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Jerry Witovsky
Jerry Witkovsky (MSW, University of Illinois) is a beloved mentor to thousands of individuals and generations of families, thanks to 47 years of professional leadership, eighteen of them as General...view moreJerry Witkovsky (MSW, University of Illinois) is a beloved mentor to thousands of individuals and generations of families, thanks to 47 years of professional leadership, eighteen of them as General Director of the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago. Since his 1997 retirement, Jerry has focused his considerable energies on grandparenting facilitation---helping multigenerational families work (and play) together to create a rich family life. Jerry believes that grandparents, when they share their creativity, commitment, and things about which they are passionate, can transform their families. He's made it his mission to get that message out to as many grandparents as possible. He has spearheaded a growing number of school-based programs designed to strengthen connections between grandparents and their teenaged grandchildren and strengthen school communities. He turned that program into an online curriculum called The Grandparent-Grandchild Connection School Program. He writes the Legacy Column for Grand Magazine, the publication for grandparents. He's a regular speaker for grandparents in The Jewish Agency for Israel's Global Intergenerational Initiative (G2) on "How to enter your grandchildren's world." Most recently, Jerry partnered with JCC Chicago to launch "Grandparents Write Your Stories." Jerry wants to remove barriers for grandparents to enjoy every possible opportunity to help their families, watch them thrive, and to deeply appreciate each other as individuals. "Always leave your campsite better than you found it," is Jerry's motto for life. One, because camp is in his blood, starting from when he created a day camp for children of US Military personnel while stationed in Japan after WWII, to becoming a Boys Club camp counselor and ultimately director of JCC Chicago's Camp Chi. Jerry believes each of us has an obligation to leave the world, our communities, our families, better for having been a part of it. For grandparents, that starts with unleashing their full potential, drawing on their creativity and things about which they are passionate, to have a deeply meaningful relationship across lifespan with their grandchildren and adult children. Learn more at www.grandparentsunleashed.comview less