Employment

A few months into her new marketing role, Kim sent an email to her JVS Career Counselor Sandra Saltzman, thanking her for her guidance, encouragement and expertise during her 1.5-year job search.

JCFS Chicago is one of six agencies that are partners in the Strategic Workforce Opportunity Collaborative (SWOC). This collaborative of trusted workforce professionals focuses on increasing employment opportunities for Chicagoland individuals with disabilities, and just as important, assisting employers in hiring qualified, pre-screened candidates.

One of the janitors who is employed through JCFS Chicago’s Contracted Employment Services (CES) accompanied CES Assistant Director Virginia Hopkins to SourceAmerica’s annual Grassroots Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C... where he first shared his employment story with a group of fellow advocacy teams, and later presented a shorter version to legislators.

When Anna came to JCFS Chicago she was in the process of finishing her bachelor’s degree in English. Anna has a passion for reading and libraries, and she expressed to her employment specialist her desire to find a job in a library.

As a recent high school graduate, Daniel turned to JCFS Chicago’s Duman Opportunity Center for help finding employment. He began working with an employment specialist to explore opportunities that would highlight his strengths, build his confidence, and prepare him for long-term success.

They say when one door closes, another one opens. But it isn’t always that straightforward when employment specialists are helping refugees find jobs.

In the early 2000s, Sarah was struggling to pay her bills while living in Chicago and attending medical school. Her grueling academic schedule didn’t allow time for a job to help. A classmate, who also was Jewish, told her about a JVS Career & Employment scholarship offered to Jewish students studying in the health field.

When Alex moved from Israel to be closer to family in the Chicago suburbs, he did not have a plan in place for employment.

“My transition to the U.S. was a little stressful,” he admits.

For her bat mitzvah project, Ava Bednyak, 13, decided to raise funds to support a young family of three who recently moved to Chicago to escape the war in Ukraine. She connected with JCFS Chicago’s HIAS Immigration & Citizenship program to get started right away.

Two JCFS programs – Residential Supports and the Duman Opportunity Center – are working together to help individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) achieve independence and be active members of their communities.