Cara Jakab has been a blessing to the Wheat Ridge community and beyond for years. She has an infectious passion for loving on the children and families of this community that will leave a mark here for generations to come.
If you have kids between the ages of 5 and 25, to say that your life has been touched by Cara in some way would be a pretty safe bet. Perhaps she taught your kids their letters and numbers in her home preschool. Or have you been a part of a soccer or gymnastics team in which one or all of her four kids were involved and she managed in some way?
Then again, was she the one that made your children’s transition into school a bit smoother by welcoming you and your kids to Prospect Valley Elementary as the school liaison? Some of you may have had the honor of serving in the PTA with Cara where she encouraged you in her sweetly persuasive way to head up or support a fundraiser for the school?
Then again, has she knocked on the door of your business with an opportunity for you to sponsor the PV Gold Rush, the Wheat Ridge High School soccer team or to donate items to a silent auction?
Even if you haven’t had one of these interactions with this amazing lady, her efforts have likely made an impact on you through those and many other contributions to this community.
Cara and George Jakab have lived in and loved Wheat Ridge since they moved here as a young couple 26 years ago. The lure of the mountains was enough to cause them to throw caution to the wind and head west just two years into their marriage. The two of them met when Cara and her family toured the nation singing as a family Christian singing group, which was formed when Cara was just 8. By the time Cara was 22, the singing act had wound down and Cara and George were in love.
Four years into the couple’s marriage they were called upon to travel to Haiti through church to work in an orphanage and hold bible camps for local kids. During this and subsequent trips the fire started to burn in the couple’s hearts to adopt children from Haiti. The journey to the adoption that completed the Jakab family spanned 11 years. After years of praying and paperwork, Cara, George and their two sons Isaiah and Josiah welcomed the long awaited new additions just after the earthquake of 2010. Since then, the family has visited and supported an orphanage called God’s Littlest Angels in many ways. One effort within the Wheat Ridge community involved the luncheons they have hosted out of their home. The family has welcomed countless friends who have generously accepted the opportunity for a delicious meal and to support the orphanage that cares for so many children.
Her ventures outside of Wheat Ridge abound as well. In the Bear Valley church setting, Cara has served through music, mission work, MOPS, kids club and beyond. She has impacted thousands of parents as an author. She wrote a book titled “The Power of a Playing Parent” while raising four rambunctious kids in their early years.
Her endeavors into “servant leadership” and nurturing kids through volunteerism, mission work and working within the schools started in 1993 as a teacher. Since then, Cara has served Wheat Ridge through numerous avenues. She has served on the PTA at Prospect Valley elementary for years. Just following her second year as president of the PTA, she was hired by the principal to be the school liaison. It was a newly created job title but has suited Cara perfectly. In this role she is able to honor her core values. One of those values is to support kids through tough times.
“It boils down to expressing faith through loving others,” said Cara, “and what better way than to make sure a kid knows that someone is crazy about them and loves them?”
Amidst reaching out to the community and families here in Wheat Ridge, Cara always keeps her family first which is why her endeavors tend to revolve around her kids’ stages of life. The Jakab family makes it a common practice to eat dinner together every night, hold those lingering conversations, and to embrace the family activities of hiking, camping or just family game night on a regular basis.
”Loving the fam is always my priority over loving the community,” is the sentiment that Cara embodies not just through her words but through her actions.
The reasons why Cara does what she does are plentiful. But her primary momentum always circles back to her faith.
“My relationship with Jesus, family and community is what keeps me involved and connected to show love,” said Cara.
As the kids start to fly the nest, Cara has decided to return to school to finally finish her master’s degree so that she can further her career through education administration.
Cara likes to call what she does “leadership through service.” By this she means that she does not serve for power, recognition, accolades or pride. She does what she does to show Jesus’ love to her family and the families of our community and beyond.
