What's Nu - eNews from Jewish Family Service of New Mexico

Welcome to the latest Jewish Family Service of New Mexico (JFS) e-newsletter. Thanks to friends and supporters of JFS, we were able to put together a list of people who may be interested in learning more about our services to the community. If you do not wish to receive future e-newsletters from us click here for our unsubscribe form.

Vision and Mission

Our Core Values - the Jewish values of tikkun olam - “Repair the world”; tzedakah - “Do the ethical thing”; tamim - “Serve with integrity”, guide our work and help us achieve our Vision:

Jewish Family Service of New Mexico (JFSNM) will become the premier nonprofit organization for promoting Aging in Place and meeting the social service needs of Jewish and non-Jewish elderly in New Mexico. JFSNM will make significant contributions to meeting the social service needs of Jewish and non-Jewish families in New Mexico.

Nurse Medical Case Management Services
Do You Know of a Senior Who Needs Help Managing Their Medications?

JFS’ Nurse Medical Case Manager can provide free in-home assistance to seniors who have difficulty managing their medications. JFS’ on-staff Registered Nurse provides in-home medication monitoring and management help, as well as health education, screening, and medical advocacy for seniors. Our nurse will review all medications, develop systems for taking medications safely and as prescribed, and will help with the ongoing monitoring of the senior’s medication regimen to make sure they are safely follow it. The service is FREE and is funded by the Metro Area Agency on Aging, the US Administration on Aging, and the Daniels Fund.

The programming that comes out of the Health and Wellness Department at Jewish Family Service of New Mexico, including the Road to Wellness, is based on two concepts of wellness: the “Wellness Wheel,” developed by William Hettler, and the “The Wellness Paradigm,” developed by Dr. John W. Travis. The Program is designed to build community and reduce the social isolation of seniors in aging communities.

The “Wellness Wheel” illustrated below shows the interaction between the six areas of wellness—physical, intellectual, social, emotional, occupational (having a sense of worth), and spiritual—to determine one’s personal wellness. Increasing wellness in one area can create a positive influence on the others. We try to develop and implement programs, events, fitness opportunities, and classes that together complete the wellness wheel and give participants the chance to address all areas of their personal wellness.

Look here next month for more information on the second influence our program draws from, “The Wellness Paradigm”, developed by Dr. John W. Travis.

Check out our website for more information on fitness classes, activities, innovations and news from the Health and Wellness Program.

Rabbi Min’s Message
Basic Jewish Values #2 B’tzelem Elohim: People are created with a spark of the Divine
Genesis 1:26-27 states: “Then God said, "Let us make humanity in our image, in our likeness”, and then, one verse later, says: “So God created humanity in God’s image, in the image of God, God created them; male and female, God created them”. This reminds us that each person, whether rich or poor, powerful or weak, famous or obscure, Jew or non-Jew, is equally created in the image of the Divine. When a JFS client comes to the food pantry, we do not ask the details of why they might be needing additional food; instead, we see that God-spark inside them and respond to that aspect of the person, not the outer shell. When a client attends a Wellness activity, JFS staff applies this value by doing everything possible to respect this person, honor their abilities, and celebrate their accomplishments. When responding to clients in this way, JFS staff members are themselves acting in the image of God, an endlessly compassionate force in the universe.

Jewish Federation of New Mexico Awards JFS Over $68,000 in its 2010-2011 Allocation
JFS wishes to thank the Jewish Federation of New Mexico (JFNM) for continuing to support its mission! JFNM awarded JFS over $68,000 in total to support the Jewish Community Chaplaincy, the Santa Fe Chaplaincy, and the Intensive Social Work for Jewish Elders Programs at JFS. Thank you to the Board and donors of JFNM for supporting our work so generously!

Yom Kippur Food Drive
“Grab 5 cans of food out of your pantry and drop them off at the JCC Food Pantry Drop Off - you’ll really help a family in need”

The holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur, falls this year on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18. It is a complete fast day; abstaining from food helps us focus on the task of repentance, part of focusing on the process of bettering ourselves and our world in the year to come. Yom Kippur offers us the opportunity to reflect more broadly on the bounty and scarcity that exists in the global food system and how we can contribute to alleviating hunger this year. Isaiah 58:6-7 states: “No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free; to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry.” Jewish Family Service is providing you with an opportunity to ACT on the basis of that reflection through a Yom Kippur Food Drive. Just before or just after Yom Kippur, please donate non-perishable food items to a JFS Food Pantry Collection Center located inside the front door of the Jewish Community Center or, even better, write a check to Jewish Family Service Food Pantry project, noting that it is a special donation to the Jewish Family Service of New Mexico Yom Kippur Food Drive on the memo line. Thank you...and Happy New Year!

Light the Night Walk
Here’s an idea for the whole family to help support a great cause!

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque is once again hosting the “Light the Night Walk” on September 25, 2010 and all proceeds go to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A 2-mile casual walk at 7PM. Registration information can be found at www.LighttheNight.org or call 505-872-0141 ext. 228.

Call our Community Resource Specialist, Rivka Rabinovich, at 505-348-4516 for more information about any of these services or visit our website at www.jfsnm.org. You may also click any of the links above to go directly to that page on our web site.

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