| Speaker Profile: Sarah Franco is the founding CEO of JAFCO, Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options. JAFCO was created three decades ago to fill an unmet child welfare need in the Jewish community and beyond. JAFCO proudly serves any child or family in need universally. Starting at her kitchen table 30 years ago, Sarah has helped JAFCO grow from a one-person grass roots foster care, adoption and family preservation agency with an annual budget of $50,000 to a major child welfare agency with a staff of 200 employees and an annual budget of $14m providing an entire continuum of quality child welfare services to all abused and neglected and at-risk children, and also children with developmental disabilities and those traumatized by the MSD school tragedy. Sarah holds a master’s degree from Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and a bachelor’s degree from York University in Toronto Canada. On a personal basis Sarah is a second-generation holocaust survivor. She was born in Israel and has lived in New York and Toronto prior to South Florida. Sarah has dedicated her entire career to serving abused and neglected children in her local community and feels that the words of Anne Frank best describe the meaning of life when she said “how wonderful it is, that one need not wait a single moment, before starting to improve the world”
Shea. Pucci who will contribute to this presentation, is the Clinical Director of JAFCO, Jewish Adoption and family Care options integrating holistic insight as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. In her role at JAFCO for the past 9 years, Shea has touched the lives of thousands of children and families. Shea oversees the clinical programs spanning JAFCO's four sites to provide the highest quality trauma-informed care. Shea is passionate about implementing a systemic approach, recognizing the importance of addressing the broader context in which children and families navigate their healing journeys. As part of her role at JAFCO, Shea is happy to collaborate and share the mission for change and healing from trauma, throughout the community. |
