Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minnesota welcomed community members to its 116th Annual Meeting on June 10 at Beth El Synagogue—marking the organization’s first Annual Meeting as JFCS of Minnesota. The event celebrated the agency’s continued growth and impact, included the election of new Board members, honored dedicated volunteers, and recognized staff milestone anniversaries. The gathering highlighted the compassion, service, and community connection that continue to guide JFCS as it begins this new chapter serving individuals and families across Minnesota.

>Read more here

By Chantel Jullie • ParentChild+ Program Manager

This spring, ParentChild+ proudly celebrated the achievements of 117 children and their families as they completed the program and prepared for their next educational steps. 

ParentChild+ is a free, two-year, early learning program serving families with children between 18 months and 3 years old. Through twice-weekly home visits, our Early Learning Specialists partner with families to support children’s development through books, educational toys, storytelling, conversation, and play. 

>Read more here

Founding Sponsors: Constellation Fund, Richard and Beverly Fink Family Fund, Beverly N. Grossman Foundation, Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, Allan Stillerman, in memory of his late parents: Friedel and David Stillerman; late parents of Loni Stillerman: Shirlee and Maurice Pilch and in loving memory of Loni Stillerman Lead Sponsor: Carol & Rick Berg Sponsor: Walser Foundation Funded by the Walser Automotive Group

This program is made possible in part with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families, using State of Minnesota funding and is supported by Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minnesota, the founding Minnesota partner of ParentChild+.

By Skylar Peterson, LSW • Intake and Resource Connection Program Manager

Reaching out for help is rarely straightforward. Most people do not come to JFCS of Minnesota knowing exactly what service they need. They come because something feels difficult, confusing, urgent, or just more than they’d want to handle alone.

That is where Intake and Resource Connection (IRC) comes in.

>Read more from Skylar here

Natalie Quiring-Oleson, MSW, LICSW • JFCS Therapist:

If you saw a job posting whose duties include housecleaner, personal chef, nurse, home organizer, therapist, taxi driver, behavior specialist, and activities director (plus other duties as assigned), would you apply? I think most of us would not. And yet, these are the different hats that parents wear regularly, sometimes all in the same day! Being a parent is an unpaid, 24- hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week job, with little to no time off. Is it any wonder that most parents find themselves burnt out at times?

>Read more from Natalie here

The Advice Corner provides responses from a variety of staff, each with unique expertise, background and perspective. Please let us know if you have questions that you would like us to highlight. We want to hear from you! Questions will be posed anonymously. Please email questions to: acowan@jfcsmn.org.

Laurie Kleinbaum Fink became JFCS of Minnesota’s Chief Program Officer in October 2025 after a long career with the Science Museum of Minnesota, where she served as Chief of Science. She recently spoke about why she wanted to make the transition to her role with JFCS, her experiences in the early months of this position, and what she hopes to accomplish in the future:

Why did the Chief Program Officer role appeal to you? 

After 25 years of working to make Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math accessible to everyone, now was the time to bring my leadership experience to a community that is very important to me and my identity. 

 >Learn more about Laurie here

By Anna Ferdelman • Career Development Program Manager

June is the season of graduations, and of course for many graduates, of job search. While school counselors and college career centers are extremely helpful in this process, many new graduates need some extra help. JFCS of Minnesota is here to provide assistance.

Project EM, a nationwide network designed to support job seekers through comprehensive services, including job listings, career workshops, technical training, and one-on-one coaching, was launched in 2022 by the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies (NJHSA) in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). “EM” stands for Empowering, Embracing, and Employing the Community.

>Learn more here

By Roni Falck, MSW • Senior Services Program Manager

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. It is an opportunity to stop and consider how we can support people with Alzheimer’s and dementia and their caregivers, along with ways we can support individual brain health.

JFCS of Minnesota takes a multi-pronged approach to best support individuals with dementia and their family caregivers. While the services vary in scope, the throughline is connection. Programs like Memory Café bring people with memory loss and their caregivers together for engagement and connection. Simply said, it’s a chance to break the monotony and have a good day together. Education sessions like Dementia Friends help reduce stigma, and the often accompanying isolation, around the illness. 

>Read more from Roni here  

Memory Café is supported by the Machov Family. Dementia Caregiver Connect and Dementia Friends are supported by a grant from the Minnesota Board on Aging.

JFCS of Minnesota will host a six-week class, “Powerful Tools for Caregivers.” If you have picked up a prescription, brought over dinner, given a ride to the doctor, taken care of an errand or made decisions big or small on behalf of a senior, you are a caregiver. 

The class is designed to provide you with a wealth of self-care tools that will help you take care of yourself while taking care of others. You will learn to reduce stress, improve your self-confidence, bring more balance to your life, better communicate your feelings, and increase your ability to make tough decisions. The class is open to people from the Jewish and broader community.

Mondays, July 13 through Aug. 17, 10-11:30 a.m.

This class will meet in person at the Lenox Community Center

6715 Minnetonka Blvd, St Louis Park

>Read more and register here    

Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minnesota was recently recognized as a 2025 Innovation Exchange Winner by the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies for its innovative Living Our Values (LOV) campaign. The award honors creative programs that strengthen organizations and communities across the Jewish human services field.

JFCS was recognized for its staff-centered storytelling initiative, which highlights the agency’s core values—Compassion, Inclusion, Integrity, Innovation, and Collaboration—through authentic staff reflections and professional portraits. The campaign has helped deepen employee pride and engagement while demonstrating how JFCS values come to life every day in service to the community.

>Read more here