Two sessions remain in Jewish Family Services Virtual Speaker Series, each exploring critical challenges Kansas Citians face and how the agency is responding to them.
The interactive 45-minute sessions include an overview of issues, interactive discussion with organizational leaders, and client stories. The free sessions take place from 12 to 12:45 p.m., but advance registration is required at www.jfskc.org in order to receive the meeting link.
On Nov. 15, Jo Hickey, JFS Food Pantry Director, and Maggie Haghirian, LMSW, KesherKC Director, will host a conversation on “Addressing the Complex Food Insecurity and Housing Crises in Kansas City.” Hickey and Haghirian will share their firsthand knowledge of working with clients and JFS’s multitude of community partners. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, JFS experienced a 99% increase in food pantry clients, nearly half of whom are involved in one or more services provided by the agency.
The Dec. 6 virtual session - “Protecting Our Teens, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention” - will be hosted by Sondra Wallace, who supervises the YouBeYou program and the Mental Health Coalition based at JFS. Wallace, who also chairs the Johnson County Suicide Prevention Coalition, will provide stats and insights facing teens today.
“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 and the ongoing need for community support.”
Two earlier presentations focused on older adult services and parenting through times of stress are available for viewing through JFS’s website: jfskc.org.