Our Impact

An 80-year-old man who has been a Goodman JFS client for several years lives on a fixed income that barely covers his basic needs. His sight was deteriorating and he did not have the insurance coverage or the money to pay for glasses. GJFS approved his application and agreed to pay for the glasses. When the check was ready, the client said he would come to pick it up and take it to the eye doctor in person. He took the bus but he was a little lost and was going to walk the rest of the way to our office, which was more than two miles away. The case manager said she would bring him the check and asked several questions to verify his identity. Had the client not been able to get to the eye doctor that day with payment, he would have had to wait two more months, and he really needed his glasses. The client says he now wears his glasses all day, every day!

A 78-year-old woman called Goodman JFS requesting assistance with her water bill. She has an adult daughter living with her and both of them are disabled. Her water service had been disconnected for almost two weeks and she was desperate. She called other agencies and they could not assist them because of funds availability. Her son was delivering gallons of water for them to bathe, cook, etc. The care manager visited her at home as she was unable to get a ride to the Goodman JFS office to complete paperwork. They did not have food in the house, even for dinner that night. The care manager arranged for a prepared meal, picked it up and delivered it to them. GJFS paid the water bill and referred them to the Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard for food delivery and assistance completing a SNAP application. The client cried because “no one had ever done that for her before.”

A care manager from Goodman JFS visited a client who recently returned to Florida. After all the paperwork was updated and completed, the care manager arranged for client to have a life alert system installed in her home so that she could call for help in case of emergency. The same day that the installation was completed, the client fell down in the bathroom, pressed the button and the ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. The doctors confirmed that she would have not survived had it not been for the life alert.

I have the pleasure of visiting with a couple in the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program each month to deliver their Publix cards. Our visits are special, they have amazing stories to tell. They have such fantastic outlooks on life, it is really inspirational. We invited them to our home for Hanukah, and it wonderful sharing a special night with them. My life has been enriched by these lovely people. I feel like I have benefited from my involvement in this program just as much as they do!!

As a recently retired individual, JET Express has given to me a feeling of giving back to the community; that feeling is priceless.

Since signing up as a volunteer with JET Express, I have enjoyed taking seniors to medical appointments, the beauty salon, shopping and spending valuable time together. It makes us both feel good. I provide transportation but also companionship and friendship…and they do the same for me.

I also volunteer at the Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard. Each week I take grocery orders and help deliver them to clients. Many of the clients who are having a difficult time – emotionally, physically or financially – are so elated when they see me they know they are not alone. Providing a helping hand gives me a sense of happiness and success.

“Medicaid sends someone to my mother’s home for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week but my mother is NOT in good health physically or mentally so obviously 15 hours a week isn’t much help. My mother fell in December, broke her arm and has since that time either been in the hospital or at a rehab center. My younger sister (who lives in Florida) was completely overwhelmed and unable to cope with everything.

We contacted Goodman JFS and the care manager came to our rescue!!! She has been a godsend to us. She feels like family, knowing exactly who to contact and how to get things done. She helped my sister get my mother into an assisted living home within 5 days! Without her help, I honestly don’t know what we would have done.”

Tanya lost her independence and could no longer drive because of physical limitations. Becoming a member of JET Express has truly changed her life. She is more sociable and physically active. She is less isolated and lonely. She can attend chair exercises and water aerobics which she needed to maintain physical and mental health. Tanya says, “All of my drivers are wonderful. Now I can go where I want to go and when I want to go. JET Express has helped me remain active and independent. I love the program.”

One year after I lost my wife to cancer, I contacted Goodman JFS. My children woke up to find an eviction notice posted on our front door. I explained that the family had exhausted all of our savings and retirement funds trying to keep up with medical bills. I had just begun a new job, but for this month, I did not have enough money to pay rent.

Our case manager was able to make arrangements to pay the landlord as quickly as possible and avoid eviction. Additionally, the family was offered counseling to deal with our on-going grief from our loss. A referral was made to the Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard to supplement a tight food budget, and GJFS made sure the children had a wonderful Chanukah by giving me gift cards so I could have the pleasure of shopping for my children.

One of our volunteers who makes monthly food deliveries to a homebound elderly couple, noticed that the husband was now confined to a hospital bed. He learned that the man now needs a walker, which he did not own, so he was unable to move around the home by himself. The volunteer promptly reported this to the Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard staff, who turned to our Community and Senior Services program and we worked together to supply him with a walker within 48 hours. The senior is no longer confined to his bed. He is happy to be able to move around his home and go outside without fear of falling. He is getting much needed exercise again and is able to regain some independence.