FAMILYmatters IN THIS ISSUE
YOU’RE INVITED TO FACES OF JFS p. 2 VOLUNTEERS HAVE HEART! p. 3 SERVING OUR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS p. 5 WHAT IT MEANS TO LEAVE A LEGACY p. 6
JFS LAUNCHES BEST BUDDIES CITIZENS CHAPTER
CELEBRATING 150 YEARS JFS will mark its 150th anniversary in 2022. We will host a variety of events throughout the year to honor this milestone and celebrate the past, present, and future of JFS. Watch for more details and ways to get involved in the coming months!
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Best Buddies International is a program with chapters all over the world and Jewish Family Service is one of the newest organizations to launch a Best Buddies Citizens chapter for adults! In this one-toone friendship program, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are matched with neurotypical adults who become their peer buddies. The friendships that develop and are sustained over many years help to reduce the social isolation that is frequently associated with individuals with IDD. The JFS chapter is unique in that Jewish adults are matched with
other Jewish adults with the goal of creating deeper friendships and connections to the Colorado Jewish community and each other. To become a member of Best Buddies International as a peer buddy (a person without IDD), please register as a JFS volunteer at jewishfamilyservice.org/vol-app. To become a member of Best Buddies International to be a buddy (a person with IDD), please visit forms.bestbuddies.org to register. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Carol Morris at cmorris@jewishfamilyservice.org. jewishfamilyservice.org
our disability services and will be moving to a new location that offers more opportunities for clients to engage with a broader community. We have also partnered with Best Buddies International to launch a Best Buddies Citizen chapter where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are matched with neurotypical adults who become their peer buddies. You can find out more about this life-changing program and how to become a Buddy on the cover.
Our mantra for the past year and a half has been to pivot, adapt, evolve, respond, and recover. JFS continues to meet the increased needs of our community members and while we began to think things were returning to ‘normal’, we unfortunately found ourselves still in pandemic mode. Nonetheless, we are pleased to share that we are planning to host our annual Faces of JFS event in person this year. We are monitoring the Delta variant and will have safety precautions in place and follow guidance from the CDC and city of Denver. Out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our attendees and community, we ask that only fully vaccinated individuals attend the event.
These are exciting times at JFS Boulder. We recently hired a new director, Jennifer Banyan, to lead the team and enhance the programs and services offered to Boulder residents. With so many delicious restaurants and a thriving food scene in Boulder, our annual fundraising event, Experience JFS Boulder, will focus on food and its deep and varied connections to Jewish culture and traditions. This event will feature Chef Daniel Asher from Ash’Kara and River and Woods. For more details about this event, please visit the website. We are so thankful for your continued support and partnership. It is because of you that our work is possible. Warmly,
We launched our Employment Services department in July. Since then, we have been busy providing people with new and enhanced employment classes, Job Search Accelerator a 3-week, intensive boot camp style program for highly motivated jobseekers, and career coaching for individuals to help them gain employment stability. In addition, we have been reimagining
Linda P. Foster President and CEO
WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS We are pleased to announce Aaron Hyatt as our Board Chair and introduce you to our five new board members. Get to know the new members at jewishfamilyservice.org/about/board-of-directors.
Aaron Hyatt Board Chair Derek Conn
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Stacey Aviva Flint
Amanda Smith Greenberg
Steve Gross
Nneka McPhee
Family Matters is a quarterly publication of Jewish Family Service, 3201 South Tamarac Drive, Denver, CO 80231
YOU’RE INVITED TO FACES OF JFS Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at 6 p.m. Infinity Park Event Center Join us, in person, as we honor three individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, philanthropy, and dedication to Jewish Family Service and our community.
Leanna Harris Yana Vishnitsky Leadership Award Leanna embodies Yana’s commitment to public service and to those in need in our community. A longtime JFS supporter, Leanna has served on the JFS Board of Directors since 2015 and is the immediate past Board Chair. In addition, she volunteers at the Weinberg Food Pantry.
Jamie Sarché Joyce and Kal Zeff Humanitarian Award Like Joyce and Kal Zeff, Jamie has been deeply involved with JFS for many years and is a past member of the Board of Directors. She loves the work the agency does and appreciates the empathy with which staff does it.
Cary Chapman Joyce and Kal Zeff Humanitarian Award Cary Chapman has been an instrumental leader at JFS for many years, similar to Joyce and Kal Zeff. Cary served on the JFS Board of Directors for 10 years and has served on several JFS committees over the years. He is a past board president and life board member of Kavod Senior Life.
The event will include cocktails, dinner, entertainment, and a short program. We are monitoring the Delta variant and will have safety precautions in place and follow guidance from the CDC and city of Denver. Out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our attendees and community, we ask that only fully vaccinated individuals attend the event. Purchase tickets or sponsor the event online at jewishfamilyservice.org/faces.
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VOLUNTEERS HAVE HEART! This year 1,671 volunteers have donated their time to help in all areas of the organization, and we could not be more thankful for that. They come in every day ready to make a difference and give back to the community. Our Aging Care and Connections (ACC) department depends on volunteers to deliver food pantry boxes, kosher meals on wheels, and serve lunches at the JCC Denver to older adults. Volunteers provide more than meals; they provide meaningful interactions. These interactions make a significant impact on not only our clients but also the volunteers. “I love delivering food to older adults. Sometimes I think I’m the only person they speak to that day. I try to take a minute and ask how they are doing and if they need anything. I recently met a Holocaust survivor, and she was amazing to talk to.”—Nanci Goldin “Clearly, the horrible pandemic has unequally impacted different groups of folks and volunteering for JFS has given me the opportunity to help level the playing field.”—Gary Blum “One of our clients was so grateful for JFS’s services when I dropped off her food yesterday, she teared up as she thanked me and gave me an envelope with a small donation to JFS. Those kind of responses to this program are why I do it. The feeling of helping others is so rewarding. In addition, I was at another client’s apartment, and an Amazon food delivery driver was also bringing a food package to someone. She overheard me leaving a phone message for my client. She told me that JFS had helped her in a time of need a while ago. It felt good to hear that, and it was good to know she apparently was on her feet and doing well. Small acts of kindness...it doesn’t take that much.”—Paula King “When I deliver Kosher Meals on Wheels, I go to new places and meet people who are so inspiring and appreciative—what a positive experience. Thanks, JFS!”—Joan Banko
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Jewish Family Service and the ACC team could not provide these imperative services without the help of our volunteers. They show up through snow, rain, and heat to deliver food and be a friendly face to our clients. I am so eternally grateful for all the volunteers that have helped us grow our programming during the last few years. They are true heroes. —STACEY POTTISH, ACC PROGRAM MANAGER
Stacey Pottish, ACC program manager says, “Jewish Family Service and the ACC team could not provide these imperative services without the help of our volunteers. They show up through snow, rain, and heat to deliver food and be a friendly face to our clients. I am so eternally grateful for all the volunteers that have helped us grow our programming during the last few years. They are true heroes.” JFS has a wide range of volunteer positions available. Learn more at jewishfamilyservice.org/volunteer.
ONGOING EVENTS Virtual Grief Support Group 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Monthly Caregiver Support Group 1st Wednesday of the month, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Jewish Family Service and Halcyon Hospice present an online grief support group open to all members of the Jewish community, affiliated and non-affiliated. Julie Thomas, LPC, of Halcyon Hospice, and Cathy Summer, LCSW, will facilitate the group. Grief is a universal form of suffering. But after losing loved ones, many Jews who have participated in Jewish support groups have found that there is an enormous benefit to grieving in a Jewish context. This grief group is set up to help people identify and work with the components of and blocks to their grief, so they can move through the complex feelings and reactions that are part of this very painful, but normal, human process. The group will provide a safe and supportive place where bereaved persons can mourn and review their losses in a Jewish context. This sharing forms relationships which serve as a bridge between the past and the future.
Caring for Your Aging Parent, a virtual, drop-in support group for adult children concerned about their aging parents, meets the first Wednesday of each month, September through December, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. If you are caring for or are concerned about an aging parent, we invite you to attend. This group is facilitated by Stuart Feinhor, MA and Jodi Ansell, MSW.
For more information, contact Halcyon Grief Support at 720.325.2987 or griefsupport@myhalcyon.org.
Join the group at: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/5391367612 Kosher Lunch at the JCC—In-Person Dining Returns Join us Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Perlmutter Room. Hot kosher meals will be served for a suggested contribution of $2.50. Menu changes daily. Masks are required in all common areas and when not eating or drinking. If you are not comfortable dining in person, grab-and- go meals will be available.
To supply the women and families that turn to JFS for diapers, wipes, and feminine hygiene products, we have partnered with ABBY&FINN, a local, familyrun Colorado purveyor of diapers and wipes, and TOP the organic project, a women-owned, 100% certified organic and sustainable feminine hygiene product company for an inclusive online initiative called Donations for Dignity. For women and children to successfully create their path, they must begin on equal footing. Diapers and feminine hygiene products allow women and children to go to school and work without putting themselves at risk for rashes and infections. Currently, 1 in 4 girls miss school because they don’t have access to adequate feminine hygiene products, and 1 in 3 families find themselves without diapers. Through this initiative, JFS will supply women with culturally responsive feminine hygiene products of their choice and provide babies with environmentally friendly wipes and diapers in the most needed sizes. Every dollar that is generously given to the initiative will be split between ABBY&FINN + TOP for JFS to acquire these items through a Community Purchasing Program. Diane Cushman Neal and Scott Neal will match all donations up to $18,000, and gifts to the initiative are tax-deductible.
DONATIONS FOR DIGNITY
Support for Donations for Dignity can be made at donationsfordignity.org.
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SERVING OUR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
JFS has a long tradition of caring for and supporting survivors of the Holocaust with vital services, including care management, in-home services, food, counseling, and companionship. Last year, we provided home-based care to 74 survivors to keep them healthy and living in their residence of choice. We also provided social programs to keep them supported, connected, and engaged—even increasing our services during the pandemic and the recovery.
JFS needs to raise $60,000 in matching funds for the Claims Conference on Material Claims Against Germany to demonstrate that our community is invested in the welfare and well-being of our survivors. This important—and scarce—population deserves special attention and care, particularly as they age and their health declines. Help JFS provide these vital services to our survivors by donating now!
Donate online at jewishfamilyservice.org/honor.
IN MEMORY We remember and honor these members of our community who passed away between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. May their memory be a blessing. Michael Altenberg Sol Bassow Richard Baum Nina Becker Shirley Bemel William Bernstein Trude Bershof Florence Blager Milton Brandwein Jerome Brasch Barbara Bueller Keith Caulkins Ruth Chapman Steven Chotin Judith Cohen Richard Cook Willard Cooperstock Jacqueline Davine Maxine Davine Edwin Diner Trudy Dock Stefani Eisenstat Rita Elken Cogie Elzea Susan Epstein Gloria Fischel
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Marion Fischel Joyce Fishman Dorothea Flax Michael Flaxer Norman Francis Ruth Freshman Fritz Friedland Belle Garfinkel Sam Gary Sally Gass Judie Gershaw Eugene Gladstone Ida Goldberger Eileen Goldstein Jack Greenwald Diana Groves Bonnie Handler Mishel Handler Jack Hausen Louise Heller Marcia Heller Marilyn Heller Irwin Hoffman Jason Howe Idette Hunt Alexander Jacobson
Rudolph Jacobson Jeff Jones Joe Kaufman Richard King Samuel Klaus Edna Kliger Estelle Klubock Isadore Kozatch Lee Kutner Bette Lederman Sheila Lehrburger Mark Levey Lawrence Levin Renae Levin Joel Levine Sheldon Levy Daniel Lipson Isabel Make T. Kevin McNicholas Harriet Mehl Rottenburg Morey Melnick Robert Metzler Florence Mittler Leizer Molk Beverly Morrisey
Arthur Moss Steven Newman David Pells Shirley Politzer Arline Raabe Carol Raznick Bernard Reder Adina Reshotko Nicole Rona Stanton Rosenbaum Paul Rosenberg Lorraine Rothchild Anthony Rubenstein Sharon Runyan Harriet Saper Lewis Sapiro Jayne Schetina Doris Schwartzberg James Selkin Beverly Sherman Milton Sherman David Shneer Eileen Stager Carol Stine Estelle Stine Henry Strauss
Leonard Strear Floyd Sunshine Thelma Teitelbaum Iverne Treidel Robert Tucker Cornelia Vertenstein Yona Victor Barbara Walder Merrily Wallach Gayle Ann Weinstein Beth Weisberg David Weisberg Maurice Weiss Arlene Weissmann Clifford Weller David West Eleanor Winn Terry Wolf David Wolsky Arthur Wouk Seymour Youngelman Mildred Zerobnick John Zimmerman Stuart Zimmerman Bernice Zussman
WHAT IT MEANS TO LEAVE A LEGACY that JFS’s work in housing and food security is more important than ever. It’s such an honor to give back, and such a privilege to do it in such an approachable, affordable way. Why YOUR LEGACY Matters Will you make a gift that will transform the work of JFS for generations to come? You can do it today! By making a planned gift, you can invest in an organization that aligns with your passions and create a permanent testament to the values important to you. A planned gift costs nothing during your lifetime, can be changed as needed, is easy to arrange, and allows you to make an extraordinary impact. When you leave a gift to JFS, you sustain our mission and create lasting change that will benefit Coloradans for years to come. Alec and Dan Sarché
We grew up with JFS as a household name—logo coffee mugs, swag bags from events—the house was full of the stuff. Our mom, Jamie, has been involved for nearly a decade, but until one of us started working in philanthropy and the other in synagogue engagement, it never occurred to us that we could incorporate JFS and its essential services into our own practices of tikkun olam. Now, as we start to explore and grow into our Jewish identities as adults, joining JFS as legacy partners represents the beginning of our commitment to the Jewish community in Denver (and in the world). After the inequities and injustices in our world became so apparent in 2020, we know
With a variety of legacy giving options that may offer tax advantages, our team is here to answer your questions and find the best fit for your planned giving objectives and financial goals. Some options are: • Gifts in a will • Stock, real estate or other assets • Retirement plan assets • Gifts that pay you income • Donor-advised funds To learn more about making a legacy gift, please call 720.248.4630, visit jewishfamilyservice.org/donate/leave-a-legacy, or return the slip below in the enclosed return envelope.
LEAVE A LASTING IMPACT Become a member of the JFS Legacy Society to help build our future TODAY. Name:__________________________________________________________________ Phone:__________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____ I have already recognized JFS with a planned gift. ____ I would like more information about securing JFS’s future with a planned gift.
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NON PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID
Jewish Family Service of Colorado Joyce and Kal Zeff Building 3201 South Tamarac Drive Denver CO 80231-4360 303.597.5000
DENVER, COLORADO PERMIT NO. 1217
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Beneficiary Agency of JEWISHcolorado
Social services for Jewish victims of the Holocaust have been supported by a grant from The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Need help finding a job? JFS offers free virtual classes, trainings, and one-on-one support to help you find a job!
Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/employment or call 720.248.4701 to learn more.
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