MEET HEIDI BROWN
CEO OF JFCS
The importance of helping others was instilled in Heidi Brown early in life, and she has spent her career doing exactly
that. Today, as CEO of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of the Suncoast (JFCS/2688 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota,
941.366.2224, JFCS-cares.org), Brown is inspired by the stories of people who have been helped by its wide array
of social services. “I truly enjoy being part of our service delivery, which might be seeing a seven-year-old receiving
psychological testing, being part of a yoga class for cancer patients or attending Camp Mariposa, which helps break the cycle
of addiction for youth impacted by substance abuse in their families,” she says. “Hearing their stories and seeing the impact
of what we do or just hanging with the seniors who come here on Wednesdays and Fridays is incredibly inspirational.”
JFCS’ broad array of services addresses needs throughout the entire lifecycle, and its staff works with people from many
walks of life. These include homeless and nearly homeless veterans, at-risk youth, isolated seniors, caregivers, patients in
treatment and recovering from cancer, and those addressing mental health issues. JFCS also helps build strong families with
homelessness prevention and works with children and adults in a two-generation approach. Its reach extends to residents of
Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, DeSoto, Lee and Collier counties with the goal of creating self-sufficiency.
“Our North Star is to do the right thing,” Brown says. “I was raised in a working class family and learned early on to put aside
money for charity weekly to help those who had less than we did. In high school I became involved with B’nai B’rith helping
very sick and disabled children and became aware of how fortunate I was and the importance of helping others.” This tradition
steered her into an early career in grassroots social service and then into social services administration. Her calling to work
with seniors led Brown into management of senior living facilities for more than 20 years in the Washington, D.C., area. Most
recently, she was CEO of the Aviva senior living campus in Sarasota before joining JFCS in 2017.
JFCS’ roots are grounded in the Jewish tradition of helping others, which inspired its founders to bring the organization to this
community. However, the majority of those who receive help from JFCS are not Jewish. “We always go back to our mission,
‘When you can’t do it alone, JFCS is here for you’. The people we help are hardworking and giving, and they have had a bad
hand dealt to them,” Brown says. “We help one person at a time, and that person makes a difference because they pay it
forward, which helps our entire community.”
/JFCS-cares.org