Unless otherwise noted, all events are virtual. Some events require an RSVP or enrollment in our programs, so please confirm your spot in advance. Please check directly with JFS on program dates, as dates may change.
Grandparenting: Expectations vs Reality
Join The J Kc on March 3, from 7 – 8:00 p.m. for a virtual workshop featuring Keynote Speaker: Barbara Unell Journalist, Author, Educator
Cost: FREE
Pre-registration required
Presented by: Beth Torah, Beth Shalom, HBHA, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, Ohev Sholom, Rabbinical Organization of Greater Kansas City, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, and The J
(After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.)
Description:
Congratulations, you are a grandparent! It’s so exciting, and an event you likely have been looking forward to for a long time. Will this new experience bring challenges, as well as joy? Absolutely! Join acclaimed journalist, author and educator, Barbara Unell as she shares an easy 3-step consistent approach to collaborative, supportive family relationships that turn those challenges into opportunities of resilience and respect.
Workshop Format:
- Keynote and opportunity for Q&A
- Breakout session pre-selected: see below for options
- Interactive sessions encouraging participation through Q & A
Breakout Session Options:
- A Drama-Free Cure for Today’s Behavior Blues
Facilitated by Barbara Unell
Join in this feel-good session to find your comfort- and confidence-zone with your grandchild’s behavior in today’s new oh-so-stressful world, where play, school and everything else feels unpredictable. Check into the online tool, Behavior Checker®, with one of the creators, Barbara Unell. Get your behavior questions answered and see, up close and personal, how this tool helps lead to healthier relationships and enhances the lifelong mental, physical and emotional health of adults and children. - Navigating Complex Family Relationships in your Role as Grandparent
Facilitated by Kathleen Halling JFS therapist
Explore ideas for negotiating roles and boundaries with your adult children. Gain insight in why boundaries matter and how to work together to strengthen your relationships by keeping communication open. - Engaging with Your Grandkids: Creative Ways to Connect in Person and Long Distance
Facilitated by Judy Jacks Berman, Director of Early Childhood Education, Congregation Beth Shalom
Are you looking for fun things to do with your grandchildren? Judy will share ideas and demonstrate activities to make your time with your grandkids special and help you create long-lasting memories. - When your Grandchildren are not Being Raised Jewish
Facilitated by Rabbi Beryl Paddor, Congregation Ohev Sholom
Join this thoughtful discussion about the unique challenges faced when your grandchildren are being raised in a different religion. Is it ok to share your Jewish customs and values? Can you still celebrate Jewish holidays together? Explore how to find acceptance of their choice while staying true to your Jewish heritage.
Join artist and gardener, Karen Lyman as she shares the latest tips and techniques to create fabulous containers beyond red geraniums and spikes during a free virtual presentation.
Based on the elements of fine design, Lyman will present everything you need to know to make your next container garden a work of art. A Johnson County Extension Master Gardener volunteer, Lyman combines her art background and gardening knowledge to create many fabulous container gardens for herself and others to enjoy.
The free virtual program is part of the Learn Laugh & Love series sponsored by Jewish Family Services and The Heritage Center at The J. Register to receive the Zoom link at Meeting Registration – Zoom.
For questions, please contact Susie Hurst, JFS Director of Family LifeEducation, at susieh@jfskc.org.
We live in a hectic, fast-paced world now made more challenging by the ongoing pandemic. More people are experiencing stress and anxiety and are reaching out for tools to help them cope with our complex reality.
To address the rising need, Jewish Family Services is offering Mindful Mondays, a free, virtual mindful training program offered every Monday from 11:30 a.m. to noon through Dec. 13.
Using the Zoom platform, the sessions are free, but registration is required at Mindful Mondays registration link. Once registered, participants will receive a link to join each session. Participants may attend one or all virtual sessions.
Mindfulness is a practice anchored in science and focused on being intensely aware of what an individual is sensing and feeling in the moment without interpretation of judgement.
Led by Sondra Wallace, MSED, JFS YouBeYou and Mental Health Coalition Coordinator and Julia Grimm, LMLP, JFS therapist.
Weekly themes:
Sept. 27: Self-Compassion
Oct. 4: Generosity
Oct. 11: Non-Judging
Oct. 18: Body Scan
Oct. 25: Letting Go
Nov. 1: Sitting with Emotions
Nov. 8: Trust
Nov. 15: Values
Nov. 29: Generosity
Dec. 6: Acceptance
Dec. 13: Patience
For more information, contact Sondra Wallace at swallace@jfskc.org.
JFS is hosting a free Vaccination Clinic from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Oct. 11 in the White Theatre at The J, 5801 W 115th St, Overland Park, KS.
Pfizer Covid19 vaccines and flu shots will be offered. The Pfizer booster shots will be for ages 65+ or individuals with underlying medical conditions, and essential workers (teachers, grocery workers, and healthcare workers).
Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, email info@jfskc.org.
Learn how to bring mindfulness into your home when JFS presents “Get Calm and Connected: Mindful Parenting,” a free, virtual workshop at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12, via Zoom.
During the interactive workshop, parents and caregivers will learn practices to help with the challenges of parenting and valuable techniques to implement into their family’s daily life.
Mindful Parenting can help parents manage stress, better care for their own well-being, and nurture the parent-child connection. The workshop will be facilitated by Wendy Anderson and Lauren Glass, both licensed clinical social workers with JFS.
Registration is required: Meeting Registration – Zoom
Confirmation and a final Zoom link will be sent after registration is received.
“Get Calm and Connected: Mindful Parenting” convening organizations are Congregation Beth Shalom, Congregation Beth Torah, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, The J, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.
For more information, contact Susie Hurst, JFS Director of Family Life Education/CHAI Program at susieh@jfskc.org or (913) 327-8259.
Learn more about the critical challenges facing Kansas Citians and how JFS is responding during our virtual speaker series.
For our last session, Sondra Wallace, YouBeYou and Mental Health Coalition Coordinator and chair of the Johnson County Suicide Prevention Coalition will share how our youth, schools, and adults are using the YouBeYou resources, Sources of Strength model, and JFS services to build communities of strength anchored in caring, connected, positive relationships and social networks. Register here.
“Working with more than 10,000 individuals a year, our team has a unique lens into the complicated problems facing Kansas Citians. This series is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the critical social issues we’re collectively tackling,” said Don Goldman, Executive Director and CEO of JFS. “It’s also an opportunity to have a dialog with us about the evolving challenges due to the pandemic.”
Kemper Museum Docent, Lynne Bock, leads “Social and personal narratives in contemporary art” for the December virtual edition of Learn Laugh & Love. How does social history combine with the stories of individual artists in contemporary artworks? How are these stories about self and society visible to us? Our impressions of stories told by artworks may change over time. Let’s look at works from Kemper Museum’s Permanent Collection to explore together how we find social histories and artists’ stories in works of contemporary art. This tour will include works from our current exhibition celebrating the Missouri Bicentennial.
Please be ready to voice your thoughts throughout this online conversation! Click here to register.
The Learn Laugh & Love series is sponsored by Jewish Family Services and The Heritage Center at The J.