Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services

JELF Application for Interest Free-Educational Loans

mboothe — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:14:50 +0000

JELF Application for Interest-Free Educational Loans Available March 1st

Applications for interest-free loans for post-secondary education (college, graduate school, vocational and professional courses) will be available to Jewish students for the 2012-2013 school year from the Jewish Educational Loan Fund. The loan application will be available March 1 – April 15 on JELF’s website at www.jelf.org. JELF loans are need-based and offer “last-dollar” financing, meaning that JELF provides the final dollars that bridge the gap between a student’s total financial resources and the cost of attending school. Applicants must be enrolled full time in a program leading to a degree or certificate at an accredited institution that is located in the United States, be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and be able to demonstrate financial need (FAFSA application required). For more information, contact info@jelf.org, call 770-396-3080, or visit www.jelf.org.

Teen Mentoring Program Gives Back…

ecobble — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:26:41 +0000

to Homeless Citizens of Downtown Tampa

Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Service’s (gcjfcs.org) Woman to Woman (W2W) Program will be holding their annual “Pay it Forward Workshop” on Saturday, December 10th 2011 from 11:30am-1:00pm at Herman Massey Park, 1010 N. Franklin Street in Downtown Tampa.

This event provides an opportunity for teen participants of the W2W program to give back to their community. Teen participants will hit the streets with their mentors giving out wrapped gifts, blankets and knitted hats to the homeless citizens of Downtown Tampa. A moment of gratitude and self expression will conclude the service event.

Last year the W2W community gave out 35 wrapped gifts, 30 blankets, 20 towels and 25 knitted hats. Each wrapped gift came with a personalized hand written card from the teen participant and her mentor.

Funded by Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, W2W Program has been providing one-on-one mentoring and case management services to pregnant teens and teen mothers in Hillsborough County since 2004. Primary goals of the program are to prevent High School dropout and subsequent pregnancies among the teen participants. Program goals also include engaging teen mothers in a process of life improvement that will demonstrate stable family functioning and achieving healthy birth outcomes.

For more information phone Iris Grimsley at (813) 558-1370 Ext 306

“Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services provides essential human services annually to more than 30,000 clients, in over 32 Florida counties. Individuals and families are served in times of need regardless of age, faith, culture, or lifestyle.”

Rictaysha – Woman to Woman

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:35:04 +0000

Rictaysha was a pregnant teen of fifteen years old feeling scared and alone. Through the Woman to Woman program she was paired with a mentor who gave her strength, support and encouragement to finish high school, start college and navigate family relationships. The Woman to Woman program is an educational and prevention program for teenage mothers and pregnant girls who are at risk for academic failure and repeat pregnancies. The program provides one-on-one mentoring from community volunteers.

Rene – Holocaust Survivor Program

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:33:40 +0000

Rene is a Holocaust survivor who spent time in Auschwitz and later escaped from the slave labor camp at the Krupp factory in Essen Germany with her sister and two other young women. She is a member of the Jewish Community Services Holocaust Survivor Program which offers assistance and socialization opportunities for aging Holocaust survivors.

Nicolle & Lindsley – Refugee Youth and Family Program

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:32:23 +0000

Nicolle & Lindsley are a mother and son who survived the recent Haitian earthquake and destruction of their home. While living and sleeping on the street, tragedy struck again. Lindsley, then a very active 12-year-old boy, was bitten by a poisonous snake while he slept outside. Suffering from a severe infection of the brain and paralyzed, he was airlifted to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg where he underwent two brain surgeries and eventually fully recovered. The Refugee Youth and Family Program program helped him and his mother quickly acclimate to a new language, life in the U.S., work, and school. Lindsley was on the honor roll of his high school only a year and a half after arriving here.

Miriam – Family Support Services

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:30:28 +0000

Miriam is a mother of three is trying to support her family and raise her children while suffering with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Her biggest concern as a single mother is that there will be no one to care for her children. The Jewish Community Services Family Support Program has been the safety net that kept Miriam and her family from falling down during emergencies.

Juan – Florida Center for Survivors of Torture

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:28:44 +0000

Juan was a political prisoner in Cuba off and on for many years. The first time he was jailed was right after Fidel Castro came to power. He was a young family man with a new baby. Juan suffered a great deal of psychological and physical torture for his opposition to the communist regime. But Juan was recently allowed to leave Cuba and received political asylum in the U.S. Juan is a client of the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture and has received the support he needs from a compassionate and capable case worker. Juan is benefitting from life-altering medical treatment, a comfortable place to live, and the necessities of life through the help of the Refugee Services program at Gulf Coast.

Jacob – Adoption Program

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:25:27 +0000

Jacob was a foster child in a lesbian couple’s home at a time when adoption for gay couples was illegal. Because this couple couldn’t adopt him and knew he’d have to leave eventually, they had to say good-bye to him after only one year in order to lessen the inevitable heartache. Five years later, when adoption became legal for gay individuals, Jacob had not yet found a permanent home. Theresa and her partner searched for Jacob on “The Heart Gallery” and found out that he was available for adoption. With the help of a case worker from the agency’s adoption program, Theresa was able to complete the adoption in record time, and welcome Jacob into his forever family.

Florence – EGRTS Group Home

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:23:29 +0000

Florence is a senior who’s spent most of her 76 years in a state mental institution suffering from schizophrenia. She was a young mother when she was diagnosed and never got the right medical or emotional treatment, sometimes even suffering beatings from her caregivers in the state hospital. But now, Florence is living in the most supportive, loving and independent environment. She is a resident at our Extended Geriatric Residential Treatment Services group home in Broward County. Florence receives a holistic array of services to raise her quality of life to the highest possible after suffering for so many years.

Damian – Darlington Residential Treatment Facility

gcjfssiteadmin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:19:11 +0000

Damian was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young man. He was reluctant to follow an appropriate medication regiment, resulting in many years of substance abuse and criminal activities. Once he was ready to turn his life around, he entered the Darlington group home, an intensive residential treatment program with psychiatric services and life skills training, among other services. Residents are referred from the state hospital and the community, and as they recover are reintegrated back into the community.