June Newsletter

A Word From Shane
Starting the New Fiscal Year

JCA’s new fiscal year starts on July 1. As you will read in this newsletter, this past month has been another busy one for us. Among our notable accomplishments this year:

We are grateful for your investment in our work. JCA could not provide the programs and services to help older adults and their families and build bridges across generations without community support, volunteers, and our generous donors. We rely on a combination of corporate, foundation, and individual philanthropic support, government funding, and program fees to sustain our work. In this uncertain federal government funding environment, JCA is experiencing challenges in funding critical programs. As you will read below, we were notified this week that on July 1, we must furlough the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) jobseekers we serve because funding for this program is being withheld.

As we look to the future, your support is more important than ever. There are many meaningful ways to help, including:

Your generosity ensures that JCA is there for everyone who turns to us for support, services, and connection today and into the future. Thank you for considering a gift that will make a lasting impact.

You can multiply the impact of your investment in our work with a monthly gift. You support as a sustaining donor helps us meet ongoing needs and plan for the future.

The Bethesda Big Train celebrated Jewish Heritage Night on Sunday, June 22. The crowd of nearly 500 witnessed an 8-4 Big Train victory over the Olney Cropdusters. JCA and Sunflower Bakery were among the honorees for the game’s community heroes.  Former Sen. Ben Cardin and a survivor from the NOVA Music Festival were also honored. CEO Shane Rock threw out the first pitch.

SCSEP Loses Funding

Life can change in an instant—health issues, disabilities, or job obsolescence can lead to unemployment. JCA’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) has been providing low-income, unemployed older adults with training to help them bridge back to employment. Through SCSEP, a vital, Congressionally authorized program, jobseekers could sharpen their skills, receive training, and work in the community at local nonprofits and government agencies. The goal is to build the skills and confidence needed for employment.

JCA has known, since the earliest days of this administration, that SCSEP was under threat. In April, when we learned Congress had approved FY26 SCSEP funding through the Continuing Resolution, we breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, this was short-lived. The Department of Labor has failed to issue a document that is critical to operating the program. JCA was notified this week that on July 1, we must furlough the SCSEP jobseekers we serve. This means SCSEP participants cannot work and will not be paid during the furlough period, and JCA cannot incur any program expenses.

SCSEP is the only federal jobs program focused on older workers. Losing SCSEP means more older adults lacking financial security and the ability to contribute to our community. Multigenerational workforces are the most successful, and organizations would lose the invaluable skills older workers bring.

This funding loss will have an immediate and devastating impact. Many of our participants rely on these stipends for rent and groceries. Without them, they face a rise in evictions, food insecurity, and mental health crises. Although we hope this will be temporary, we don’t have any guidance as to when, or if, funding will be reinstated.

SCSEP participants are older adults who have survived illness, personal loss, or economic hardship. They have been placed with trusted partners like Interfaith Works, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, and Adventist HealthCare, where they gain up-to-date skills and work experience. SCSEP doesn’t just provide jobs; it is a path back to stability and dignity.

Demand for SCSEP has always been high. At JCA, the program has been at full capacity for a long time, and has a waitlist of one to two years that grows by 10 to 12 new applicants every month. To provide additional programs to meet the needs of people who qualify for the SCSEP program while they are waiting for a spot, JCA has been seeking philanthropic support to develop and implement new initiatives to give these job seekers the training, skills development, and coaching they need to succeed and achieve economic mobility. We have secured one grant already and continue to apply for additional funding. Although these funds will help us provide some very limited programming, they don’t replace federal funds. SCSEP participants will be out of work and without income until the program resumes.

JCA Welcomes Rachel Goldberg to the role of Senior Director, Center for Information Services

Rachel comes to JCA with a broad background in aging programs and policy. As a legislative and policy consultant, she worked with small nonprofits on advocacy strategy and coalition development. At AARP, where she was Director of Policy Development, she led efforts to expand, enhance, and refine AARP’s policies on health and long-term care issues for the nation’s older adults. She has extensive experience in advocacy and

educational programming on a wide range of aging topics from her time at  B’nai B’rith International where she was Senior Director, Health and Aging issues. She has worked on low-income senior housing, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SSI, SNAP and many others.  She holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Georgetown University and a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin. She lives in Montgomery county, Maryland with her family.

This month, Career Gateway presented a deep-dive workshop, RIFs to Ready: A DOGE Survivor’s Guide to Interviewing for Your Next Job After 50. The 2-hour workshop presented step-by-step approaches to prepare for interviews and showcase government experience for private sector, nonprofit, and other employers. It offered a guide for discussing accomplishments, experiences, and details to attract employers’ attention. View the presentation and workshop materials on our website.

Learn more about the Career Gateway in this video from 50+ in Montgomery County.

Howard Gleckman came to JCA faced with an increasingly common dilemma.

His mother-in-law had recently passed away, and his father-in-law was quite ill. Gleckman and his wife, Ann Kline, convinced their aging loved one to leave his home in Florida and move up to the Washington, D.C. area. But after that, they weren’t sure what their next steps should be.

Gleckman decided to contact the Jewish Council for the Aging’s Senior Helpline and spoke with its then-director, Ellen Greenberg.

“Ellen was amazing. She took us through what we needed to do, step by step,” he recalled. “JCA was incredible. I don’t know how I would have gotten along without the HelpLine.”

Gleckman showed his appreciation by getting very involved with JCA, joining the board of directors and becoming its president from 2020 to 2022.  He also volunteers by delivering challahs to home-bound seniors through JCA’s Eli’s Loaves of Love program and writes a blog on JCA’s website.

Gleckman recently upped his engagement, adding JCA to his will as part of his legacy. He and his wife agreed to make a long-term commitment to an organization that he said has made a long-term commitment to senior adults in this area.

“There are real benefits to leaving a bequest to a non-profit,” he said. Besides the tax savings, it enables him and his wife to carry on with their work long after they are gone.

While many people choose to leave their savings to their children, Gleckman noted, “Let’s face it. There are a lot of kids who don’t need it, and are doing well.”

Including an organization in your will is quite simple. “All you need to do is designate a dollar amount or a percentage of your assets after you die,” he said. “It’s like one sentence in your will.”

He added, “It’s easy and a nice way to support the community after you’re gone.”

Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and writes frequently on aging and caregiving as well as tax policy, said, “JCA is a terrific organization. Creating a legacy couldn’t be easier.”

Arts for the Aging held an engaging training session at the JCA Parklawn Headquarters on June 18th as part of the launch of The Empower Project, a unique program that brings together Arts for the Aging, Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC), and the JCA Heyman Interages Center.

This innovative initiative brings together older adults and youth through the arts, aiming to build stronger communities,

foster leadership, and promote wellness across generations. The Empower Project is grounded in three core goals:

Arts for the Aging Teaching Artists, Artists-in-Residence who are older adults living in senior affordable housing communities, and Artist Assistant Fellows who are youth living in family affordable housing communities will come together to co-create arts programming that is intergenerational, collaborative, and rooted in mutual respect. Interages is thrilled to be part of this innovative partnership that fosters creativity, connection, and lifelong growth.

Forward 50+: new program for age 50+ jobseekers

Forward 50+

Monday, July 14, 2025 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

12320 Parklawn Dr.
Rockville, MD 20852

Go from setback to set up with long-term strategies for the age 50+ jobseeker.

Whether you are ready for a career change, need to brush up on skills, or want help figuring out your next move, this is the place to start.

What you will come away with:

10 a.m. Coffee & Conversation
10:30 & 11 a.m. Program Spotlights
11:30 a.m. Resource Fair
1:00 p.m. Resume Workshop

Questions: cnestoriak@accessjca.org or 301-255-4200

Join us at the Interages Meet and Greet for volunteers and friends. Our afternoon together will include a program overview, Q&A, and a fun social hour.

August 27, 2025 | 2 – 4 p.m.
12320 Parklawn Dr.
Rockville, MD 20852

RSVP to Indira Dingledine at idingledine@accessjca.org.

In June, the JCA blog focused on resources and insights for the many people in our area who found themselves suddenly unemployed. How to Survive Being Involuntarily Unretired, Trump administration races to fix a big mistake: DOGE fired too many people, and More Federal Workers Are Flooding the Job Market, With Worsening Prospects, reflected on the tight job market and advice for older jobseekers. For those who are still working, the current thinking is to keep it up – How to afford retirement in America? Keep working.

Did you know that Maryland Access Point Offers AD8 Dementia Screening? Early detection is key, and the free test is now available to help identify signs of cognitive decline. For family members of people with dementia, Empowering Sons and Daughters of People with Younger-Onset Dementia shares a Momentum Discussion Podcast that describes an important resource, and “Caregiving” Documentary Airs on PBS and Streams on pbs.org links to a full-length streaming production.

A Jewish Call to Protect Our Elders in Retirement reflects on our responsibility to provide for our older population, while Frank Bruni of the New York Times finds himself at a loss when trying to keep up with the features of his new iPhone in his article The Old Man and the iPhone.

If you are a caregiver for an older adult, or you know one, check out the KC Blog as well.

Robert Berman in memory of Robin Berman
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cowen in honor of Howard and Sue Wilchins
Erika Dreyer in honor of Wesley Stall
Ellen Gerecht in memory of John Lowenstein

Ellen Gerecht in memory of Ed Schmetz
Jacob Walles in memory of Isaac Walles
Rivka Yerushalmi, to Kensington Clubs Kesher Cafe, in memory of Helen Abrahams