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Kehillah

RVA's independent Jewish community

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Kehillah Cares Program

Kehillah welcomes individuals and families facing diverse and complex challenges. We’re here to lend a hand, whether it’s financial support, free mental health services, financial counseling, finding scholarships for college and more. Kehillah is here to help!

Help is available to anyone who is on our email list, has attended at least 6 events in the last year and lives within twenty five miles of Richmond, VA.

FILL OUT OUR FORM TO REQUEST HELP

Our Team

Pamela Shaw
Pamela Shaw is multi-passionate and believes that everyone has the power and divine right to heal and thrive no matter their circumstances. By day she works as an executive assistant and herbalist. Outside of her work and being the Kehillah Cares organizer, you can find her diving deep into her latest fascination, Kabbalah, learning something new like accounting, cooking, creating something, walking, swimming, or lounging with her cat, Martie. She loves the ocean, waking up to the sound of birds, and the magic of being alive.
Adam Krukas
Kehillah Cares
Adam Krukas, PharmD, MHSI is here to provide the support to those members in need as part of Kehillah Cares. In addition to supporting the communication and delivery of service Kehillah Cares, Adam provides support to members with his pharmacist's perspective, including Medicare review, medication review and assisting with helping find cost saving alternatives. Fun fact: Adam is a huge tea enthusiast -- ask him about it!

Support We Provide

Some services are subsidized and require payment. If you are unable to pay, we will do what we can to offer those services for free.

Case Management & Healthcare

Health Brigade
Integrated Health Services

Health Brigade is Virginia’s oldest free and charitable clinic in Virginia, and it offers an array of medical, mental health, community outreach, and care coordination services for uninsured and underinsured adults from all backgrounds, including but not limited to all cultures, races, genders, sexes, etc. in the Richmond area. HB’s mission is to provide exceptional health services to the least served in a caring and non-judgmental environment.

Cost: Free (on a limited basis)

Adam Krukas
Medication Access Assistance
Adam Krukas, PharmD, MHSI is here to provide the support from a pharmacist's perspective. This can take on many forms, including Medicare review, medication review and assisting with helping find cost saving alternatives.
  • Annual Medicare Review - each year when it's time for medicare recipients to select their medicare plans, it's a good opportunity to review their medications and ensure they are getting the best plan for their circumstances. These sign-ups usually occur in the fall.
  • Medication Reviews - review of medications & supplements for drug interactions and cost effectiveness. For medicare recipients, this can be done simultaneously as the annual medicare review.
  • High Cost Medications - in more individual instances where people can't afford their medications, I can help with seeing what cost savings resources are out there or medication alternatives to consider.
 
This service is meant to assist by making an appointment, as we cannot always help for urgent matters. We cannot coordinate directly with providers with any changes or recommendations, as we don’t have a process to protect patient health information outside of work, but we can help you in this process. Our work product will handed off to the consultee without any records being maintained. Texting or emails are ok to coordinate a time to meet, but discussion of specifics about medications would happen over an in-person meeting, video chat, or a phone call.
 
Cost: Free

Emotional Wellness

Phases Therapy, Inc.
Therapy & Counseling

Our practice is proudly owned and operated by queer, alternative people who understand the unique challenges and experiences of our diverse clients. At Phases, we believe in fostering an environment that is safe, supportive, and non-judgmental. Our core values center around advocacy, authenticity, safety, being trauma informed, empowerment, and compassion. Whether you are a teenager or adult, we work with each client to identify the unique needs and help support and guide on this journey with a tailored fit. Phases provides a variety of services, including in-person and virtual therapy, training, and classes.

Point of contact: Kat Deveraux, LPC.

Subsidized Cost: $25/session (6 sessions total)

Note: After requesting care using Kehillah's form, you will begin with a free consultation to make sure Phases is the best clinical fit and that they can handle their current caseload. Therapy sessions beyond this initial consultation are not guaranteed.

Robin Rio
Music Therapy

Rio Music Therapy offers a six-week music therapy program for individuals and small groups that is grounded in a therapeutic relationship and uses the creative process to explore alternative ways of solving problems. Music therapy provides self-expression, emotional support, and increasing awareness of patterns and behaviors that inhibit growth. The goals of therapy are determined together and based on individual needs. Music experiences may involve singing/vocalizing, listening to music, playing an instrument, movement, and songwriting. No musical skill is needed!

Subsidized Cost: $25/session (6 sessions total)

Educational Services

Alicia Wardrop
Reading Strategies

Does your child struggle with reading? Alicia is published in emergent reading strategies and can help parents see where the weaknesses lie within reading and offer advice for how to improve reading skills.

Alicia is a high school history teacher and works with English Language Learners (ELL's). She has several endorsements, including specializing in Reading K-12.

Cost: Free

Austin Marks
Financial Advising

Austin Marks will meet with you one-on-one to discuss a variety of financial concerns, including:

  • Setting a budget.
  • Understanding your credit report.*
  • Assisting with fraud and dispute-related questions.
  • Assisting with scams.
  • Helping identify cases of financial abuse.

*Please note that this does not guarantee credit score improvement.

Austin has over a decade of experience working in finance and has extensive experience with consumer protections, fraud and disputes, bank compliance, and credit reporting.

Cost: Free (6 sessions total)

Alicia Wardrop
Scholarship Advising

Alicia Wardrop will work with you one-on-one to help find a specialized list of scholarships and assist you in applying for the scholarships, including essay writing. Together you can work on finding enough money to help turn your dreams of pursuing higher education into reality.

Alicia is a high school history teacher and works with English Language Learners (ELL's). She has successfully helped students write essays for college admission and scholarships, as well as win at international history competitions.

Cost: Free

Spiritual Care

Rabbi Patrick Beaulier
Spiritual/Pastoral Care

Rabbi Patrick is here to provide pastoral care for those in need of spiritual support, regardless of spiritual identity or affiliation, and no matter what you may be going through. Judgement free, always.

Cost: Free

Additionally, Rabbi Patrick provides Prepare/Enrich, a marriage assessment tool widely used for pre-marital counseling that is designed to help couples explore and strengthen their relationships before tying the knot. It involves a series of assessments and questionnaires that cover various aspects of a relationship, such as communication, conflict resolution, and values. The goal is to identify areas of strength and potential areas for growth, while emphasizing the importance of open and respectful communication and helping couples express their needs without being "punished" or causing harm to the other.

Cost: $35 for the Prepare Enrich assessment (if applicable) and a donation of your choosing to Kehillah for Rabbi's time

Other Ways We Help

Need a free ticket to an event? Need to connect with other people in-person, but not sure what to do? New in town and looking for a supportive community? Send an email to rabbi@kehillahrva.org to connect with us.

Your Financial Support Matters

100% of these donations go directly to support those in need

Testimonials

Asking for help is hard and can sometimes be even harder when you feel bad about doing it. After being critically ill for a while and going through various recoveries and treatments, it has been difficult trying to manage family duties and parenting. Kehillah has consistently been there for me in this journey, and I am so thankful for that. Whether it be counseling services from Rabbi Patrick, generous gift cards for groceries from their community outreach program, or a religious service to help ground me, Kehillah has been there for me and my family. I am so grateful that this congregation exists in my community and in this world in general. -Anonymous

Outside Support Services

Kehillah offers a suite of support services to our community members, including subsidized mental health services, free tickets to our events and much more. But since many people need extra support beyond what our synagogue can offer, we recommend you start with Jewish Care Line (a service of Jewish Family Services) before reaching out to us, as they can address those higher-level needs more effectively.

How To Get Help from Jewish Care Line

  1. Make sure to leave a voicemail with your name, phone number, and let them know Kehillah sent you
  2. Call this number: (804) 525-8299
  3. Notify us so we can be in touch with you alongside Jewish Care Line

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Search for a synagogue near you? Kehillah is a Jewish congregation in Richmond, VA with events in Short Pump, Chesterfield and the Fan. We are open to everyone, always.