The difference is you.

The difference in whether a family in need has enough to eat, a place to stay, and warmth in the winter.

The difference in whether a young family finds a welcoming connection to Jewish life, a college student is prepared for a sometimes hostile campus, and a teen learns how to change the world.

You, through your donation to the 2018 Jewish United Fund Annual Campaign, made all of that possible. And so much more.

Together, you and tens of thousands of others – including nearly 4,000 new donors – contributed $88,885,238 to the 2018 Campaign – a record total, nearly $2 million more than last year and the ninth year of growth in a row. That makes all the difference to more than 500,000 Chicagoans of all faiths, and millions of Jews in Israel and around the world.

Those funds, along with supplemental grants from foundations and a wide array of other sources, helped care for the elderly, feed the hungry, treat the sick, counsel the unemployed, provide respite for caregivers, aid Jewish schoolchildren and campers, resettle immigrants in Israel, and protect the vulnerable in war-torn lands.

All told, $377,692,707 was raised from all sources, including additions to the Centennial Campaign and the endowment, which further strengthen the foundation upon which future generations of Chicago’s Jewish community will build.

That’s quite a difference you made.

“It has been 119 years since the institution that became JUF was created, and the incredible support, energy and engagement of Chicago’s Jewish community continues to amaze,” said King Harris, who chaired the 2018 Campaign. “This is a community that, by caring for those most in need, has continuously defined and strengthened itself. Together we make a tremendous difference, because individually we each make a difference.”

“JUF is the heart of a powerful network of agencies and programs that every day addresses our community’s most pressing needs,” said Board Chair Andrew Hochberg. “But none of that happens without the tremendous support of our donors.”

“The incredible response of this community flows directly from the committed efforts of the volunteers and lay leaders who make the Annual Campaign possible,” said JUF President Steven B. Nasatir. “King Harris was a spectacular campaign chair who helped energize the community and continued the tradition of unparalleled partnership with all of my JUF professional colleagues.”