4549 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd,
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770) 677-9300
The article below is written by Mr. David Pendered of the Saporta Report Blog.
Following the success of building a new Ben Massell Dental Clinic,
the Jewish Family and Career Services of Atlanta is preparing to
complete its campus in Dunwoody as it continues to collaborate with
other social service agencies.
“We need to band together to make sure the social needs that are
important to us are provided,” said John Perlman, president of JFCS’s
Executive Committee and co-chair of the agency’s Campaign to Complete
the JFCS Campus. “We need to work with others so we don’t duplicate
efforts.”
The organization is nearing the end of a $5.1 million fund raising
campaign. Perlman said the campaign is now being opened to the general
public in order to raise the final few hundreds of thousands of dollars
needed to complete the planned construction.
The organization serves a client base that’s about 50 percent Jewish
and 50 percent who aren’t Jewish. The board of directors was diversified
to represent the evolution of the client base, Perlman said. The
Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta awarded JFSC the Managing for
Excellence Award in 2012-2013.
The capital campaign, and the expansion it is to fund, was started
under the leadership of former CEO Gary Miller. Miller led the
organization for 24 years and stepped down in July to take a strategic
advisory role. Miller was succeeded by Rick Aranson, who had served as
COO for 11 years, according to a statement released in January.
At the time, Miller wrote:
- “We are building needed and specialized space for the vocational
training/support programs serving adults with developmental
disabilities. In addition the plan includes the reconfiguration of space
serving counseling clients with psycho-social service needs that
embraces a private practice model. I am, indeed, proud to continue to
participate in this exciting expansion.”
According to Perlman, modifications to the existing building are
intended to increase the confidentiality of clients and increase
physical security. A new building will provide services for clients with
developmental or intellectual disabilities. Perlman serves as president
of Adams & Co. Real Estate, Inc., and has overseen JFCS properties
and buildings for many years
At the existing center, the work includes adding a new entrance for
those seeking career counseling. This will prevent the need for them to
interact with those visiting for help battling substance abuse or for
educational testing.
Cameras that will be linked to a secure Internet connection are to be
added to enable parents to watch their child’s test from a remote
location. Currently, parents must attend with the child and watch the
procedure through a one-way mirror.
Electronic door locks will be added to counseling rooms, to increase
the level of security. Perlman said safety has not been an issue.
Sound-proofing will be enhanced.
The new building is to provide room for programs that already have
prompted the center to expand. Services were moved from the basement of a
house to a 3,300-square-foot facility in Chamblee. The new building
will provide 8,300 square feet of space on the main JFCS campus.
“We’re building a state of the art facility where we can help each
and everyone reach their potential,” Perlman said. “We’ve needed more
space and better facilities. A lot of clients are in wheelchairs and use
public transit. We need a covered space where MARTA can be out of the
way and where clients won’t get wet in the rain as they’re brought into
the building.”
JFCS has grown significantly since moving to Dunwoody in 1995 from
the basement of a homeless shelter in Midtown. The organization has
reshaped its programs over time to focus on needs that aren’t being met
elsewhere, and downsizing or eliminating programs that are better
handled by others, Perlman said.
“We used to do homeless, but we don’t do it as well as others,”
Perlman said. “Similarly, Meals on Wheels. We used to make an effort to
deliver kosher, but we discovered that kosher wasn’t important – they
wanted good, fresh and hot. So now we collaborate. They take care of
clients we used to have, and if they have clients who needs counseling,
they bring them to us.
“The Atlanta Community Food Bank lets us get kosher stuff to put in
our food pantry,” Perlman said. “We collaborate with the Jewish
Community Center, where they have an afternoon program where our guys
can go play basketball, play sports. We send clients to visit at senior
housing nearby. Anything where we can collaborate is good.”
Based partly on the success of the Massell Dental Clinic, Perlman is
confident the new facilities will enable JFSC to help meet these other
needs of the community. The clinic provides comprehensive dental care
with social service and health screening supports.
“The Massell Dental Clinic is the largest in the country,” Perlman
said. “It has 150 dentists and 10,000 individuals who come for
everything from cleaning to dentures, and even implants. That was our
capital campaign 10 years ago. We’re probably 40 percent over our
initial goal.”
