Happy New Year! Rosh Hashanah 2011

The celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, starts at sundown Wednesday, Sept. 28 and traditionally last for two days.

The holiday which translates to "head of the year" is both the Jewish New Year and days of repentance. It may seem unusual, but the New Year is actually not the first month in the Hebrew calendar, rather the first two days in the seventh month, known as Tishrei.

Rosh Hashanah takes place ten days before Yom Kippur, and many use this as a time of reflection known as the ten days of penitence, or aseret yamei teshuva. In that ten day period, many will apologize to those they have wronged and hope to find forgiveness. This assures when Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, comes ten days later, the person will not be left out of the Book of Life, where names of those destined for Heaven are written.

Happy New Year to all my family, friends and fans - I love you all!


- Jill Dahne

Love is Not Abuse: Love is Respect

Love is respect.

Love is precious - love is trusting - love is kind.

Love is NOT Abuse!

A new survey reveals dating violence and abuse to be surprisingly more prevalent among college students than previously believed. Nearly half of dating college women (43%) report having ever experienced violent or abusive dating behaviors, and more than one in five (22%) report actual physical abuse, sexual abuse or threats of physical violence. Despite the high number of students experiencing these types of abuse, more than one-third of college students (38%) say they would not know how to get help on campus if they found themselves in an abusive relationship. 

Among the findings are: 
 

·         Nearly 1 in 3 (29%) college women report having been a victim of an abusive dating relationship in her life.

·         57% of students who report having been in an abusive dating relationship indicate it occurred in college.

·         52% of college women report knowing a friend who has experienced violent and abusive dating behaviors including physical, sexual, digital, verbal or controlling abuse.

·         Further, 58% of students said they would not know how to help if they knew someone was a victim.

Learn more at LoveIsNotAbuse.com - and read the complete survey here.

Choose Peace Stop Violence Week

Be a part of creating a safer community for our kids and families.

Choose Peace Week is September 19-23, but developing a more peaceful community takes more than one week of shared consciousness.

In recognition of this week, Choose Peace/Stop Violence has asked municipalities, schools, community groups, businesses and faith-based organizations to “plant the seeds of peace” by creating Peace Gardens or other permanent structures that will become the foundation of peaceful reflection and conflict resolution in every school, home and community in Broward County.

Read more about activities in Broward County - click here.

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Kids in Distress: Putting Kids First

Kids in Distress is Jill Dahne's favorite charity and continuously supports them by donating proceeds from her lectures and seminars.  Learn more about Kids in Distress - reaching out and helping others is gratifying and helps you to feel good about yourself.

About KID:

Our mission at Kids In Distress (KID) is to prevent child abuse, preserve the family, and treat children who have been abused and neglected.  Recognized as a premier agency in South Florida, we provide family strengthening services as well as children's services for more than 6,000 children and their families. All of our programs and services are designed specifically to give children and their families the tools, skills, services, and education they need to maintain a safe, stable, and healthy environment in which to thrive. 


Started in a small house in 1979 as an emergency shelter for the youngest victims of abuse and neglect, we have since expanded services and grown to a 5-acre campus in Broward County with a satellite office in Palm Beach County. We are also the largest provider of foster homes in both Broward and Palm Beach counties, many of which become adoptive homes for children who cannot be reunified with their biological families. We operate one of the only remaining emergency shelters for children ages birth to 15 years of age, and a family counseling center for counseling and therapy needs.


Along with our adoptive and shelter services, Kids In Distress allocates more than 60% of our agency budget toward programs that are community-based. We offer in-home, family strengthening programs that care for and educate pregnant women and new mothers, programs that assist families with issues of domestic violence, substance abuse, and extreme economic stress, and we provide assistance in accessing everything from food stamps and employment assistance to housing and legal assistance. More recently, we are now able to provide optical and dental care for children in our community who, in many cases, have never been to a dentist or optometrist.

Stabilizing families is the cornerstone of healthy, economically viable, and safe neighborhoods and communities. Last year, in Broward County alone, there were 14,086 reported cases of abuse and neglect which is a 5% increase over the prior year. Kids In Distress works every day to change that by leading efforts in prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse, providing services that successfully educate, care for, and preserve the health and wellness of vulnerable children and families in our community.  

Pay it forward, you can make a difference.

Visit www.JillDahne.com and join her on Facebook and Twitter.