Updated mission requires new name at Jewish Family and Children’s Service
President and CEO of JFCS, which is changing its name to Jewish Family and Community Services, said the new title will better communicate who and how the organization serves.
Jewish Family & Children’s Service, a social service agency serving individuals and families throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area for more than 80 years, has announced a name change.
The organization’s retitling to Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) more accurately reflects its current mission, explained Jordan Golin, president and CEO at JFCS.
“Incorporating ‘Community Services’ into our name better communicates the reality of who and how we serve. Our clients come from every neighborhood and every walk of life, and our mission centers around improving those individuals’ lives as the key to a stronger community,” said Golin.
“Additionally, we couldn’t perform our work or fulfill our mission without the support of our community, our donors, supporters, community partners, funders and volunteers. Jewish Family & Children’s Service no longer adequately described the breadth of our work or the fact that we serve the entire community,” he said.
As part of the rebranding, prior JFCS elements (the Career Development Center, Squirrel Hill Psychological Services, the Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry and Family Hope Connection) will now be called JFCS Career Development Center, JFCS Counseling Services, JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry and JFCS Family Hope.
“All of these services are provided by one agency,” said Golin, “and we wanted to make that much clearer to our community and make it easier for those seeking help to find us.”
Apart from name changes, the agency’s “tree of life” logo has been “updated and incorporated into all program logos, visuals and marketing materials,” said Iris Valenti, a public relations associate at JFCS.
Given the similarity of the acronyms for both the organization’s old and new names, JFCS’s website address will remain the same. Nonetheless, JFCS intends on unveiling a redesigned site that is “far more user-friendly, modern and mobile-friendly design” on Nov. 15, said Golin.
“The name change is actually catching up with all the work we’ve been doing, as is the updated website,” she said. “We’ve been serving our community for 80 years with comprehensive, innovative social services, and we’re ready to continue for another 80 years and beyond.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewichronicle.org.
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