Disciplining children is a complex task, seemingly fraught with danger at every turn. Do we really "spoil the child" when we "spare the rod?" Is there a foolproof way to make punishment truly instructional? Can we avoid punishment altogether by explaining potential consequences in advance, so children will make the correct decisions and not engage in the activities that may warrant punishment? And, how do we truly show that the rules we apply come from love and experience and not from anger and unrealistic expectations?

In this week's parashah, Ki Tavo, the Israelites receive a stern lecture replete with numerous examples of the consequences of sinful behavior. There is a long list of curses associated with bad behaviors, reminiscent of the early American preacher Jonathan Edwards. The Israelites are on the precipice of entering the Promised Land, and much of this parashah reads like a parent's lecture before the child goes out on the door on prom night. "You are about to have the best time of your life, but if you veer from the straight and narrow, don't expect to see the light of day until you're thirty!"  

But, does this kind of instruction by accentuating the negative work? The Israelites have spent forty years in the wilderness hearing about the positives of the commandments they receive, yet they constantly stray from the righteous path. This is reality. We can give all the warnings possible, but as humans we undoubtedly will still make mistakes. What we must emphasize, with our children, with our clients, with each other, is that as in the closing words of Ki Tavo, the goal of the instruction is always the same - success. "Therefore observe faithfully all the terms of this covenant, that you may succeed in all that you undertake."  29:8.

Shabbat Shalom.

With the launch of our Connections Initiative, AJFCA is seeking to create opportunities for broader and deeper conversations to occur within various segments of our network.  By generating more active participation, and helping to shape the conversation, this initiative will benefit our agencies' clients and the collective Jewish family service sector.  The Connections Initiative has launched with initial conference calls for the CEO Council, Agency Board Presidents, the AJFCA/Repair Volunteer Initiative, the Addictions Practice Group, the Canadian Agency Group and the Legislative Affairs Task Force.  Upcoming calls include the Domestic Violence Practice Group, Fund Development Professionals and second conference calls for some of the groups listed above.  We will be expanding our initiative with additional groups and some webinars before the end of 2012.  Please visit our calendar for a listing of all calls.

AJFCA is pleased to announce that we have launched a partnership with SafeLink Wireless. SafeLink Wireless is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and free airtime minutes each month to qualifying individuals. It costs absolutely nothing, requires no contracts or credit checks and offers modern day calling features such as voicemail, call waiting, text messaging, free 411, free 911, caller ID and more at no additional cost. Eligible individuals must be enrolled in a Federal assistance program such as TANF or food stamps, or have a household income below 135% of the federal poverty level (varies by state).
 

Tell little stories all over the place. The human mind laps that stuff up.

We're in a Golden Age for donor communications, thanks to advances in psychology and neuroscience. Many debates are over. We've never had more information to base our ideas, offers, and words on.

We now know for sure why a bunch of hoary direct mail triggers, like flattery and fear, actually work so reliably. Those emotional triggers have now been laboratory tested. We've watched the brain act in real time through MRIs. We know that flattery produces dopamine and a sense of trust for the flatterer. We know that fear tickles the amygdala, the earliest evolutionary brain bud.

We now know for sure that sad images definitely out-raise happy images, in a head to head comparison of response. That was figured out in the psychology lab. So those people who preach, "We don't want to go negative with our donors...."? They are simply wrong. Science says so.

And here's Tom's favorite thing that science says: a taste for narrative is baked into the human brain. Again, dopamine. We take pleasure in stories. Great pleasure. Stories feel good in our brains.

Everything should tell a story: every picture, every caption, every offer, every headline, every deck, every pull quote, every testimonial and, of course, every article (but don't depend on them: very few people ever read past the first or second paragraph of an article, unless it's absolutely fascinating and professionally written).

Useful data helps nonprofits make good decisions about where to focus efforts, how to allocate resources and can also help secure funding. Part of practically every staff position in a nonprofit requires managing data these days - NTEN will show you how you can improve your efficiency and get to the data that helps you do your job better.
 

When: Thursday, September 13th, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Eastern Time

Where: 40 Edwin Land Boulevard, Cambridge, MA 02142

Cost: Free! (A light lunch will be provided.)
REGISTER HERE

The full agenda is available online. You should check it out - and then join NTEN on September 13th for a one-day workshop. Oh, and please feel free to forward this message to your friends. This event is free for them, too.

Do you like reading books with your kids or grandkids? What about Jewish books? What about free Jewish books?

Kveller.com, MyJewishLearning.com's sister site, is now offering free PJ Library subscriptions to families in the New York Metro area.

What you'll get:

• A free Jewish children's book or CD every month
• Kveller's semi-weekly e-newsletter full of insights from the smartest, savviest parents around
• Kveller's forthcoming weekly New York e-newsletter featuring local events and activities for you and your kids 

Eligibility: Families with one or more child between the ages of 6 months through 8 years are eligible to sign up.

Cost: Nothing. It's a gift!

To sign up for PJ Library through Kveller.com, click here.
 

For those of you who don't live in New York: Check out the PJ partners in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, and Dallas. For a list of all PJ communities, click here.

Many of us in the Jewish world - single and married, younger and older - are tasked with creating "Jewish engagement" opportunities every day. Some of us even have the actual word in our professional titles; for others, it's implied. But the one thing everyone agrees on is that no one knows what "engagement" really means.

Continue to explore the world of volunteerism with AJFCA's monthly Volunteer newsletter filled with articles about volunteer trends, breaking news and resources.

Partner with Sharsheret during National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and raise awareness in your Jewish community!  Here are three easy ways you can join the fight against ovarian cancer and breast cancer and help educate your community about the increased risk for cancer in Jewish families and Sharsheret's free national programs and services:

• Host a Teal Shabbat or Pink Shabbat
• Coordinate The maniCURE for Sharsheret  
• Plan a fun exercise or athletic event  

These events are easy to plan and a great way for your organization to engage community members. For more information and to get started, e-mail Director of Community Engagement Rebecca Schwartz. 

A Washington coalition has deemed Raquel Woodard an "Angel,'' but a Framingham family sees her in slightly different terms. "We always think of her as our fairy godmother,'' said Gail Gregory. "But angel works, too.''
The Gregorys' daughter is one of about 1,000 children Woodard has helped place with adoptive families, both in her years working in California and the 20 she has spent with the Framingham-based Jewish Family Service of MetroWest's Adoption Choices, a nonprofit, non-sectarian agency that serves families statewide.

"Raquel is a tireless supporter of everyone participating in an adoption - child, birth parents, adoptive parents,'' Gregory said. Which is exactly what Woodard's colleague, Dale Eldridge, coordinator of adoptive parent services at Adoption Choices, said in her letter nominating Woodard for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's "Angels in Adoption Award for 2012,'' an annual recognition of those "who have demonstrated a commitment to improving the lives of children in need of a permanent, loving home.''

"It is her absolutely unfailing commitment to children,'' for more than 45 years as a clinical social worker in the field, that is "truly unparalleled,'' said Eldridge, who has worked with Woodard for 20 years at the JFS site. Eldridge's nomination was sent to the Massachusetts delegation on Capitol Hill and sponsored by Sen. Scott Brown.
"Raquel's selection as an Angel in Adoption is a well-deserved honor and recognition of her invaluable service to our community,'' Brown said in a statement this week. "Her dedication to the field of adoption and advocacy for children and families has changed many lives for the better.''

But Woodard's work as coordinator of services to birth parents and children at Adoption Choices is unique. She was at the forefront of adding educational components, support groups and workshops for parents to the adoption process. "That was her baby,'' said Eldridge. She's "a longtime unsung hero in the adoption field, as well as being an adoptive mom herself,'' said Marc Jacobs, chief executive officer of JFS.

Read more about Raquel Woodard in the Metrowest Daily News.
Jewish Social Service Agency's Employment and Career Services department has worked to forge new relationships with prospective employers and created numerous, growth oriented employment opportunities for JSSA's developmentally disabled clients. JSSA's supported employment services, which include vocational training, work adjustment training, job development, career coaching and social engagement are custom tailored to individuals with an emphasis on the dignity of occupations and enhancing the client's sense of self-worth and self-sustainability. Despite JSSA's best efforts, unfortunately, stereotypical thinking and assumptions, combined with lack of exposure to people with developmental disabilities, is often as big a hurdle as the disability itself. While JSSA has had great success working with employers they feel that developing programs that will allow them to help remove these stereotypes and assumptions, programs that "introduce" their clients to the prospective employer will help their success rate improve dramatically. 
 
To support one such initiative, JSSA has received funding for the purchase of equipment needed to start the agency's new iPAD Interview Program. Equipment will be used to bring the faces and abilities of individuals with disabilities to life with the help of high definition digitally recorded interview presentations which can then be presented to the prospective employer thus removing the mystery of the disability. With this program, JSSA can greatly improve prospective employers' knowledge and then acceptance of their clients. To learn more about JSSA's Supported Employment Services click here.
Jewish Family Service of Colorado will honor Elaine and Max Appel, and Betsy Mordecai Heyman and Gareth Heyman at its 17th annual benefit film screening, Reel Hope, on December 10. Reel Hope supports all programs of JFS, including mental health counseling, senior and adult in-home care, disability and employment services, and family safety net services. Community members are invited to pay tribute to the Appels as they receive the 2012 Jack Shapiro Community Service Award, and the Heymans who will accept the 2012 Kal Zeff Business Leader of the Year Award.
 
For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.jewishfamilyservice.org/ReelHope or contact Lisa Mehl at 720.248.4633. 
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater has been nominated for Hampton Roads Magazine's "Giving Back Awards." These awards aim to recognize the often unrecognized groups living among us who address the many needs of the community. The winners - as determined by reader votes - will be revealed in the magazine's November/December 2012 issue.
    
The first voting round began September 3 and runs through Friday, September 7th at 3:00pm. The 50 non-profit organizations receiving the greatest number of votes will advance to the next round!  Each of the five finalists will be featured with editorial profiles in the November/December 2012 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, with their rankings revealed and the non-profit of the year receiving top billing. Click here to vote for JFS!

UPCOMING WEBINARS

The Health & Human Services Partnership Center continues to host a series of interactive webinars discussing the benefits and provisions of the health care law, the Affordable Care Act.

_____________

Reaching and Engaging Older Adults in Behavioral Health

Leaders from research and community organizations will present promising approaches to reach and engage older adults in prevention and early intervention for depression, and alcohol and medication misuse. Presenters will discuss successful strategies to engage different racial and ethnic minority elders, immigrants, LGBT seniors, men and women. Participants will learn how to enlist consumers as partners in program outreach and peer education. 

The purpose of this webinar is:

• To enhance the attendees' understanding of substance abuse and mental health issues affecting older adults.
• To share knowledge about evidence-based programs and associated implementation strategies targeting older adults at risk for substance abuse and mental health problems and EBP implementation strategies. 

This webinar is a part of a Older Americans Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Center webinar series that provides a special opportunity to learn about critical behavioral health conditions and problems affecting older adults, including alcohol and prescription medication misuse and abuse, suicide, depression, and anxiety as well as evidence-based prevention and treatment programs to address these problems.

 
Reaching and Engaging Older Adults in Behavioral Health

Older adults with limited resources are facing increasingly daunting and complex financial challenges. While they grapple for assistance, many community organizations find themselves stretched to help clients with hard to solve financial problems, such as threats of foreclosure or eviction, high credit card debt, leveraging home equity, and a pervasive and growing sense of economic insecurity.

In this interactive webinar, you'll:

Friday, September 21st, 2:00pm ET - REGISTER HERE