Jewish National Fund and SeniorBridge Expand Commitment to State of Israel Through Programs that Promote Mutual Support and Learning 

Moving personal experience leads to collaboration between two leading mission-driven organizations 

New York, NY - March 9, 2010 - Jewish National Fund (JNF), the leading non-profit organization supporting the land and people of Israel, and SeniorBridge, a leading care management company that provides customized health care to help people remain at home, today announced a partnership that will benefit Israel. 

The unconventional partnership that will benefit both partners by creating synergies in unexpected places is launching in Massachusetts, Illinois and Florida.

"JNF and SeniorBridge share the belief that empowering people to care for themselves leads to sustainable solutions to universal challenges," said Stephen Bach, Executive Director of Finance at JNF. "This philosophy is evident in all of our projects that help improve quality of life for Israel's residents, most notably our Blueprint Negev campaign that is driving dramatic change to Israel's southern region. SeniorBridge and JNF share a concern for the future and we knew that working together could be very effective in achieving our goals."

Founded in 1901, JNF's mission is to care for the land and people of Israel. It has remained steadfast to that mandate and the results are evident everywhere you turn. SeniorBridge is carrying out a mission of offering a caregiving model in the community that will help to sustain the growing needs of an aging population. 

As part of the partnership, SeniorBridge and JNF leadership will work to deliver creative programs about caregiving, aging and Israel. Planned Giving seminars and workshops will emphasize charitable giving and collaboration opportunities for professionals. 

SeniorBridge and JNF joined forces after Claudia Fine, Chief Professional Officer at SeniorBridge, visited Israel as part of a JNF mission in April 2008 and had a transformative experience.

"I had friends who were involved in JNF, but I wasn't personally involved with Israel prior to my trip," said Fine. "My experience in Israel, coupled with witnessing all the good that JNF is doing there, led me to want to do more." Upon her return, Fine began to cultivate an idea of mutual support, education and engagement between SeniorBridge and JNF.

"Through our partnership, SeniorBridge and JNF will create new and rich opportunities for people who are passionate about Israel to learn and network with each other while gaining understanding about the financial, legal, physical, social and emotional complexities of caregiving for family members," said Fine. 

About Jewish National Fund (JNF) 

Jewish National Fund (JNF) began in 1901 collecting coins in blue boxes to purchase land and return the Jewish people to their homeland. In over 107 years, JNF has evolved into a global environmental leader and become the central address for partnering with the land and people of Israel. JNF has planted 240 million trees; built over 1,000 parks and recreational areas; constructed security roads; educated students around the world about Israel; created new communities so that Jews from around the world would have a place to call home; discovered new means of growing plants under arid conditions, bringing green to the desert; and built over 200 reservoirs and water recycling centers, increasing Israel's water supply by 10%. Today, JNF is supporting Israel's newest generation of pioneers by bringing life to the Negev Desert, Israel's last frontier. A United Nations NGO, JNF sponsors international conferences on desertification, shares afforestation techniques, and funds research on arid land management. JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers. For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.