 Jessie Posilkin, 23, grew up in New York City and attended Bryn Mawr College outside of Pennsylvania. Jessie majored in Peace and Conflict Studies, and became involved in working with the Jewish community, specifically encouraging partnership between Jewish and Muslim groups on campus.
“When I was about to graduate in 2006, I was looking for something innovative in the Jewish community that involved public service work. I was hoping to partner with other Jews who were thinking creatively about Judaism and how we can use our community for positive social change. That’s when I found AVODAH.” AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps engages young Jewish people in direct work on the causes and effects of poverty in the United States. Participants in AVODAH’s service Corps program commit to a year of full-time work at anti-poverty organizations in Chicago, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, DC. Bread for the City has partnered with AVODAH since 2002. On average, 2-3 service corps participants work full-time at our organization, typically in the Legal Clinic and the Medical Clinic. AVODAH uses a matching process, where Corps members and organizations select their top choices. Jessie now admits that BFC was not initially her first choice. She was unsure about working in a legal clinic, as she was not sure she wanted to be a lawyer. However, the legal clinic coordinator also maintains a full caseload of clients applying for disability benefits, which appealed to Jessie’s interest in building relationships. In August of 2006, Jessie started working full time at BFC as the Southeast Legal Clinic Coordinator. She was responsible for legal intake and answering client questions about BFC’s legal practice. She would also help people determine what other resources were available and were a good fit for them. “Sometimes people just needed someone to sit and listen to them – just listen,” says Jessie. Jessie primarily worked on the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Supplemental Security Disability Income (SSDI) cases. “These cases are satisfying because they require so many different kinds of work- researching medical conditions, searching for medical records, and writing a legal brief to take before an Administrative judge.” Winning these cases means that clients have income for life, and sometimes back payments for tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, Jessie became an active member of Bread for the City’s “Advocacy Task Force,” composed of staff members who volunteer their time to help further BFC’s advocacy work. “I wanted to join in conversations around how social justice fits in with BFC’s mission of social service,” says Jessie. “My experience working with our clients showed me the on the ground realities of how laws affect our clients. BFC has a responsibility to take what we see from clients to city council, as well as to help our clients to take those messages themselves. “BFC has given me a really strong grasp of how critical it is to have a grass-roots understanding of issues. It’s not up to me, as a privileged person, to decide what issues are important if they’re not affecting me. People need to have a face and to be heard. It’s something I understood theoretically before coming here, but now I have a true understanding. It makes me feel very humbled.” As Jessie’s year as an AVODAH service corps member drew to a close in July of 2007, Jessie didn’t want to leave Bread for the City, and Bread for the City did not want to lose Jessie. She was hired in August 2007 as our Southeast Legal/ Social Services Case Manager. Jessie continues to work with legal cases, and in addition she is learning more about providing social services. “I like my clients… and I think sometimes they like me! I had a client who was homeless. I helped him with his SSI case, but at a certain point there was nothing else I could do to help him. It was really hard. I lost contact with him for a long time. Then he called me yesterday… he had received one of the letters I had mailed him while he was homeless. He said: ‘I thought I should give you a call and let you know how I was doing.’ He told me that he had received his SSI back payment, and that he had reconciled with his wife and was living with her. I appreciated that he called me – not because he needed to, but because he wanted to. I didn’t change his life – he still has health problems and other major obstacles – but it feels good to be a part of someone’s life and to be supportive.” As well as working full time in two different program areas, Jessie continues to work with the Advocacy Task Force to develop BFC’s advocacy work. “Over the past two years, I have been able to witness and be part of organizational change and growth at Bread for the City. Things are changing in a way that strengthens our mission. For all that I hear my peers complaining about where they work, it’s cool to be at a place that embraces change.”
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