Testimonials

Testimonials 2022:

Dear Donor Family,
Thank you so much for your generous contribution to my education. It means so much to me to receive the support that I need to pursue my dreams, especially from within the Jewish community. I hope to use your gift to the fullest, so that one day I can assist the next generation with their endeavors, and pass on the mitzvot. Gratefully, Applicant #21 Applicant #21 is working to obtain a Masters in Public Heath at Johns Hopkins and received a tuition scholarship from Johns Hopkins.

January 2021: Letter from St. Paul Jewish Family Services
A recent letter from Ruth Olkon, CEO of Saint Paul Jewish Family Service, thanked BOND for its continuous support and recent $5,000 donation to assist their Employee Services Program. They sent the example below of how our funds are being used.

Bonnie, 34, who is working in the fast-food industry to meet the daily needs of her daughter and herself, applied to JFS for a scholarship for her studies. She wished to pursue a job in computer programming, which is competitive; certification, and experience are required. She had saved enough money to either buy a computer, which she did, or enroll in a training program that offered internship opportunities after the coursework was completed. JFS helped her prepare for the entrance interview and testing and granted her a scholarship to pay for the course fees. She is about halfway through, with a good chance of being hired as a programmer with the same company where she is doing an internship. Bonnie is excited about her next steps.

Dear Saralee,

Thank you for your thoughtful gift from BOND to the Academic Scholarships Fund of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis. Your gift supports people of all ages and backgrounds, people like you, your neighbors, friends and family members, with high quality care, provided with professionalism and boundless compassion.

For 109 years, JFCS has provided essential services to people of all ages and backgrounds to maintain healthy relationships, ease suffering, and offer support in times of need. We are proud to provide a steadfast safety net in this community, positively impacting and shaping life stories. All this is possible because you partner with us, supporting the work of JFCS. Thank you for your generous contribution.

Sincerely,
Dana Rubin, Development Director
Judy Halper, Chief Executive Officer
Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis

Dear GameMakers and Bond Members,

I wanted to share this great note I just received, with everyone who has helped in our Early childhood program and our organization that has supported this project for several years now. We will be including it in a future Compass, but I didn’t want to wait that long to let you all know how much our work is appreciated and the difference it is making in helping parents and children in the very important early years.

This is a wonderful testimony of how much families appreciate the volunteer hours our BOND members contribute in the Early Childhood Project at the Robbinsdale Area Early Childhood Center in New Hope, directed by Monica Potter and her staff.

Rhoda Redleaf

“Hello Rhoda –

I am a Early Childhood Parent and Children’s Educator in Robbinsdale Areas Schools at the New Hope Learning Center and would like to share with you some wonderful feedback shared with me by a parent (Mom) who is in my Preschool Parenting group of children 3-4 years of age.

This particular Mom is also in another class that I teach with her other daughter who is 9 months old.

Yesterday in the preschool Parenting group I passed out the “Bedtime Kits” and shared ways the parents could use the visual interactive chart as a useful way to engage their child in their learning and understanding of their bedtime routine.

The parents were all quite thankful and pleased to receive such a helpful tool.

Today when this Mom attended my morning class with her baby she pulled me aside and told me how much her preschool daughter “loved her chart and woke up this morning with ideas of what she wanted to add to the chart”. The Mom also shared that her daughter told her she was excited to go to bed tonight so she could use her chart again:

Thank you so very much for the wonderful work that you and the wonderful woman you serve alongside of, do to support the families in our community and our ECFE program.

We appreciate you all!

Kind Regards,

Cindy Burch
Parent and Family Educator “

Greetings 2017 B’Yachad Planning Committee and Community Partners,

It’s been a week since we delivered our final B’Yachad Bag to clients throughout the Twin Cities. We want you to know that thanks to your input and hard work, this year’s program was an overwhelming success! Here’s the rundown, by the numbers:

200 Gift Bags Delivered!

165+ Generous Gift Donors!

56 Hands-on Volunteers!

17 Shopping and Socializing Young Professionals!

18 Committee Volunteers!

12 In-Kind Donations!

11 Agency/Synagogue Partnerships!

5 Heartwarming Family Mitzvah Experiences!
… and countless volunteer hours!

On behalf of our clients, staff, Board, and the JFS Leadership Team, we thank you for everything you did to contribute to making the holidays brighter for so many people. Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy, and Peaceful New Year!

With warm regards,

Rena and Margie
Margie Stein Solomon
Volunteer Engagement Specialist
Jewish Family Service of St. Paul

JFC AND JFCS THANK BOND FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Dear BOND Scholarship Committee:

JFS is pleased to inform you that we have a formal partnership with JFCS Career Services under the United Way grant. JFC and JFCS are now working together to fulfill a common goal which is to help the unemployed and underemployed.

The BOND scholarship has helped us achieve this mission by offering our clients an opportunity to gain/improve their skills. Thanks to BOND, individuals and their families have benefited from the opportunity to obtain training for career advancement purposes.

It is imperative that our clients are able to offer employers skills and abilities that “stand out”.

Clents were able to obtain employment with competive wages and benefits because of the BOND scholarship.

Thank you to BOND for sharing our mission for help individuals and families with employment and training opportunities. We sincerely hope that you will be able to continue to help us.

Respectfully submitted,

Estrella Flores
Employment Services Supervisor

*Note: JFS stands for the Jewish Family Service of St. Paul. JFCS stands for Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis. Inspired by Jewish values, both agencies provide services regardless of their clients’ religion, ethnicity or ability to pay.