that the agency’s budget has grown 65% over the past three years, and government grant support has more than doubled — a reflection of strategic investments in meeting urgent community needs, he said.
JFCS’s clinical team, the Sonny & Janet Meyer Food Pantry, and the Klein Older Adult Program all expanded capacity over the past year. New providers were added to each program to meet the changing needs of the community.
Highlighting the growing demand for accessible, inclusive mental health care, Finke said that JFCS expanded its support for caregivers, survivors of trauma, youth, and individuals with complex family or cultural needs.
Finke pointed out that JFCS’ Klein Older Adult program piloted a transportation to Shabbat services at local synagogues, and that it continued to lead efforts to address older adult isolation through volunteer-based telephone reassurance calls as well as growing the number of assisted living facilities that have a Shabbos Friends volunteer. JFCS has also been working with the JCRC on a special yearlong project and has been working with some local synagogues on bringing new and unique volunteer opportunities to Louisville.
While touting the agency’s achievements, Finke reinforced JFCS’s ongoing commitment to the Jewish community by reasserting what he told the sold-out crowd at the recent JFCS MOSAIC Awards: that JFCS has worked hard this year to dispel the ongoing myth that JFCS only serves Jews, while also reaffirming its commitment to serving Louisville’s Jewish community.
“The truth is: we serve both — we always have, and we always will!” Finke explained. “JFCS is a safe space where Jewish individuals can access services knowing that their Jewish Identity will be respected, valued, and incorporated into the very programs that meet their needs.”
Utilizing The Brandeis Study of Jewish Louisville, conducted in 2021, Finke highlighted the statistics showing that many individuals and families face hunger, poverty, mental health needs, and substance misuse, and face deficiencies in critical life needs.
That commitment to Jewish identity was also affirmed with the unveiling of the Frank and Barbara Weisberg Family Fund for Jewish Oral History and the inaugural exhibit highlighting 22 interviews that explore Jewish identity in Louisville. This exhibit is now on permanent display at JFCS’ offices on Klempner Way. Finke made a point of letting attendees know that volunteers and storytellers are still being recruited for the next phase of this effort.
Along with agency accolades, JFCS also uses its Annual Meeting to celebrate the achievements for community members and staff highlights with several awards.
Among those honored was Dana Dugatkin, a volunteer with JFCS Shabbos Friends who was named Volunteer of the Year. Congregation Adath Jeshurun was given the JFCS Community Collaborator Award, and the JFCS Homecare Team was given the Bob Tiell/Dave Dobson Program Innovation Award.
The most poignant moment of the evening, however, was Finke announcing the upcoming retirement of Senior Director of Programs Mauri Malka, who has been a steadfast leader at JFCS for over 34 years. Mauri’s legacy will continue to shine through at JFCS, even after her retirement.
Finke announced, in her honor, that JFCS has established the Mauri Malka Fund for Independent Aging, an endowed fund ensuring continued support for seniors to age with dignity and independence in Mauri’s honor. Malka received a heartfelt ovation from those in attendance, and it was a fitting tribute to someone who has worked so hard, for so long, in the service of others. Donations can be made to Mauri’s fund on JFCS’ website.
In closing his remarks, Finke highlighted the need for the community’s continued support of JFCS to ensure its continued mission in the face of uncertain federal grants that fund programs many JFCS clients rely on.
“We are writing the next chapter of JFCS’s story — a story rooted in Jewish values, but written for the whole community,” Dr. Finke concluded. “There may be uncertainty ahead, but one thing I know for sure is that this community cares about its neighbors.”
To learn more about JFCS services, to make a gift to the Mauri Malka Fund for Independent Aging, or to get involved, visit www.jfcslouisville.org or call (502) 452-6341.