This Giving Tuesday, we raised money for clients to purchase new clothing needed throughout the year. With growing children, changing seasons, and ongoing hardships, your gift helps to alleviate the financial burden many feel when contemplating a new pair of shoes, a warm winter jacket or a bathing suit for camp.Together, we raised over $41,000!

This year’s campaign was enhanced by the matching gift made by Micki and Sam Mizrahi in honour of their son’s Bar Mitzvah. The Mizrahi’s gift helped inspire and motivate others to give generously and we thank you.

Individuals and families can breathe a little easier during these unstable times, knowing that they are not alone, and that JF&CS and the community are there for them.

Thank you again to all who participated by giving generously, sharing our content, and spreading the word. 

This year, thanks to the generosity of our donors who supported our annual Drive For Dreidels Chanukah gift drive, over 300 children and youth received toys and gift cards, as well as Chanukah ginger bread houses and cookie kits this holiday season. With COVID-19 still a concern, we were unable to use drop-off boxes for toys and gift. Instead, social workers requested gifts on behalf of their clients and the Jewish Family and Child Service’s Development and Communications team ensured that all wishes and requests were accommodated. Imagine the delight on the faces of  each child when opening their gifts!

In addition to bringing holiday cheer to our children and youth, we were able to provide Chanukah gift boxes to our clients with the revenue generated through the sale of our Chanukah tribute cards. In partnership with Chabad Midtown and Chabad Beit Israel, over 200 Chanukah gift boxes were delivered to our most vulnerable and isolated clients. The joy of eating latkes and lighting the Chanukah Menorah brought back warm memories and helped with feelings of connection to our incredible community.

“The gifts were perfect for the holiday, very generous and exactly what my spouse was hoping to get for our son. He is very happy, as the toys were both educational and fun. Definitely brought some holiday spirit to the family. Thank you Drive for Dreidels, a very kind service.” – JF&CS client

At any given time, JF&CS has between 25-30 children in care; many of them are teenagers. Over the last two years the need for loving and supportive homes for these youth, within the Jewish community, has increased. JF&CS is looking for secular homes for older youth in care. The need is urgent. 

We are looking for homes with caregivers who are compassionate, flexible and understanding of the issues facing many youth today. We need homes that are willing to support these youth for at least six months to two years. Every youth is different; sometimes, they need less time in foster care but other times they may need a longer commitment. 

If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning more about fostering or adopting, please join us at our virtual Resource Family Information Session on December 8 from 12-1:15 pm. Topics included in the session relate to our current need for resource families, the intersection between various types of resource/foster parenting, openness in adoption, and the application process.  

For more information please email awaite@jfandcs.com or call intake to register in advance of the session at 416-638-7800.  

We are excited to announce the official launch of Camp Mariposa Toronto. Camp Mariposa is an award-winning addiction prevention and mentoring program for youth ages 9-12 affected by a family member’s substance use disorder. Camp Mariposa Toronto is a collaborative project between JF&CS and Eluna, a US-based non-profit agency with a mission to support children and families impacted by grief or addiction. To bring this incredible program to fruition in Toronto, we will also be partnering with other local organizations, including The Jean Tweed Centre, The Renascent Centre, JACS, and JVS Toronto. 

At Camp Mariposa, youth participate in fun, traditional camp activities such as swimming and rock climbing, combined with education and support sessions led by mental health professionals and trained adult mentors. Camp Mariposa is held six times a year from Friday evening to Sunday. Additional social activities are offered for children and their families throughout the year. All program activities are offered free of charge to families.

Jessica, an 11 year old camper, recently shared: “I came to Camp Mariposa to learn how to deal with my dad’s drug addiction. I’ve never had a friend I could talk to but here everyone understands what I’m going through. I learned healthy ways to cope with addiction in my family and learned that I can make choices to be DIFFERENT.”  Camp Mariposa Toronto will initially be offered in a virtual format beginning in January 2022.

If you would like to register a child or learn about becoming a mentor with the program, please visit our website or email tdavid@jfandcs.com. 

On Thursday December 2, the Child Welfare team hosted our annual Resource Chanukah Party. The virtual celebration brought together our resource families and youth in care for a fun-filled evening of Chanukah games and activities. Packages were delivered containing churro decorating kits from F+B Kosher Catering, menorahs, dreidels, and chocolate gelt. JF&CS’s very own Rabbi Chemel led the group in a communal menorah lighting for the fifth night of Chanukah, followed by an online Kahoot Chanukah trivia game and raffle!

A wonderful night was had by all of our families who came together virtually to share in this magical holiday filled with joy and warmth from the JF&CS community.

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