Jewish Family & Children’s Service Celebrates Youth at Real World Job Development Program Graduation
(PHOENIX – August 22, 2019) – Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS), an organization known for strengthening the community by providing behavioral health, healthcare and social services to all ages, faiths and backgrounds, hosted the Real World Job Development Program Graduation on July 26 at Aeroterra Community Center. The graduation ceremony is an independence milestone recognizing the successful completion of academic, career and living skills assessments.
The Real-World Job Development Program at Jewish Family & Children’s Service was developed in 2006 as a youth-directed program to help prepare foster care youth for adulthood by providing the learning skills necessary for self-sufficiency while teaching them the importance of education and employment. The program serves youth age 16-24 who are in or who have aged out of the Arizona Foster Care system at 18.
Participants in this program receive academic, career and living skills assessments. Many foster care youth, enrolled in the program, manage to achieve their educational and/or employment goals.
A recent $125,000 investment from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust will support the Program Operations Lead and three Youth Development Coordinator salaries. To support the Education Coordinator salary, JFCS recently received a $25,000 award of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department. Through these partnerships, JFCS will ensure that foster care youth continue to have access to developing education and workforce readiness skills training to achieve self-sufficiency.
About the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust was established upon the death of Nina Mason Pulliam in 1997 to support the causes she loved in her home states of Arizona and Indiana for 50 years. The Trust seeks to help people in need, protect animals and nature, and enrich community life in metropolitan Indianapolis and Phoenix. Since its inception, the Trust has distributed more than $310 million. For more information visit www.ninapulliamtrust.org.
About City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department
The Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) focuses on preserving, enhancing and engaging Phoenix neighborhoods and helping residents to access city services and programs. For more information visit www.phoenix.gov/nsd.
About Jewish Family & Children’s Service
Jewish Family & Children’s Service is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization that strengthens the community by providing behavioral health, healthcare and social services to all ages, faiths and backgrounds. At JFCS we hope for a future where families are strong, where our elders are cared for and where children are safe. Our dedication to our mission is strengthened by our commitment to our core Jewish values that honor community and the continuity of the generations. More information is available at www.jfcsaz.org.
