Building Relationships and Community Through Jewish Explorers with Cindy Coons

Dr. Lynn Hellerstein of Vision Beyond Sight speaks with Cindy Coons, director of Jewish Explorers. Cindy talks about her program that welcomes Jewish and Interfaith families with preschool and elementary school-aged children.

Click here and tune in to the show now to explore:

• The vision of Jewish Explorers to engage, educate, and empower families to find meaningful and relevant ways to practice Judaism in their homes and with community
• The importance of building relationships and creating a community
• Creating opportunities to explore Judaism together that are fun, meaningful, relevant, and impactful
• Empowering families to find meaningful and relevant ways to celebrate Judaism at home and out in the community

Cindy Coons joined the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE) in 2013, as the Founder & Director of Jewish Explorers, and has continued in this capacity following the merger of CAJE and JEWISHcolorado in 2016. Cindy has loved the opportunity to create and develop this innovative program, which provides opportunities for children and their families to explore Judaism together in fun and meaningful ways. Now in its tenth year, Jewish Explorers welcomes Jewish and Interfaith families with preschool and elementary school-aged children and offers monthly Family Programs for 2-5 year olds who participate along with parents and grandparents, weekly and monthly drop-off program for K-5th graders, and Shabbat and holiday celebrations throughout the year. In addition to program and curriculum development for Jewish Explorers, Cindy also serves as the Director of Family Engagement at JEWISHcolorado and is the lead educator for our intergenerational G2 Program as well as supports ouPJ Library and YAD Family programs.

Cindy earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy with a specialty in Pediatrics from Columbia University and her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from the University of Delaware. She has almost 40 years of experience working with children and their families as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, a Jewish Educator, and a volunteer in New York and Colorado. Cindy and her husband, Rich, have two wonderful adult children, Carly and David. In addition to sharing her love of and passion for Judaism and teaching with our community, Cindy loves spending time with family and friends as well as cooking, baking, hiking, cycling, camping, ice skating, reading, volunteering, and traveling.

Connect with Cindy Coons and Jewish Explorers:

Families are welcome to try a complimentary Jewish Explorers class to see if this program is a good fit for them. To learn more about Jewish Explorers, PJ Library or YAD Family (part of YAD – Young Adult Division), visit us at https://www.jewishcolorado.org/programs/

JEWISHcolorado: Website | Facebook

Jewish Explorers: Website | Facebook

PJ Library: Website | Facebook

Email: ccoons@jewishcolorado.org

“…Everyone wants to feel seen and heard. They want to be celebrated for who they are, where they are in their journey and where they’re going, and to find a way to live fully and authentically, to find beauty and joy in how they choose to live and to feel connected to a community and shared experiences.” – Cindy Coons

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