FAMILYmatters IN THIS ISSUE
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: CARING FOR DENVER p. 2 PROCESSING TRAUMA AND RESTORING SELF-ESTEEM p. 3 WORKING TOGETHER TO FIGHT ISOLATION p. 5 FAREWELL TO OUR RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS p. 6
HELPING THE COMMUNITY GET BACK TO WORK We are excited to announce that we have expanded our Employment Services, which will become a standalone department on July 1! JFS is here to help whether someone is unemployed, underemployed, or looking for a career change. Career Launchpad offers eight virtual classes that will help sharpen jobseeking skills and increase confidence by teaching individuals how to target their job search, perfect their resume, prepare for interviews, manage change, communicate more effectively in a virtual setting, and so much more.
PROVIDING AN ESSENTIAL LIFELINE FOR WILLIAM p. 4
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Job Search Accelerator is a three-week, intensive boot camp style program for highly motivated jobseekers who are ready and able to reenter the workforce. Participants will learn the latest hiring trends and growth mindset practices. Career Services provides one-onone, customized career development services, which are offered for a discount
with sliding-scale fees determined by household annual gross income. Services are provided by Heather Seiden, an accomplished, dynamic, and resourceful career development professional with valuable expertise working in nonprofit and corporate environments to help her clients find work they love. JFS also partners with Denver metro area businesses and organizations to provide them with qualified job candidates. In addition to candidate referral assistance, JFS offers ongoing support to employers and JFS-referred employees to ensure a positive, successful employment experience. Partnering with JFS Employment Services results in prescreened, viable, and qualified job candidates who will add value and contribute to your business success. More programs and services will launch throughout 2021-2022. Learn about all our employment services and register for classes at jewishfamilyservice.org/employment.
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term as Board Chair is completed. While Leanna will continue as Immediate Past Chair, we are fortunate to have Aaron Hyatt lead our Board as the new Chair.
I’m happy and proud to share that JFS successfully hosted our first COVID-19 vaccine clinic! We are thankful to our partners Mayor Michael Hancock, Denver Department Public Health and Environment Executive Director Bob McDonald, Councilwoman Kendra Black, and Denver Public Health, who administered the two-dose Moderna vaccines to our clients, staff, and neighbors at our Tamarac location. It was wonderful to see so many happy and relieved faces. For over a year, we have been responding to the crisis. By hosting these clinics, we are now helping our community to recover. With our new fiscal year beginning in July comes changes to our leadership on the Board of Directors. It has been an honor to work alongside the nine incredible members that will be retiring. Their leadership, dedication, and commitment to JFS over the years have been invaluable, and we thank them for their service. We are excited to welcome five new members in July and will introduce them to you in the September issue of Family Matters. We are also incredibly grateful to Leanna Harris, whose
At the beginning of the pandemic, we understood there would be a need for expanded employment services. We knew it would be necessary to help Coloradans who have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic and those who face systemic or perceived barriers to work gain employment stability and economic mobility. Our goal is for JFS clients to be employed in 21st century Colorado jobs, earning a living wage. To meet this need, we added virtual Career Launchpad classes, hired a Workforce Development Manager to place our clients in careers, and will launch a new Job Search Accelerator program in July. We are busy planning our fall and winter events. We hope that we will be able to see you all in person this year. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on what we have planned! As always, thank you for your partnership, friendship, and continued support. Warmly,
Linda P. Foster President and CEO
PROVIDING ESSENTIAL COUNSELING TO YOUTH THIS SUMMER This summer, five JFS KidSuccess school-based therapists are continuing to provide counseling services for higher-needs clients and those who benefit from continuity of care. They are providing services via teletherapy and some in-person sessions. Our KidSuccess case manager is reaching out to families to ensure that they are supported and, if needed, to provide food and financial assistance. Family Matters is a quarterly publication of Jewish Family Service, 3201 South Tamarac Drive, Denver, CO 80231
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT We are grateful to Caring for Denver for awarding the JFS KidSuccess program with a three-year grant under their youth funding opportunity. This funding will be used to build resiliency, develop coping skills, and reduce mental health care barriers for youths throughout Denver. Caring for Denver Foundation was founded and funded with overwhelming voter support to address Denver’s mental health and substance misuse needs by growing community-informed solutions, dismantling stigma, and turning the community’s desire to help into action.
Our youth are dealing with a lot of loss and anxiety. Social isolation has made their needs even greater. We are grateful to partner with Jewish Family Service at such a critical time. This funding will provide resources so that our young people will have the support they need. — LOREZ MEINHOLD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
EMBARKING ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND JUSTICE JOURNEY As part of developing and strengthening JFS’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles, we partnered with Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler and The Equity Project, a Denver based consulting firm that specializes in providing DEI support to organizations and individuals. We recently completed our Organizational Assessment utilizing a mix of qualitative and quantitative data to help identify where JFS stands towards our internal culture, policies, and procedures. JFS is committed to taking action on this comprehensive examination to deliver vital services rooted in our deeply held Jewish values.
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Joshua recently shared his experience with JFS: “ I have processed through the most difficult events from my childhood thus far, and I am sincerely grateful for my therapist Matthew Newbury for guiding me through this journey of healing and self-improvement. It is crucial that anyone seeking EMDR therapy finds someone whom they trust and are comfortable with. Matthew has been genuine, sincere, and caring which has created a comfortable environment that is ultimately conducive for positive change. I have achieved profound progress in my life since participating in EMDR and I can honestly say that miracles have occurred that I credit to my commitment to improving myself. One of the most tangible outcomes that has resulted from my EMDR therapy is the shift in my self-image and the restoration of my self-esteem. After being abandoned and abused as a child I thought ‘there was something wrong with me’ and now I can honestly say that I love myself and that I am worthy of being loved because I no longer take what happened to me personally; rather I am able to see that those who have harmed me suffered from mental illness and deserve the same opportunity of forgiveness that I do.”
PROCESSING TRAUMA AND RESTORING SELF-ESTEEM Joshua had been experiencing inner loneliness and depression for years due to traumatic life events. He had tried conventional therapy in the past, but it had not worked for him. He began seeing Matthew, JFS psychotherapist, for weekly EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) sessions and the results of this treatment have been very positive.
LUNCHBOX EXPRESS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED This summer, our Lunchbox Express program is distributing free breakfast and lunch to kids at nine locations, including existing food pantries, apartment complexes, and the JFS Weinberg Food Party. There is no proof of income required. All children 18 and under qualify for free meals, no matter where they live or go to school.
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If you would like to talk to a mental health therapist, contact us at 720.248.4701. We offer a sliding-fee schedule for those with limited financial resources, and accept private insurance such as Aetna, Cigna, and more; self-pay; Medicare; Medicaid; and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
We need volunteers to prepare for delivery by loading bags of food into the Lunchbox vans and to distribute food at the various locations. Commitment is flexible—sign up for one shift or weekly shifts throughout the summer. Ages 13 and up can volunteer for certain roles, so it’s a great family activity and way to fill your teenager’s calendar! Sign up to volunteer: bit.ly/lbx-volunteer Find a distribution site: jewishfamilyservice.org/lunchbox
William has a degree in finance and worked in a bank in South Sudan, but “those don’t mean anything in this country,” he explains. “I had to take whatever job I could to make sure my family could eat.” He is working as a school custodian while taking online classes to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree. Since he arrived in Boulder, William and Rabbi Bronstein have become close family friends and help each other out whenever they can. Recently, William shared with her that he and his family had been struggling after he had surgery a few months ago. Rabbi Bronstein suggested he contact JFS Boulder to see what assistance they could provide. William spoke with Stuart Feinhor, programs coordinator and care manager, who discovered that a computer would greatly help William’s family.
PROVIDING AN ESSENTIAL LIFELINE FOR WILLIAM Lojohomoi, who goes by William, moved to Boulder from South Sudan in 2016 after a nine-year long-distance relationship with his fiancé. She was one of the “Lost Girls of Sudan” who was moved out of a refugee camp and resettled in Boulder by Lutheran Family Services and Congregation Har HaShem in 2007. Rabbi Deborah Bronstein, Congregation Har HaShem, and the Boulder Jewish community helped pay for the women’s flights to the U.S., found them work and housing, provided food, and welcomed them into this country. It took years for William’s fiancé to gather all the necessary paperwork and visa for him to come to the United States, and she finally succeeded five years ago. The couple was married in 2017 and they now have three children, ages three, two, and four months.
I appreciate JFS getting me the laptop and providing helpful information. I hope that in the future we can continue to be in touch, hear each other’s views, and assist each other in any way we can. I read the website and stay informed about what you do and see the jobs available. Maybe in the future I can apply for a job with JFS! — WILLIAM
When doctors’ appointments; physical, speech, and occupational therapy; school; and virtually everything move online due to a pandemic, a computer is an essential lifeline. Within a week, Stuart secured a donated Surface Pro through the local Tech to Connect program. He also referred William to Heather Seiden, the JFS employment program coordinator at the Denver office, who is helping William improve his résumé and search for jobs. “I appreciate JFS getting me the laptop and providing helpful information,” shares William. “I hope that in the future we can continue to be in touch, hear each other’s views, and assist each other in any way we can.” He adds that JFS is a resource he knows he can count on. “I read the website and stay informed about what you do and see the jobs available. Maybe in the future I can apply for a job with JFS!”
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on the phone, and then virtually through Zoom. She was happy for the time they spent together. In addition to receiving spiritual support from a rabbi, Greta also wanted to talk to someone in Yiddish. Knowing that this would lift her spirits, Rabbi Rick and Nancy Benyamin, director of Volunteer Services, spoke about what they could do to meet Greta’s needs. After some research, Nancy found her the perfect match—Sarah, a Denver lawyer, who has a PhD in German and specialized in Yiddish.
WORKING TOGETHER TO FIGHT ISOLATION After hosting a High Holiday service at Porter Place Retirement Community, Rabbi Rick Brody, Baskin Jewish Community Chaplain, met Greta, an enthusiastic, worldly, educated 93-yearold. They spent time talking about where she grew up, her family, and her career as a travel agent. A couple of months into the pandemic, Tricia, a chaplain at Porter Place, reached out to Rabbi Rick to see if he could meet with Greta. The pandemic had left her isolated and lonely, not the enthusiastic individual he remembered. At first, they spoke
Sarah is now a JFS para-chaplain and chats with Greta every week. Greta has even virtually joined Sarah and her family for the lighting of Shabbat candles and as they baked hamantashen cookies, giving them advice on how to shape the dough. Not only has the relationship helped Greta through isolation, but the Sarah, JFS Para-chaplain conversations have filled a void and reconnected her to memories of her parents and grandparents. If you or someone you know would like spiritual care, please visit jewishfamilyservice.org/services/chaplaincy.
BOULDER COUNTY CRISIS COUNSELING PROGRAM There have been many traumatic and stressful events in Boulder County over the last year. In response to the wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, JFS and Community Foundation Boulder County have partnered to offer counseling services to Boulder County residents. The program offers up to $500 toward five individual counseling sessions (a maximum of $100 per session), or up to $875 toward five family counseling sessions (a maximum of $175 per session) and provides a pool of licensed, approved providers from which to choose. Individuals that have experienced any of these events may be at increased risk for mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. If you or someone you know in Boulder County could benefit from counseling sessions, visit jewishfamilyservice.org/boulder-counseling.
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FAREWELL TO OUR RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS As we say goodbye to the following nine longtime Board members, we want to thank them for their dedication and support. Their expertise, compassion, and leadership have been instrumental in guiding our mission. You will be missed.
Ed Barad
Charlie Gwirtsman
Jane E. Rosenbaum
Gareth Heyman
Mark Krivel
Rabbi Rick Rheins
Barry Silvestain
David Asarch
Jamie Sarché
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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.
Help us feed your neighbors in need! We need your support to provide nourishing food to individuals and families throughout Denver. Make a gift to the Weinberg Food Pantry to feed our neighbors in need.
Donate now at jewishfamilyservice.org/donate.
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