As the contractor hired by NCJW |  LA to coordinate the Adopt-A-Family program, I never imagined how much the women would impact and change my life. Rather than treating my job as simply “a job” I grew excited to truly create a safe space that showed the women how much I valued their time, vulnerability, and bravery in light of their experiences. I did everything I could think to help restore humanity and warmth within our interactions. As I sat down to meet each one of them I brought them gifts, thanked them for their time, and aimed to listen well, they have so much wisdom to share, and their perspective on life was inspiring.

My time working with these families has been life-affirming, to the extent that I have brought my personal community in to love them as well. Whether it is my friends donating beauty products, buying Christmas toys for the kids, or a group of us coming together to make them goody bags, having the opportunity to love these women in this short period of time has strengthened my community immeasurably.

When I did home visits I brought the women sunflowers and chocolates. I never imagined that a sunflower would be such a good representation of their resilience, always looking up, bright, full of life, and strong. It has been a privilege getting to know the women and being part of a program that empowers them to move forward, by celebrating their accomplishments and coming alongside them in this pivotal time of transition and new stability.

To read stories about the families we are supporting this year click here.

To help us continue supporting families click here.