We are excited to welcome Jennifer Janasie as our new Volunteer Engagement Coordinator! Jennifer will connect caring community members with opportunities to support older adults as she leads Care Partner’s efforts to recruit, train, and support our amazing volunteers.

Jennifer is a seasoned project coordinator, volunteer coordinator, and educator, with experience guiding community members of all ages on enhancing their life experience. She brings an interdisciplinary background to nonprofit work that offers skills applicable to several areas of focus, including communications, volunteer engagement, and family resiliency education. Jennifer has led all ages on nature walks, written about public health issues, and advocated for public health reform. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys gardening, doing gentle yoga, and watching the birds in her Certified Wildlife Habitat.  

“Waawaate – Northern Lights/Joyful Dancing Spirits” is a stunning creation from quilt artists Carol Morgen and Nancy Backlund. It’s intricately-pieced bargello-patterned front, exquisite back panel, and graceful, curved stitching truly capture the magic of our stunning Northern Lights. Quilt raffle tickets are $5 each and currently available for sale at Drury Lane Books, Johnson Heritage Post, Lockport Marketplace, Chicago Bay Marketplace, and Care Partners offices. The raffle drawing will be held at our annual Ice Cream Social on Sunday, August 30th. Click here to see photos and more details!

in observance of Juneteenth

Meet with others who share the caregiving journey for a cup of coffee, a moment of rest, and the gift of connection. Led by Care Partners volunteer Kay Costello and Care Coordinator Barb Bernardy Rose, this group gathers at 1pm on the first Wednesday of each month at The Hub. Come when you can and be encouraged by those who understand the joys and challenges of caring for older friends or family members near or far. No pre-registration is needed - just stop by! 

Donations cheerfully accepted at the door. :)

Get your dancing shoes on!

Special thank you to Carl Solander, the Splints, and Up Yonder for helping us support our Cook County friends and neighbors on the journey of aging and end-of-life!

You are invited to join the Cook County Age Friendly Initiative for light refreshments, engaging conversation, and updates about the good work we’ve accomplished together! We’ll also brainstorm ideas for continuing to make our community a great place to live across the lifespan.  Meeting in 4 locations across Cook County - no reservations necessary, just stop by! 

Monday, June 8 | 11am | Lutsen Town Hall - Lutsen

Hosted by the West End Bone Builders!

Wednesday, June 10 | 10:30am | Cook County YMCA - Grand Marais
Hosted by the Cook County YMCA!

Tuesday, June 16 | 10:30am | Trinity Lutheran Church - Hovland
Hosted by friends at Trinity Lutheran!

Thursday, June 18 | 10:30am | Schaap Community Center - Gunflint Trail
Hosted by Bonnie Schudy with Chik-Wauk Nature Center!

Cook County joined the Minnesota Age Friendly Communities Network in April of 2024! Learn more about the Cook County Age Friendly Initiative here.

You are cordially invited to a lively monthly conversation about aging and ageism facilitated by Care Partners staff on the third Monday of each month from 12:15-1:45pm at The Hub! Drop in any time and enjoy your lunch while we converse (you are welcome to brown-bag it or call The Hub before 9:30am on Monday to order the best meal deal in town) OR simply grab a cup of coffee or tea and join us.

A specially-selected book of the month serves as a springboard for our discussion – although you are always welcome to join in the conversation whether you’ve read the book or not! Our friends at Drury Lane offer the book at a 15% discount and the wonderful Grand Marais Public Library does its best to make sure it’s available to borrow. 

This month’s selection is “The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” by John Izzo, PhD.  Based on a highly acclaimed public television series, this book offers stories, reflections and insights from people ages 60-106 who were identified by friends and acquaintances as “the one person they knew who had found happiness and meaning in life.”  Visit our website for more information about the Reframe Aging Monthly Roundtable, including upcoming book selections!

Grief is not a disease or a sign of weakness, it is a normal reaction to the loss of someone you had a relationship with, whether complicated or easy. Join others who are on the journey of grief for conversation and mutual support. Gatherings are facilitated by Care Partners Executive Director Julie Wilson. No pre-registration is required, drop in whenever you’d like. Learn more here.

The Memory Café is a free monthly gathering for people who are living with memory loss and those who are caring for them. The Café offers a safe, supportive, relaxed environment to enjoy light refreshments, casual conversation and friendly connections with others who know the memory loss journey first-hand. Each month we are also joined by a special guest who will share stories, offer their talents, or perhaps encourage us to try our hand at a fun, easy activity!

In June, Gwen Danfelt from Drury Lane Books will share a little about her love of reading and help us explore ways to enjoy books all along the journey of aging and memory loss. Join us the third Thursday of the month from April through October, 1:00- 2:30pm at The Hub. No preregistration needed, just stop in! Learn more here!

Care Partners and Cook County Higher Education are pleased to present a free monthly Lunch & Learn series designed to support aging well in Cook County! You can join us in person at CCHE or online via Zoom.Thanks to our generous donors, those who attend in person can enjoy a free, light lunch!

It’s all too easy to put off important conversations with our loved ones – especially when we worry those discussions might result in conflict or misunderstanding. Yet there are moments when we also know that, like it or not, it’s time to talk. In June we’re excited to welcome Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker Erika Figueira-Basheer as our guest presenter. Erika will give us tips for figuring out why we might be avoiding a conversation, thinking through what we want to say (and how we want to say it), and stepping beyond our fear to invite healthy, honest dialogue with the people we love. Register here!

Learn something new and enjoy the beauty of the Northwoods at the Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, on Mondays from 1-2pm!  The talks take place outside on the front porch of the museum (in case of inclement weather, the presentation is held indoors at the nature center.) The presentations are free, with donations always appreciated to help support the Center’s wonderful programs.  

Chik-Wauk is located on the historic Gunflint Trail, at 28 Moose Pond Drive, Grand Marais. Porch Talks are sponsored by Visit Cook County and the USDA Forest Service. For more info, call Chik-Wauk at (218) 388-9915 or visit their website: www.gunflinthistory.org 

Register here to get the Zoom link

If attending in person no registration is needed - just stop by!

Join the Northwoods Sustainable Housing Project to learn about exemplary homes in and around Cook County. With overlapping affordability and climate crises looming, something about the way we build needs to change. We toured diverse homes to identify strategies, materials, and features that make homes sustainable, healthy, resilient, and affordable. A discussion and roundtable will follow to explore how to create practical paths forward for expanding this type of housing in Cook County.

Care Partners and Cook County Higher Education are pleased to present a free monthly Lunch & Learn series designed to support aging well in Cook County! You can join us in person at CCHE or online via Zoom.Thanks to our generous donors, those who attend in person can enjoy a free, light lunch!

In July - just in time to enjoy our area’s famous summer weather - we’re excited to welcome authors and educators Ladona Tornabene, PhD, MCHES and Lisa Vogelsang, PhD! They are passionate about helping people feel better on the inside by spending more time outside – regardless of age or physical ability level. They along with another co-author have written a wonderful guide to short walks all along the north shore, some familiar, others not so well known. Come and be encouraged to “take a hike” for fun and wellness! Register here!

Make a contribution to support Care Partners and enjoy Sydney's delicious frozen custard! You can also purchase a ticket (or three!) for our quilt raffle which will take place at the end of the Social, chat with a volunteer about the joy of helping our Cook County older adult friends and neighbors, and kick your heels to live music provided by the North Shore Swing Band!! All contributions help us support community members on the journey of aging and end-of-life. Hope to see you there!

Get involved and make a difference!  Our volunteers assist Cook County older adults with light housekeeping and outdoor chores, transportation, companionship and more! Choose the activities, time, level of commitment and circumstances that meet your needs. For more information, call us 218-387-3788 or use this link.