Jewish family services raises $6.7 million to complete its campus

More than 250 guests joined the celebration and ribbon-cutting of Jewish Family & Career Services this month.

The state-of-the-art campus located at 4549 Chamblee Dunwoody Road helps JF&CS provide specialized space for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to enhance the counseling center to create an office environment that ensures maximum confidentiality and privacy.

The campaign to complete the campus was a community effort that spanned two years of planning, fundraising, designing and building. Twenty-six foundations and 260 individuals and/or families contributed to the effort. The capital campaign set a goal of $5.1 million; in the end, the agency surpassed that goal to raise a total of $6.7 million.

"The investment made by so many literally will change lives," said Rick Aranson, CEO of JF&CS. "These new facilities are going to allow us to offer the level of service our clients need, depend on and deserve. The impact on their lives is going to be tremendous."

The counseling center, which added 3,000 square feet, has been renamed the Walter and Frances Bunzl Family Foundation Clinical Services Wing in honor of the family that donated the funds to build it. The renovated wing has been outfitted with new furnishings, soundproof walls, unisex bathrooms, lobby workstations where clients can retrieve insurance information and multiple exits to ensure privacy. Children and adolescents now have their own waiting room separate from adults.

Counseling services include a domestic violence support program, an addiction recovery and prevention program, a big brother/big sister program as well as grief, loss, depression, anxiety, and other mental health counseling.