Collaboration Strengthens All Involved

During the past three years, JFCS has prioritized community partnership. We recognize that serving the community alongside other service agencies allows us to grow and strengthen as an organization. JFCS strives to holistically serve the people in need of our services for the benefit of everyone involved; our goal is collaboration, not competition. These principles of partnership and collaboration can be seen in multiple upcoming events.

On August 4, we are hosting an event titled Beyond the Bills: An Evening of Short Films Showing the Impact of Anti-LGBTQ Legislation in collaboration with the Human Rights Campaign. Held at the 21C Museum Hotel, it consists of the screening of three independent short films, each of which explores the impacts of anti-LGBTQ legislation on everyday lives in the US.

We will include individuals from the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign, and Kentucky Health Justice Network, as well as state Sen. Karen Berg and other experts on the subject, to ensure that we – and those in attendance – will truly understand the full communal scope of the subject. The threat of discriminatory legislation affects a wide variety of people in a wide variety of ways, and it is our hope that JFCS can facilitate community collaboration that brings about lasting change.

Another event, the Republic Bank Players Challenge that will be held on August 12 at Standard Club, is also built around community partnership. In addition to facilitating networking across Louisville’s diverse industries and organizations, this day of golf, food, fun, and sprits is a collaboration with the Trager Family JCC.

It is important for Louisville to recognize that the Jewish community is working together towards important goals of the betterment of Louisville, the country, and the world. The Republic Bank Players Challenge is built around just the sort of partnership we strive to showcase.

The JFCS Community Chats were created out of the idea that community partnerships are a cornerstone of change. The next chat in our series – Making Your Dreams a Reality: Starting Your Own Business – is no exception. Free to the public on September 10, this chat focuses on the needs of small business owners in ensuring that their businesses successfully and ethically achieve their goals.

In keeping with the themes of community that our chats are built around, the event will be led by a panel of experts from Greater Louisville: Valecia Quinn, Navigate Director at JFCS; Dave Christopher, President & Founder of AMPED; Natalia Bishop, Founder of Story Louisville; and Alisia McClain, Founder & Executive Director of TECH-Nique Inc.

Even outside of our grand events, themes of community partnership can be felt at JFCS every day. Our Family Stability pilot program is the result of a collaboration with six organizations, ensuring that a wide range of clients’ needs can be understood and met. Meanwhile, we are engaging in an immigrant/refugee youth survey with six other nonprofits to assess the needs among immigrant youth.

One’s own perspective is rarely enough to truly understand an issue, particularly one affecting a vast array of people in a vast array of ways. JFCS seeks to ensure that the greater community always has a say in the issues we address. Through strong community partnership, JFCS is able to continue holistically serving our clients with dignity and purpose.