Highlights from AJFCA's 39th Annual Conference
May 15-17, 2011
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Click here to view the 2011 conference program.
Opening Plenary
David Bezmozgis, award winning writer and filmmaker presented an enlightening keynote speech, which set the tone for "Thriving in the New Frontier." David's presentation focused on the forces that not only shaped the fate of his and his family's lives, but also provided the material for his work as an artist. Toward the end of the presentation, David poses the following questions, "What does this have to do with the AJFCA Conference? What does it have to do with us?" David's Keynote Speech: Life and Fate is available for viewing.
Closing Plenary
Closing Plenary
Visionary leadership in a human services organization . . . requires a strategic and sustained focus on creating an environment conducive for the collective to co-create its future and guide day-to-day operations," according to Dr. Gayla Rogers, Former Dean of the University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work. Her thought-provoking closing speech reminded attendees that they would be "enriched, likely exhausted, but with replenished resolve to engage, inspire and act on behalf of . . . agencies and the betterment of humanity," after the Annual Conference. Click here to view Dr. Gayla Rogers' Closing Plenary: The Imperative of Visionary Leadership. Conference Session Presentations
FACES "The way to tell the story of an agency is to see the faces of the people served."
2011 Conference Photo Gallery
JFS of Greater Santa Barbara & Spokane Area JFS
Share Their Appreciation of the
Inaugural Joseph Kaplan Memorial Scholarship Award
It’s now been almost two weeks since I attended the AJFCA annual conference, made possible by my receiving the Kaplan Scholarship, which supported registration and much of my expenses. This made it possible for my small city Jewish Family Service to cover the remainder of costs and allow me this incredible experience.
Where to begin? What first stands out in my experience is breakfast Sunday morning, where a long time conference attendee and Executive Director of the Delaware JFS Dory Zatuchni took me ‘under her wing’ and began introducing me to people in the room. She then offered that I should join her and friends for meals so that I would not be alone, remembering how her first conference had been somewhat overwhelming. Long story short, I was not alone throughout the conference, but enjoyed new colleagues who were similarly supportive. From them, in informal settings, I could ask many questions and learn about programs and services at their agencies. They welcomed me as a new participant and agency executive, and this made my entire learning experience much greater.
Next, most memorable to me was that every workshop I attended answered questions I had as a new director. I had chosen to attend workshops in fundraising, new technology, ethical dilemmas, collaborative relationships with other agencies and the future of the field. I was not disappointed, and I do believe that by the end of my first week back at Jewish Family Service of Greater Santa Barbara, my office colleagues had heard many times, “I got this great idea at one of the worships I attended....!” In fact, I’ve already been in touch with “CARS Charitable Auto Resources, Inc”, whose parent organization is Jewish Family Service of San Diego, to sign us up; I will present the “Giving Circle” concept at our upcoming JFS Committee meeting; I have emailed websites given out by “Generation Millennium” workshop speaker Derek Hurwitch to others in our office to increase our knowledge and effective use of Facebook, Twitter, and our agency website.
Most important for me, however, is that I came back to Santa Barbara feeling energized and excited. I took a major leap in my transition from being clinical staff - I’d been at our agency in this role for seven and a half years prior to my promotion - to being a director. I now have a network of colleagues that I can ‘put a face to’, and reach out to for information and support, and provide the same. I’m already thinking about next year’s conference in Houston and beginning to figure out how I can attend, and perhaps bring one of our Board or JFS Committee members.
Thank you again to the AJFCA staff and Kaplan Scholarship committee that made my attendance at this year’s Annual Conference possible. “It was a good call” said one of my colleagues at my agency, in terms of the additional funding our agency put up for the conference. It was indeed a good call! The support network, the knowledge gained, and the growth in self-awareness as a JFS Director, put me in a stronger position to steer JFS of Greater Santa Barbara in new and exciting directions.
Thank you again,
Sincerely,
Barbara Kuhn, Director JFS of Greater Santa Barbara
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First, on behalf of Spokane Area Jewish Family Services, I want to express my thanks to those who established the Joseph Kaplan Scholarship. As a new executive director in a very small and relatively young agency, the AJFCA conference was a tremendous learning experience for me. It will definitely have an impact on the future of our organization. I especially enjoyed attending sessions on marketing, fundraising, organizational development and senior programs, and I have returned to work with renewed excitement and creative ideas as we enter into a strategic planning process.
The conference afforded me not only a chance to explore the downtown of a new city, but the opportunity to meet the leaders of agencies both large and small, and gain insights from their years of experience. As a first-time attendee, I felt welcomed by the atmosphere of warm collegiality; played many rounds of Jewish geography, and made what I hope will be some lasting professional and personal connections. It was truly a pleasure to attend the AJFCA Conference in Calgary, and I look forward to continuing to connect with the AJFCA community, both virtually and in person.
Warmly,
Rabbi Tamar Malino
Executive Director, Spokane Area Jewish Family Services
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