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Greetings!
 On the painted walls of the
Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center across the river
is a quote attributed to the late U.S. Senator
from Minnesota, and it reads: "We all do better
when we all do better." Every time I enter
that building and read those words I am struck by
the beauty and meaning of that simple
sentence. At Jewish Family and
Children's Service of Minneapolis, I believe we
embrace Sen. Wellstone's vision and exemplify it
with our mission of helping people of all
backgrounds to reach their full potential. Our
work on behalf of the community can be
characterized by various "causes." Inclusive
in our list of causes is "Peace in the Home,"
"Honoring our Elders," "Providing Sustenance and
Self-sufficiency," "Healing" and "Welcoming our
Neighbors." Our more than 30 programs and services
all fit within one of these "cause areas."
Please join us in our vision of being the
place for people to be served, to volunteer, to
donate, and to work. We will all do better when we
all do better! Warmly, Judy
HalperChief Executive
Officer |
A
day in the life of
JFCS
Aliza* loves "American
Idol" and playing the flute. Noah's* favorite
m ovie is "Happy Gilmore" and
he relishes going out at midnight for waffles with
his friends. Both Aliza and Noah are young adults
from loving, comfortable, Jewish families -- and
both battle drug addictions.
These are
young adults you could run into at the JCC or
sitting out at Lake Calhoun on a summer evening.
Nothing in their background or outer appearance
would lead anyone to believe that Aliza had been
smoking marijuana since high school and had moved
on to heroin, or that Noah regularly drank until
he passed out.
Noah's parents brought him
to JFCS, and Aliza's sister, Eden*, contacted the
agency after Aliza entered an in-patient rehab
program.
JFCS counseling works with young
adults and their families to support them as they
work to overcome their addictions. The counseling
staff also helps families work through their grief
and anger, moving toward a stable future.
If you know of a person or a family
struggling with addiction, you - or they - can
contact the JFCS Intake and Resource Connection at
952-546-0616.
*Names have been
changed to protect anonymity
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The demand has
never been greater.
More people are coming
to
JFCS needing more services than ever
before.
Resources have been
reduced.
The support we've
relied upon for years has decreased. 
Your
help is needed now.
There are many ways to
donate. Please make your contribution
today.
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Free
food and happy hour for Millennials and Gen
Y'ers
Tuesday,
August 10
6
p.m.
Doubletree
Hotel Minneapolis Park Place,
1500 Park Place Boulevard, St. Louis Park
Millennials
and Gen Y'ers - Join us
Tuesday, August 10, for happy hour and a
discussion on today's multi-generational
workplace. Presenters from Generations.com will discuss
synergy among the generations and how
20-somethings can compete and succeed in the
current job market. Stay after the presentation
for dessert and a chance to network with other
Millennials and Generation Y'ers at 7
p.m.
Click
here to register and receive
one free drink ticket.
For
more information, e-mail Janet Flam, Placement Team
Program Manager, or call her at 952-417-2112.
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"Freedom
Song"
Tuesday,
August 17,
7 p.m.
Sabes
JCC,
4330 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park
"Freedom Song" will
take you on a journey through one family's
struggle with addiction and recovery. Set during Passover, the
plot is the perfect metaphor for the slavery of
addiction that many people
experience.
 This free performance, with a
discussion afterward, is co-sponsored by Shirley
and Larry Zipkin and their generous
friends,
Jewish Family and Children's Service of
Minneapolis, and Sabes JCC. The American Jewish
World is the media sponsor.
For more
information, e-mail Betsy Sitkoff, JFCS Program
Manager, or call her at 952-542-4833.
No
reservations are
required.
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Reverse
mortgage counseling available to seniors 62 and
older
The majority of seniors want to remain in
their own homes or "age in place." At JFCS we are
committed to helping older adults stay in their
homes. One service we provide is reverse mortgage
counseling, a powerful home equity tool that can
finance aging in place. A reverse
mortgage, or Home Equity Conversion Mortgage,
allows savvy seniors to use their home equity as
income or to eliminate current mortgage payments.
The loan can be used for any reason; paying off an
existing mortgage, paying bills, taking trips or
providing for grandchildren.  The funds are not taxable.
Interest is accrued on the money borrowed at
either a fixed or variable rate. And a credit line
may be set up to increase borrowing power over the
years. All aspects of reverse
mortgages, as well as other alternatives, are
discussed during the counseling
session. For more information on reverse
mortgage counseling, e-mail Joy Gordon, NORC (Nurturing Our
Retired Citizens) Community Specialist, or call
her at 952-542-4819. JFCS provides
counseling, but is not a lender. Our counseling is
confidential and independent of any lenders.
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Family
and Parenting Center News
Baby Fair and Parenting
Conference
Sunday, October 10
9
a.m. - 1 p.m.
Sheraton West,
Minnetonka
Vendors
needed! Do you have products or services geared
toward families with young
children?
Join us at this exciting event that
will
attract young
families from all
over
the Twin Cities.
If you would like to
participate, click here.
PJ
Library to serve more young
readers!
PJ Library supports
families in their Jewish journey by sending books
and music with Jewish content on a monthly basis
to local families. And now, thanks to generous
donations by Harry and Sandy Lerner, Minneapolis
Jewish Federation and Jewish Family and Children's
Service of Minneapolis, PJ Library can serve up to
400 additional young readers up to age
8!
Click here to enroll your
child!
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Americans with
Disabilities Act celebrates 20 years
The
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hallmark
legislation enacted 20 years ago, guides the legal
aspects of inclusion of people with disabilities.
The ADA provides regulations for hiring and
employment practices,  and communication,
architectural and programmatic accessibility.
JFCS is committed to the
inclusion of all people and proudly supports the
ADA.
JFCS provides assistance to
individuals with disabilities and their families
through Inclusion Support Services.
Additionally, The Minneapolis Jewish Community
Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities
provides consultation to all organizations in the
Minneapolis Jewish community so that people with
disabilities and their families can participate in
Jewish life.
For more information about
these programs, e-mail Shelly Christensen, Program
Manager - Inclusion, or call her at
952-542-4838.
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JFCS welcomes
interns
Our vision statement
reads: "Jewish
Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis is
the first place people choose: for help, to
volunteer, to donate, and to work." JFCS
proudly provides opportunities for interns to gain
meaningful work experience.
Michele Fogelson
is a junior at the University of Minnesota
working toward her undergraduate degree in Family
Social Science. She works in a variety of JFCS
programs, including Jewish Domestic Abuse
Collaborative (JDAC), Healthy Youth - Healthy
Communities (HY-HC), Volunteer Resources, J-Pride
and the Family and Parenting Center.
Margot Hurwitz
works in the Job Seeker Assistance Program. Margot
staffs the computer lab which is open on Tuesday
and Thursday afternoons. Margot will attend
Normandale Community College this fall.
Dana
Kohn, a junior at Kansas University,
interned in Special Events and worked on the 100th
Annual Meeting and the Sid Hartman Celebration.
When Dana's projects were finished, she began an
internship with the TCF Bank Stadium and will work
with her college Hillel when she is back at school
this fall.
Jen Karon, a
recent University of Minnesota graduate with a
bachelor's in psychology, works in the Mental
Health Support Services program. Jen handles a
variety of tasks, including attending client
meetings with staff and working on community
resource files.
Lauren Ribnick is
entering her final year at Kansas University and
is working on programming for HY-HC, as well as on
a youth behavior and attitude survey that will be
given to local Jewish students. During the
upcoming school year, Lauren will intern at JFS in
Kansas.
Thanks to our wonderful
interns for all their hard
work!
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Success
stories from career services
People
working with JFCS Career Services continue to have
employment success even during these tough
economic times.
Recently, as part of
our career services, one of our participants
created an employment plan with specific goals
that included job search strategies and
volunteering to build work-related experience. She
subsequently secured a part-time job at
Target.
JFCS continued providing support, and after a
short time she was promoted to a supervisory
position. Target will pay for her education as she
attends college to earn a business
degree.
Another client who started working
with us in October 2008 found a job as a part-time
nursing assistant. A few months later she started
attending school at the University of Minnesota
while continuing in her part-time position.
Through the Minnesota Family Investment Program
(MFIP) we helped her with school costs, including
tuition and transportation support, which included
reimbursing her for mileage while she attended
school. She remained in contact with her JFCS job
counselor, and after she graduated with a
bachelor's in microbiology, she quickly secured a
job as a microbiologist in disease prevention at
3M.
For more information about Career
Services, contact the Intake and Resource
Connection at 952-546-0616 or visit us on Facebook
and LinkedIn.
Job-Hunting?
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Let's Connect!
Please forward this newsletter
to share JFCS news with friends and family.
Click "Forward email" at the bottom of this
newsletter.
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If you need
help
click here.
If you can
volunteer
click
here.
If you can
donate
click
here.
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