Stories of Caregiver Support: Program Feature- The Klatch

By Jeff Myhre
On my first day as part of the Jack's team, my first official duty at Jack's was to attend a Caregiver Klatch at (the now, sadly, shuttered) Common Roots in Uptown Minneapolis. It was at the tail end of summer and traffic was thick because we Minnesotan's love our State Fair. I knew it was a support group...and that's about it.

Not Your Ordinary Support Group

True to my nature, I was early, and because of the traffic everyone else was late. After arranging and rearranging post-it's and sharpies for a while. I introduced myself to the participants as they trickled in. I took drink orders and dithered over the menu. Then calvary (Kyle) arrived.

Different Location, Same Great Klatch

It's now pushing two years later, and I have the honor of hosting a couple Klatches a month. One for active Caregivers and one for Sequel Makers.The location of the klatches is now the Urban Growler in St. Paul, but the vibe is still the same.

Our Members Are The Magic

Our Members Are The Magic

Last week following a well-attended Sequel Makers Klatch, I was once again dithering over sharpies and post-its and noticed no one...no one... had left. Each Jack and Jill had created their own breakout group. After a while I left to close out the bill. When I returned, I saw two fellas still chattering and laughing. I hope the staff at the Urban Growler didn't mind waiting to clear the space... but I wasn't gonna break that spell.