From the Desk of CEO Judy Halper: October 2021

After many, many months, we at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis are excitedly preparing to fully re-open our Golden Valley office and offer our services in-person! Effective Oct. 25, during office hours, our reception staff will be ready to greet clients, volunteers, and other guests, and our caring staff will be ready to provide in-person assistance, in addition to continuing service in hybrid and remote modes. Finally!

To do this requires everyone’s help. We want to ensure safety for all. I recently flew on an airplane and was amazed at the additional information, provided by no less than the pilot, as we all took our seats and buckled in. The pilot pointed to the outdoors and said to all the passengers, “Politics are out there; while we are in this plane, there are no politics. Keep your masks on, and that means around your noses and mouths, and when you receive your drink and snacks, remove your mask to take a sip or bite, and quickly return it to your face. We all want to arrive at our destinations safe and healthy.” I didn’t expect that direction, though I did appreciate it! Obviously, we hope for the same cooperation from all those who enter our building.

Our policy at JFCS is that everyone must be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test that has been administered within 72 hours. We also require mask wearing while in the building. We are doing all that we can to keep people safe, and we are also supporting the necessity of looking beyond ourselves, and putting public health guidelines front and center. As we often say at JFCS, “We are here for all, always….” And I would add, in light of today’s challenges, “We are all in this together.”

We are excited to welcome you back to Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, and we appreciate the patience you have shown. While it is true that our programs and services never halted, and we have been busy serving the many needs of our community (lots of new ones, too!), we are very pleased to be able to offer personal, in-person care after a long stretch of doing so remotely. Welcome back!