JVS MISSION STATEMENT
The Jewish Vocational Service is a charitable organization established to provide model educational and vocational counseling, job placement, vocational rehabilitation and skills training services to members of the Jewish and general communities, to facilitate and optimize their employment, skills and opportunities.

2000 ANNUAL REPORT

We are living in a time of unprecedented prosperity. With that prosperity, we enjoy an unprecedented opportunity to improve the prospects of a wide variety of client groups: senior citizens who would still like to work; individuals who have been "downsized" or whose skills have become obsolete; and especially the group of Americans who suffer more than any other from unemployment and underemployment - people with disabilities.

Welfare reform has created a workforce public policy, moving unskilled people into entry-level jobs. Many become the working poor, some worse off than those on public assistance, and retention is short term. Refugees no longer are eligible for entitlements beyond eighteen months of arrival in this country, reduced from five years. Increasing numbers of professionals and managers are working but are underemployed. People with disabilities are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act but remain the highest minority group unemployed. Students are dropping out of college to accept near six figure starting salaries in dot-com businesses, some of which are now closing down. Despite an unprecedented record of low unemployment and economic growth, JVS continues to serve the same high numbers of job applicants and must ponder how are these people going to fare in the job market when the economic bubble bursts?

JVS is placing more emphasis on the employment needs of senior adults. Given the aging out of the baby boomers, more seniors will be wanting and needing to work. This has culminated in JVS assuming administrative responsibility for a large contract with the National Senior Citizens Education and Research Center to employ and train 139 Senior Aides in not-for-profit organizations throughout Chicago. JVS also received a priority grant from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago to develop employment services in the western suburbs. A second priority grant has been awarded to fund those disenfranchised Russian refugees who are no longer eligible beyond eighteen months of arrival for entitlements. The Jewish Women's Foundation is funding a college counseling program at the Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School to assist young women as they prepare for future careers.

JVS remodeled its administrative offices to accommodate expanded needs for its bookkeeping department and relocated its English-as-a-Second Language School. The Walgreens Consumer Services Center was recognized by Equip for Equality as a tribute to the Walgreen Company. The Basic Nurses Aide Training Program won the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services Large City Program of the Year Award.

The Board of Directors has assumed greater responsibility for developing resources to fulfill our mission. This represents a major change in the focus of the Board's activities. Some highlights are:

• Our Sustaining Fund has continued to grow.
• For the first time, we authorized expenditures from the Sustaining Fund. We funded the development of the Agency's web site, for clients, employers and funding sources; and we bought computers for critical business operations. Now, JVS professionals have access to a worksite computer.
• We established the JVS Endowment Foundation to build a funding base for the long term.
• Our four major task forces completed their first round of work and are prepared to start a second. The principal goal is to expand knowledge of what JVS does and the needs it serves among some of our key constituencies: state legislators, the Jewish community, our business partners, and a wide array of potential clients. Expanded knowledge is a foundation for increased resources.

JVS Board members are volunteers. We're fortunate to have an extraordinary group of individuals on the Board, with the time, talent, skill and dedication to undertake the challenges facing JVS. We've been able to sustain a dedicated Board because Board members learn about the accomplishments of the Agency and the value of those accomplishments to the well being of the community. We know that our Agency's success for the past 116 years results directly from thousands of employers who continuously place job orders; hundreds of volunteers who tirelessly help our clients; funding support from government agencies, contributors and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago; and, more than any other factor, a skilled, talented and dedicated staff.

With the help of all of our partners, JVS strives to maintain its quality standards in serving diverse needs while balancing flat public and private funding and successfully meeting the ongoing employment and training challenges of the community.