Greetings!
Everywhere you turn for news and information these days seems to include a story or article about longevity. We are literally inundated with features about how healthy we appear to be aging, how vigorous older adults can be, and how seniors’ contributions are so remarkable. Along with these tremendously positive stories, though, are also the worrisome ones of how many people have not financially prepared to live so long, and how middle-age and younger generations are stretching and re-balancing to meet the needs of their aging parents and grandparents. Who could have imagined that so much material would be available to help us navigate this phenomena?!

Legacy giving empowers YOU to support your passions
By Dana Rubin • JFCS Development Director

Just last month I had what I would describe as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the man, the legend, Mr. Harold Grinspoon. For those of you who don’t know who I am talking about, Mr. Grinspoon is the founder and donor behind PJ Library and now the Life and Legacy Program. He is funding programs that engage the newest members of our Jewish community to ensure the legacy left by those that are no longer with us.

Nutrition and your health: Tips for all ages
By Annette Sandler • JFCS Aging Services Director

At any age, good nutrition plays an important role in our overall health. This is increasingly true as we age. JFCS Senior Services can help older adults achieve these goals with programs such as Kosher Meals on Wheels, Shopping Services, and Jacob Garber Transportation Services.

According to the Healthy Aging Institute at WebMD, a diet that is low in salt and fat that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables and fiber can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and other chronic diseases. In addition, the American Heart Association found that eating omega-3-rich fish once or twice a week can reduce your risk of heart failure by 12 percent.

You know you're going to do it.....now do it for GOOD!
Shopping online is so convenient, you know you're going to do it – now you can do it for good! When you shop the JFCS Online Auction, you help change lives for the better and find great deals! Proceeds from the auction support the critical work of JFCS, serving over 13,000 in our community, our neighborhoods and our families each year.

Shop the JFCS Annual Online Auction and find one-of-a-kind items and experiences including sports and entertainment tickets, food and dining, spa and beauty, home, clothing, accessories, health and fitness and much more!

The JFCS Online Auction starts next month!
Aug. 28 through Sept. 6
Meet Leah Persky: JFCS Family Life Education Manager
Leah Persky was recently hired as the JFCS Family Life Education Program Coordinator. Click below to learn more about her background and what her goals are for JFCS’ Family Life Education program.

Family Life Education (FLE) takes JFCS out into the community and brings the community into JFCS through presentations, trainings, workshops, classes, support groups, individual meetings and consultations. Customized programming includes topics such as parenting, teacher trainings, interfaith challenges, bullying, grief and loss, supporting caregivers, and building healthy relationships.

How to talk to your children about the immigration crisis
By Leah Persky • Family Life Education Program Manager

As I got into my car yesterday the radio came on, the sounds of children crying and screaming filled my ears. These were the recordings of young children being separated from their parents near our southern border with Mexico. When would their families be back together again? I am not sure anyone knows the answer to this question. Luckily, my children were not with me to ask about these heartbreaking sounds. I thought to myself, what would I tell them if they were?

J-Pride staff transitions: When one door closes.....
All good things must come to an end. Or maybe when one door closes, another one opens. I think both are true as we say farewell to outgoing J-Pride Coordinator Heather Renetzky as she pursues her dream of becoming a rabbi. Since joining Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis two years ago, Heather has found meaningful ways to weave Jewish teachings, rituals and values into programming, while valuing the gifts we all bring to the community.

The door opens as we welcome Jayce Koester as the new J-Pride Program Coordinator. Jayce is an active member of J-Pride and they bring experience as an organizer and trainer to continue J-Pride’s work in providing an active voice for Jewish LGBTQ inclusion in the community. Jayce is thrilled to be joining JFCS and continuing their work in the Jewish community! Jayce will be splitting their time between their role as J-Pride Program Coordinator and their position as office manager at Jewish Community Action. 

J-Pride Founding Sponsor: Lisa Heilicher
Congratulations to NextGen Emerging Leader Award recipient
Emily Grinberg
At the JFCS Annual Meeting on June 13, we honored Emily Grinberg with the JFCS Emerging Leader Award. The award is given annually to a young leader that shows extraordinary commitment to the mission and values of JFCS, service, and community engagement. Emily’s contributions as a NextGen Board member, NextGen Board Vice President, and NextGen Give Campaign Co-Chair make her a phenomenal champion for the NextGen program and JFCS as a whole. Read more about Emily in the upcoming issue of Directions, coming in August!

NextGen sponsor: Cindy and Perry Witkin
JFCS’ resident matchmaker Bobbie Goldfarb retires after 28 years
Making matches is simply in Bobbie Goldfarb’s DNA. For almost 30 years, she matched “bigs” and “littles” in mentorship relationships as the Program Coordinator for JFCS’ Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister Program (BB/BS). Prior to that, she was making different kinds of matches – romantic ones – for 20 years with the Jewish Dating Service.

Picture this...
Twin Cities Pride: Another successful weekend for J-Pride! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make J-Pride Pride weekend a huge success! From our co-sponsors to our marchers, from our volunteers, to the enthusiastic booth-goers, we're so grateful to all!

J-Pride Founding Sponsor: Lisa Heilicher
NextGen Summer Party 2018: A huge thanks to all the NextGen folks that attended the annual Summer Party! It was a beautiful night and they raised close to $2,000 to support the work of JFCS and collected a big box of donations for the PRISM summer food drive!

NextGen Sponsor: Cindy and Perry Witkin
JFCS Shalom Baby Showers: A chance to make new friends. The Shalom Baby Shower on June 24 was so much fun! Parents took home great swag and babies were captivated by the music, stories and bubbles during the Circle Time Class. Most importantly, there were many new connections and friendships made! See you at the next Circle Time Class on July 29!

Join JFCS and volunteer at J-HAP's Backyard Bash
By Erica Solomon • Development & Community Engagement Coordinator

On Sunday, July 29, participants of the JFCS Caring Connections program will be joining the fun at J-HAP’s Backyard Bash. Our partners and neighbors at J-HAP are hosting the event (which will include live music, snacks, and games) to celebrate a successful year and thank the community for their support.

Want to help make the festivities a success? Consider volunteering! Shifts are available between 2 and 6 p.m. and include helping with setup, cleanup, greeting, serving snacks and drinks, monitoring lawn games, and more. For more information, or to sign up to volunteer, contact Carrie Miller, J-HAP Community Engagement Director, at carrie@jewishhousing.org or 763-231-5427. 

I nclusion Founding Sponsor: Lynne and Andrew Redleaf Foundation
Sponsor: Toodie & Frank Trestman Special Needs and Collaborative Education Endowment Fund, a designated fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.  
Join JFCS in supporting PRISM's summer Food Drive
School meal programs feed an estimated 6,300 kids in PRISM's service area. When school is out, those meals are gone. Join JFCS in donating food to help feed hungry kids this summer.

Bring your food donations to PRISM (now co-located with JFCS!) to: 1220 Zane Ave. N, Golden Valley
763-529-1350
prismmpls.org
Upcoming events: Please join us
Shalom Baby Circle Time
Sundays. July 29 @ 10 a.m.


JFCS Annual Online Auction
Tuesday, Aug. 28, through Thursday, Sept. 6


Twin Cities Jewish Community 18th Annual
Conference on Mental Health
Sunday, Oct 21 @ 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis | www.jfcsmpls.org