Alan, David, Michael and Matthew Simpson at the Jewish Family Service annual meeting.
MARGATE - Jewish Family Service of Atlantic and Cape May Counties June 20 hosted its annual meeting which included an overview of state of the agency, officer installations, donor recognitions, volunteer appreciation and staff awards.
JFS was honored to be able to once again host its annual meeting and assure that staff, board, volunteers and supporters were recognized for their tireless dedication and service to the agency which assists more than 13,000 people each year, CEO Andrea Steinberg said.
Matthew Simpson was sworn to a two-year term as board president, Lawrence Reich as vice-president, Sarah Rosenthal as treasurer and Adam R. Steinberg as secretary. In addition, Jess Kane Berman and Eric Goldberg were sworn in as board members serving one-year terms. The agency also extended a heartfelt thank you to outgoing board President Joel Caplan, Ph.D.
JFS Board Secretary Adam Steinberg and former JFS Board President Joel Caplan.
Caplan presented Steinberg with the President's Award for his commitment to the betterment of the community and agency.
Adam frequently gives of his time with no expectation of garnering anything in return, except knowing that his help has made a difference. He represents the board and volunteers at fundraisers, including our past Cocktail Party, House Tour and Golf Tournament. He participates in everything from stuffing swag bags for events, drives around to collect food for the Turkey Drive and unloads deliveries at the Food Pantry, Caplan said. When Adam joined the JFS board, he made a commitment to help and support our community and he has continually delivered exceptionally on that promise.
The President's Award for Innovation and Compassion was presented to volunteer Harry Albert who furthers the mission of JFS through selfless acts, creative problem solving and developing positive institutional change. Each month, JFS receives a large food delivery. Instead of walking each box up and down steps, Albert created a seamless process to utilize a roller platform that moves each product directly into the building saving time and heavy lifting.
JFS Senior Director of Communications and Donor Relations Beth Joseph welcomed and thanked new agency donors Carol and Alan Simpson, Macy's, Charles Malamut of The Malamut Group at Morgan Stanley, Pamela's Health and Harmony, Walmart, Law Offices of Melissa Rosenblum, Roth-Goldsteins' Memorial Chapel, and Antoinette and Eric Wood.
The agency also recognized Lois and David Grossman as the 2023 Volunteers of the Year.
Since June 2022, they have each volunteered just under 100 hours delivering Meals on Wheels and food pantry bags each week. With an increase in food need since the pandemic, they implemented a new annual food drive with the Margate Homeowners Association knowing they are helping people in need, Volunteer Supervisor Vanessa Smith said.
With 185 employees, COO Ann Thoresen recognized staff members celebrating anniversaries with the agency. Elizabeth Akpassa, Jessica Beatty, William Bennett, Michele Emery, Alan Fishkin, Kelly Ford, Winter Harmon, Karen Kelley and Jessica Reinhardt celebrate five years of service at JFS. Heather English, Margaret Hutchins, Natalie Kraft, Jennifer Wagner and Jeffrey Willson were recognized for 10 years. Also, Christine Zoda-Egizi, Naomi Jones and Maggie Weaver were acknowledged for 15 years of service.
JFS Senior Director of HR Greg Rosenblit, JFS IT Coordinator Syed Mehmood, and HR Coordinator Lisa Murrell.
Additionally, the Community Impact Award was presented to Kaitlin Kore, the Heart and Soul Award to Syed Mehmood, the Outstanding Service Award to Sherilyn Haddock, and the Leadership Award to Samantha McManus.
There is no greater honor than being selected by those who truly understand the work you do and what it takes to do it well, Senior Director of Human Resources Greg Rosenblit said.
