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Elevate
Join us for our signature fundraising event, newly named Elevate, to reflect the impact of JCFS on our neighbors.
Purchase sponsorships and register for the event here.
If you cannot attend, but would like to support JCFS Chicago through the event, make a donation here.
HONORING
Laurie & Neal Price
Irving B. Harris Leadership Award
We are thrilled to recognize Laurie and Neal Price for their significant commitment and contribution to promoting the well-being of people in the community. Laurie served as a JCFS board member for 12 years. She is the founder and owner of CDI Construction Group and oversaw several JCFS construction projects, including the Abe & Ida Cooper Center in West Rogers Park and the Seigle Campus in Skokie. Neal has been an active leader in the Jewish community for over 30 years, serving on the boards of JUF, JCC Chicago and Congregation B’nai Tikvah. He is co-founder of Strategic Wealth Partners. The Prices live in Deerfield and have two sons and a daughter-in-law.
Cheryl Leon
What’s Possible Award
We are excited to honor Cheryl Leon, a prominent leader, philanthropist and changemaker. Cheryl has devoted her life to service, serving as the coordinator of Ezra Helpline, the basis for JCFS’s intake services. She then helped create a landmark program addressing the needs of sexually abused children in the Jewish community. This became Partnership for Safer Communities, a JCFS initiative to raise awareness about abuse prevention through education and training. Cheryl and her husband Bruce recently launched The Leon Legacy Fund to provide an avenue for all Jews to explore their rich heritage. They live in West Rogers Park near three of their four daughters and six grandsons.
Event Co-Chairs
Marshall Pred and Liz Roberts Turnipseed
Event Planning Committee
Rachel Ferber
David Greenbaum
Emily Keith
Louis Robinson
Jessica Zindell
Sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Miles Robin at 773.467.3896 or MilesRobin@JCFS.org
Understanding and responding to non-suicidal self-injury in youth
Self-injury is intentionally hurting the body (e.g. cutting, burning etc..) but without suicidal intent. Because it often looks like a suicidal gesture it tends to evoke fear and confusion. Its very nature seems to defy deep instinctual human drives for self-preservation as well strong social taboos related to self-inflicted injury. Much has been learned in the past decade and a half about what it is, why it works, and its relationship to suicide and other mental health challenges. This interactive presentation will review NSSI epidemiology, recovery processes and best practices for intervention and treatment. It will conclude with discussion and resources.
This training is made possible through the Fred Steffen Fund for Training.
Janis Whitlock, Ph.D., MPH is the Director of the Self-Injury & Recovery Resources Project, a program of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery. Dr. Whitlock started her professional life as an educator in the areas of sexuality and women’s health, adolescent social and emotional development, and HIV prevention. She started studying self-injury in 2004 and spent the next two decades contributing to understanding of self-injury epidemiology, recovery processes, and opportunities for intervention and prevention. Dr. Whitlock has also conducted research on the relationship of social media and mental health, suicide prevention, and resilience and connectedness. She also directed the Cornell Translational Research Institute from 2017-2020, aimed at assisting scholars to effectively bridge research with practice and policy in their areas of interest. In 2022, Dr. Whitlock returned to the field as a consultant and coach to bring all that she has learned about adolescent and young adult well-being to parents, schools, and communities.
Learning objectives: As a result of participating, participants will be able to:
- Identify epidemiological characteristics of common forms of non-suicidal self-injury.
- Understand core NSSI function and co-morbidity, including the relationship between NSSI and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
- Review primary NSSI recovery trajectories.
- Understand core principles and practices in effective self-injury intervention and treatment.
- Locate and use self-injury resources (articles, books, websites).
This training costs $30, which includes 3.0 CEU’s for social workers, psychologists, and counselors. This training is free to JCFS staff, who must register in UKG Pro Learning.
Accessible Public Transportation in Chicago Provided by the RTA
Services for People with Disabilities (SFPD) presents a free Community Education Workshop.
This presentation by the RTA will cover accessible public transportation in Chicago. We will take a closer look at accessibility features on fixed route public transportation, RTA Fare Programs, ADA Paratransit, and the Taxi Access Program. We’ll also discuss RTA’s free Travel Training Program and how to plan an accessible trip in Chicago.
Our Presenter Katie Garrity is a Mobility Outreach Coordinator for the Regional Transportation Authority. She is a licensed clinical social worker and is passionate about community education.
This event is free and open to the public. Continuing education credits are available for QIDP's. *Session may be recorded, registration is required via the link or call Kathryn Dougherty at 773.765.3158 to register.
You will receive a Zoom link to participate via email the day prior to the session.
For help with registration, and for any accommodations, please contact Kathryn Dougherty.
Stress Busters Club
Stress Busters Club is a group for adults with disabilities to talk about stress and anxiety, learn new coping strategies, and try them out together. Group meets every Tuesday from March 12-April 16.
Registration is required. Join us! To register and receive fee information for the series, contact Jess Jankowski. Space is limited.
Death Over Dinner
Please join us on March 5th at 7:30pm as we gather to nourish ourselves and engage in a life affirming discussion and community bonding experience.
The dinner table is the most forgiving place for difficult conversation. The ritual of breaking bread creates warmth and connection and puts us in touch with our humanity. It is in this environment in which we choose to honor our precious mortality and open conversations about the end of life.
In partnership with Base LNCLN
Register Today
Whether you are a Jewish insider, more on the margins, or Jewish-adjacent, we welcome you to tap into age-old Jewish wisdom on living and dying well.
Cosponsored by JCFS Chicago, Moishe House, Reboot and Base LNCLN and generously sponsored by the Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss.
20's and 30's Grief Shabbat Dinner with Base LNCLN
The memories of loved ones who have passed and experiences of grief shape who we are as people and shift our paths in life in innumerable ways.
This is a special Shabbat dinner to hold nourishing space for those of us in our 20's and 30's who have lost a parent, sibling, or partner. While the losses that bring us together are painful, we hope to create a gentle, joyful, and even fun (dark humor anyone?) space to be together with folks who get it. And of course, you can expect delicious food, drink, and Shabbat vibes.
In partnership with Base LNCLN
Register Today
The program is generously sponsored by the Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss.
Understanding Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: Referrals & Collaboration
Explore the world of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) with certified psychedelic-assisted therapy provider Jordan Dobrowski, LCSW. Learn what it is and how it differs from other higher levels of care. There are important roles a therapist plays around KAP. Learn how to evaluate clients as appropriate referrals to KAP. Develop the skills needed to collaborate as a primary therapist with your patients' KAP treatment team.
Cost: $60 includes 3.0 CEU’s for social workers, psychologists, and counselors.
Presenter: Jordan Dombrowski, LCSW (she/they) is a Certified Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Provider with experience providing psychotherapy to youth and adults in both English and Spanish. She received her Master’s in Social Work with certificates in Trauma-Informed Care and Culturally Responsive Mental Healthcare for Immigrant Families from the University of Chicago in 2018. Jordan has worked for several ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinics as well as two psychedelic-assisted therapy training centers. They run a small group practice and are also an active member of the Illinois Psychedelic Society.
Learning Objectives:
1. Be able to screen clients using inclusion and exclusion criteria for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).
2. Develop a brief elevator speech for how to introduce KAP to clients and other providers.
3. Practice basic skills for integration therapy and harm reduction.
