Home Agencies JFS kicks off successful annual CONNECT event 

JFS kicks off successful annual CONNECT event 

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FROM LEFT JFS board member Dr. David Galpern, Allen Cohen, Elizabeth Shoenfeld and JFS President Eric Shoenfeld.

By Morgan Goad, Associate Director of Development. Jewish Family Services

Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, volunteered, or made a gift to CONNECT!

The annual kick-off event for JFS Connecting Hearts’ Adoption Awareness Month partnership with WTVR CBS 6 had been virtual for two years, and we were thrilled to make our in-person return!

Guests gathered at Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery to enjoy beer and wine samples paired with hors d’oeuvres from two of Richmond’s best chefs, Lee Gregory and Joe Sparatta.

Bill Fitzgerald interviewing a couple about their experience fostering a teenager.

CBS 6’s own Bill Fitzgerald served as our gracious emcee for the fourth year running.

CONNECT raises awareness and funds to help find families for the 700 children and teens in foster care here in Central Virginia.

The majority of the kids in foster care in our area are teens – some of the most difficult children to place with a family, but who urgently need the love and support a family can provide as they learn the skills of adulthood.

Only a family’s concern, love, and support can help them through the successes and heartbreaks of learning how to become an adult: building relationships and making decisions, setting goals and compromising.

Ann Samford and friends at CONNECT.

Every sponsorship, attendee, and raffle ticket helps connect people to this important message and supports the daily work of JFS Connecting Hearts finding families for children in foster care!

We are especially grateful for this year’s sponsors: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery, the Sharp Family Foundation, Nelson’s Cabinetry, Ron and Benita Felmus, Sandy Sisisky, Susan H. Brewer, Attorney at Law; the Miller-Bowles-Horne Group of RBC Wealth Management, Truist Bank, and Carroll Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Kyle Vickery and Kim Wells representing CONNECT sponsor Carroll Plumbing & Heating.

On behalf of Chairman Ryan Mitchell and the CONNECT Committee – Cindy Boswell Lacy, Sara Griebel, and Rosemary Seltzer – thank you! We hope to see you next year for the fifth annual CONNECT!

If you’d like to learn more about how you can help children and teens in foster care, contact Denise Wise-David at (804) 349-0786 or dwise-david@jfsrichmond.org.

Want to learn more about JFS, please contact Morgan Goad at mgoad@jfsrichmond.org or (804) 349-0758.

 Jewish Family Services is supported, in part, by a generous annual contribution and programming grants from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.