*Assisting seniors in continuing to live independently.

*Providing guidance to families during troublesome times.

*Welcoming refugees to their new country.

*Creating new career options for professionals.

Over the past year, JFCS has experienced a growing demand for services in Contra Costa County. To meet the challenge of serving more people, the agency has established a family service office, not far from the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center.

The new facilities were partially supported by grants from the Koret Foundation and the Y&H Soda Foundation.

The office was designed to accommodate counseling services for people of all ages.

For children, there's a kids' counseling room, where they can dramatize their conflicts with an alligator puppet, or a cat-in-the-hat stuffed toy. The sandbox is a stage for enacting inner conflicts with superheroes and animals.

On the phone in the next room, you might find a senior counselor strategizing with a client about long-term care options, or a teen services counselor discussing peer pressures with a 15-year-old girl. All the offices are soundproofed to ensure privacy for clients.

During the grand opening, which is free to the public, guests will have an opportunity to meet with JFCS staff, take a free career evaluation, participate in presentations, and eat hors d'oeuvres.

For information, call (510) 704-7475.