Expresso Yourself! Coffee, Coloring and the Classics!
(PHOENIX – Dec. 5, 2017) – Jewish Family & Children’s Service is pleased to announce its January Memory Café will feature the internationally-known violinist Moshe Bukshpan. The event will be held at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W. Glendale Avenue in Phoenix on Thursday, January 4, 2018 from 10 to 11:30 am.
Born in Tel-Aviv in 1954, Moshe began his violin studies at the age of eight and was a featured artist on Israeli TV at age 11. Since 1982, Moshe has taught strings in private studios and public schools, and has performed throughout Arizona. As the Founder and Executive Director of the Red Rocks Music Festival, which performs in both the Phoenix area and Sedona, he works closely with the artistic director to bring nationally and internationally known musicians to the Festival.
“We are thrilled to have an artist of such great talent help us “set the tone” for our monthly event,” states Kathy Rood, who began the Memory Café for JFCS in November. Other activities will include a variety of art experiences. “We want to encourage art of any style – from the silly to the sublime,” Rood continues. “We’ll have a wide variety of adult coloring pages and books as well as lots of blank paper with markers and colored pencils. No one needs to be an artist!”
“Coloring has the therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus and brings about more mindfulness,” according to Marygrace Berberian from the Graduate Art Therapy Program at NYU. Craig Sawchuk, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, adds that “Coloring books work like other mindfulness techniques, turning down the volume knob on the stress response.”
The Memory Café is for those with memory loss and their care partners. The challenges of living with memory loss can strain or even sever social connection at a time when it is needed most. Memory Cafés are one way individuals with memory loss and their care companions are coming together to make new friendships and support one another.
The Café is a meeting place for those with changes in their thinking or memory, mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, along with their care partners. Offered on the first Thursday of the month, each Café has a new theme and includes meaningful, fun activities to engage the participants and stimulate their minds and bodies. Socialization is a key component to the cafés, as they are meant to be a place to relax, meet others and have fun.
There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. To register or for further information, please e-mail Kathy.rood@jfcsaz.org or call Kathy at 602-452-4627.
Jewish Family & Children’s Service is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian social service and behavioral health organization with over 80 years of service in the greater Phoenix area.
