BOULDER Matters Volume 24, No. 1 • WINTER 2014
Boulder JFS Helps the Community Weather the Storm Flood waters rushed into Boulder County in mid-September and wreaked havoc on houses, neighborhoods, and towns. JEWISHcolorado rapidly set up a fund to raise money for flood victims and donations poured in from near and far. Boulder JFS became a designated agency to distribute funds and was then inundated with calls for assistance from local Jewish families who needed help rebuilding their lives. Due to the influx of calls, Meg Quiat was hired to work with Cathy Summer and Ingrid Swords (Boulder JFS staff) to assist flood victims. Meg is a member of the Boulder JFS Advisory Committee, was an attorney in the financial sector, and currently serves as a volunteer attorney for Boulder County Legal Services. She is familiar with public benefits, has compassion for people in crisis situations, and is great at listening to people tell their stories and finding ways to help. Most of the flood relief efforts are now winding down, but Meg is still helping people who had catastrophic damage apply for Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) funding for larger grants to rebuild their homes. “It was a real pleasure to make a difference in people’s lives,” says Meg. Meg’s job was to speak with everyone who applied for funding, assess their situations, and provide what she could to help with their immediate needs from the JEWISHcolorado fund. More than 55 families received grants from $100 to $1,000 for items ranging from new windows, washers and dryers, to grocery and clothing gift cards, to rent assistance for people who had to move out of their homes temporarily.
When the flood hit, Betsy Hicks, a Boulder resident, didn’t get a drop of water from outside of her house. Instead, the basement toilet and sink spewed out sewer water. Her basement was filled five feet deep with sewer water for four days. There was no question that everything had to be thrown away. Betsy’s 20-year-old daughter, Sophia, is on the autism Meg Quiat spectrum and was living in the basement. All of Sophia’s things were ruined and she had to move upstairs. Like most people in Colorado, Betsy doesn’t have flood insurance, but she needed to do something fast to prevent mold from growing everywhere and wasn’t sure where to turn for help. The basement had to be cleaned out, sterilized, scrubbed down, and dried out. She learned that the wiring had to be replaced because contaminants could get into the Volunteers cleaning outlets. Betsy’s basement Betsy belongs to a Jewish moms’ group for people with special needs kids. “Our biweekly group happened to meet during the time all this was going on,” says Betsy. “I shared what I was going through and the psychologist facilitating the group, Cathy Cohn, suggested calling Boulder Jewish Family Service. I had never heard of the Continued on page 4