JFS Perspectives

Jewish Family Service Volunteer Receives Senior Hero Award

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:26:00 GMT

Lynn Mullen, a volunteer with Colorado Senior Connections, received a Senior Hero award last Friday from the Jefferson County Council on Aging and Seniors’ Resource Center. Below is the nomination that Alison Joucovsky, Colorado Senior Connections coordinator, submitted:

I met Lynn over two years ago and she has been instrumental in helping to create and implement a new life coaching program at Jefferson High School. Lynn is a retired school social worker and works part-time as a teacher for the Adams 12 School District. She has a love and passion for working with high school kids whose lives are made more complicated by poverty, lack of parent involvement, and life circumstances. Her passion is contagious.

Lynn and I met with Robert, the school social worker at Jefferson High and she asked him, “How can we help?” He thought a mentoring program that pairs senior volunteer life coaches with the kids who were most at-risk could be a way to help support and reach out to these kids. Lynn jumped right in. She has been actively engaged in working to make this program a success. She has used her extraordinary gift of understanding these kids to not only be a life coach mentor, but she has also helped to develop and teach trainings to the other volunteers on a regular basis so that they can improve their skills as life coaches.

She currently has a group of four students who she meets with on a weekly basis. These kids have found not only a mentor, but a friend in Lynn. She is there for them, calling them on vacation days and checking in. She always brings them special treats to celebrate their successes. Her kids have gone from failing grades to passing all of their classes. Lynn has also helped these kids to realize that they have greater potential than they realize. She has taken them to look at community colleges and shown them opportunities they did not even know existed.

Because of the success of this program, we received funding to participate in several trainings. Lynn has attended all of the trainings and will be actively involved this summer in helping to create and write a curriculum to support and expand the life coach program to a five day per week classroom model. Lynn will teach the volunteers about group skills, understanding and working with inner city youth, and will provide ongoing trainings and support to the other life coaches.

Lynn is passionate in her belief that older adults need to use their gifts to give back to today’s youth. She believes that it takes the whole community to make a difference in one child’s life and that it is the responsibility of seniors to use their skills to make a difference. She will tell you that not only do the kids get the support they so desperately need, but the volunteers get even more in return.

Congratulations to Lynn on this well-deserved achievement!

More volunteers like Lynn are needed to be part of this life coach program. Volunteers will develop and implement a character education curriculum as part of an exciting pilot project and will meet with students weekly through the school year. Training will be provided prior to the start of the 2012-2013 school year. This is a great way to make a difference in the lives of kids who need your support the most! For more information, please contact Nancy Benyamin, Jewish Family Service director of volunteer services, at 720.248.4642.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

May is Off to a Great Start for JFS!

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:47:00 GMT

Here are some exciting things that have happened around JFS so far this month:

On May 6, Sara Leeper from SHALOM Denver, and Inna Oganesyan from the JFS New Americans department, attended a Rose Youth Foundation celebration for grantees. JFS received $10,000 for its citizenship program and SHALOM Denver received $6,000 to increase community employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.

Sara Leeper, Sara Goldstein from Rose Youth Foundation, and Inna Oganesyan.

On May 8, the JFS Executive Luncheon raised a record $468,000—$156,000 more than last year— to support all programs of JFS, including mental health counseling, senior and adult in-home care, disability and employment services, and family safety net services. Read the full story and view event photos!

On Friday, May 11, Denver Jewish Day School seventh graders volunteered in the pantry as part of their study on homelessness. They arrived at the pantry and gave the regular volunteers a break while they performed all their duties, including unloading the truck from the morning’s pickups at grocery stores, stocking the shelves, and organizing the pantry.

On May 12, Temple Sinai eighth graders held a fundraiser for the Weinberg Food Pantry and Lone Soldier called “Food Fight 4 A-WEAR-NESS.” The event included the world-famous rapper Kosha Dllz, DJs and breakdancers, a fashion show, a professional Flatland BMX demo, an on-site photo booth, educational presentations, food, refreshments, dessert, and more! In total, they donated 374 pounds of food and bagged 120 pounds of rice for the food pantry. In addition, they gave us 100 Fazzoli’s meal coupons to hand out to clients.

Here’s to a successful rest of the month!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Guest Blog Post by Jim Sharon: Growing From Defining Moments

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:04:00 GMT

Jim Sharon, Ed.D. of Energy for Life serves as a licensed psychologist and certified life coach in private practice with his wife, Ruth, in Centennial, CO. He has 40 years of professional experience, specializing in areas such as men’s issues, couples counseling, high-level wellness, positive psychology, and spirituality. Dr. Sharon is also the founder/coordinator of Whole Man Expo in the Denver Metro area.

Each of us has a rich life story worthy of sharing not only with others, but especially with ourselves!

As the originator and editor of the men’s anthology Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Lives: Defining Moments, I received exuberant comments from many of the 40 contributing authors that the writing process allowed them to garner fresh insights about a pivotal event or period that shaped their lives. I had the same experience from writing my anthology story. Each of us was surprised to discover that we had calcified our stories, i.e. constricting our events in a “box.” Re-visiting what were clearly our defining moments, and witnessing them from different vantage points, allowed us to rejuvenate ourselves and to benefit, in some instances greatly, from those vital times.

Doing book presentations and signings led me to soon realize that I wanted to interact with the audience about its own transformational experiences. Participants have realized the most value from a guided, step-wise process that I developed to catalyze learning from major life challenges. Working from the theme that “adversity is the canvas upon which you (often) paint your greatness,” I facilitate folks to re-view positive lessons from their key experiences, realizing anew and energetically the highlights that made those times genuine “defining moments” for them. More importantly, based on their updated reflections and perspectives, participants are given the opportunity to envision a powerful future and determine specific courses of action to begin implementing that vision. A potent synergy typically gets created in the room when participants share their realizations.

You are invited to attend a free workshop of the JFS Counseling Center at Jewish Family Service on Tuesday, May 29, 4:00–6:00 p.m., followed by a book-signing, to experience this vitalizing process. Learn more and RSVP!

-Jim Sharon, Ed.D.

Spotlight on Citizenship Volunteer

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:21:00 GMT

Marilyn Amer, 3rd from left, with a group of students at their citizenship ceremony.

Today we are highlighting a very special volunteer in our citizenship department, Marilyn Amer. She has been a dedicated volunteer for more than 10 years who helps teach citizenship classes every week no matter what the weather or circumstances.

Below is an excerpt from a letter that we recently received from Marilyn:

Preevyet. Hello, my name is Marilyn Amer, and to quote from the Declaration of Independence, I believe it is “self-evident that all men (women) are created equal” and that they have “unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” To put these truths into practice, I have been a volunteer for more than 10 years with Jewish Family Service, working with Victoria Martysh to prepare immigrants, primarily Russian seniors, for citizenship in the United States.

Our focus has been on American History and the English language, particularly on the rights and responsibilities of being a United States citizen. In this process, both the students and I have benefited from learning about each others’ families, traditions, cuisines, and personal lives.

My life was enriched, for example, by a Russian opera singer who would belt out an aria from Eugene Onegin in a boring moment of class. I reveled in another student’s stories about Russian divas of opera and I was stimulated by my discussions with another student on writers Chekhov and Tolstoy. I have been overwhelmed by hugs, kisses, Russian chocolates, bouquets of flowers, and objets d’art from appreciative students over the years.

Marilyn (right) with a happy student who just became a U.S. citizen.

Working with Victoria Martysh of Jewish Family Service is a privilege. She offers continuing support of my class efforts and enlightens me with stories about Russia. Her robust energy and humor enlivens our meetings. Most of the students in our classes garner knowledge and confidence that enables them to pass their citizenship exams.

Thank you to Jewish Family Service for continuing support of the citizenship program, thus helping to produce enlightened individuals who will continue toward the well-being of the United States.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Houston Hoe-Down

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:58:00 GMT

SHALOM Denver staffers Meeka Houston, Employment Services Manager; Sara Leeper, Coordinator of Client Services; Susan Simons, CBT Developer/Site Supervisor; and Arnie Kover, Director of Disability and Employment Services at Houston Hobby Airport, ready to get back home from the joint IAJVS/AJFCA conference in Houston Texas.

Several members of the SHALOM Denver staff, along with JFS President and CEO Yana Vishnitsky, Director of Marketing & Communications John Kayser, and JFS Board Chair Alan Mayer, attended the joint annual conference of the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services (IAJVS) and the Association of Jewish Family & Children's Agencies (AJFCA) in Houston, Texas, April 21 to 24.

They all enjoyed the conference and learned a lot from colleagues from around the world at the three-day gathering, hosted by the Houston JFS. The conference was filled with informative sessions, networking with colleagues, and a fun Sunday night "hoe down," complete with kosher BBQ, line dancing and the "Cotton-Eyed Joe."

SHALOM Denver staff, Meeka Houston and Arnie Kover, were honored to deliver presentations about the innovative employment services provided through SHALOM Denver for Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) recipients and people with developmental disabilities.

Arnie Kover with IAJVS colleagues. Left to right: Leah Rosenbaum, from Detroit, Jerry Rubin, Boston and Peter Bloch, Cincinnati.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Get Your JFS Executive Luncheon Tickets Before It's Too Late!

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:55:00 GMT

Our JFS Executive Luncheon billboard on Colorado Blvd. and Cherry Creek Dr. South

Unfortunately, there will be no Crown Royal at our "Happyness Hour." :)

Kari, JFS graphic designer, showing off her beautiful work!

There are only a few seats remaining for the JFS Executive Luncheon on Tuesday, May 8 featuring Christopher Gardner! Be there or be square...get your tickets before they're gone!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Chag Sameach Pesach (Happy Passover)!

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:44:00 GMT

Although Passover officially starts tonight, we feel like it's been going on for weeks around our office. Through the Community Passover Program, Jewish Family Service and the Synagogue Council of Greater Denver provide families in need with all the kosher-for-Passover items they need to prepare a Seder. We start the process of getting things ready for this program many months in advance, including collecting food and monetary donations from the community.

Unloading donations from La Vie Catering.

Our community really came together again this year to support this program! We’re happy to report that, with your help, we raised more than $5,200. In addition to the money we received, many community members generously contributed Passover food, and Grand Hyatt Denver, La Vie Catering, and Rocky Mountain Spice Company collectively donated more than 1,700 pounds of apples, potatoes, carrots, onions, walnuts, and cinnamon.

Loading donations from Grand Hyatt Denver onto the JFS truck.

This project also couldn't be a success without the help of our volunteers. Last week, about 10 people came to pack the Passover boxes and make sure everything was organized for distribution day.

Nancy Benyamin and Rivka Miriam Reiffman.

One of these volunteers, 12-year-old Rivka Miriam Reiffman, a student at Denver Academy of Torah who is preparing for her Bat Mitzvah, organized a group of six classmates to help out on this day. "I was so impressed with Rivka Miriam for the way she handled herself during her mitzvah project," said Nancy Benyamin, director of volunteer services. "She initiated the phone calls to get the project started and coordinated all the details with her friends and me every step of the way. I couldn't be happier with the way it all turned out!"

The volunteers from Denver Academy of Torah.

This Monday, with the help of more volunteers, we distributed kosher-for-Passover food to 167 individuals from 60 households. A handful of volunteers worked in the pantry while 10 others delivered the boxes to homebound clients who couldn't pick them up from the pantry. Thank you to our Family Safety Net program staff for working hard to make the day go smoothly and to ensure we could help everyone celebrate the holiday!

Volunteers working hard on Passover distribution day.

And if that's not enough, over the next couple weeks, our volunteer para-chaplains are helping isolated seniors celebrate Passover for conducting Seders in 20 retirement communities and nursing homes in Denver and Boulder.

Last, but not least, when Passover is over on April 14th, how delicious will fresh pita bread taste after a week of eating matzah? Give yourself a break from cooking and eat at Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill while supporting JFS! See what we're talking about...

Phew, that's a lot of Passover! We hope we enjoy the holiday...and for all you non-Jews out there, happy Easter or anything else you may be celebrating this weekend!!!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

National Council of Jewish Women Visit SHALOM Denver

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:56:00 GMT

Last week, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Denver Section, held their March board meeting at SHALOM Denver. NCJW is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families, and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. This group was instrumental in establishing the Utility Workshop in 1954, which was renamed SHALOM Denver in 1978. The members still have a special place in their hearts for SHALOM Denver and have stayed connected through the years.

In addition to holding their board meeting, the group toured SHALOM Denver and was very impressed by the services offered to people with disabilities and those moving from welfare to work. Elaine Long, an NCJW board member, had actually worked as a manager of the Utility Workshop in the 1960s and observed, "You still help people feel productive and have a sense of dignity, but on a much larger scale. It's terrific how this program that started out serving eight Holocaust survivors in 1954 has grown to serve so many and in such a beautiful facility."

Thank you to Arnie Kover, JFS director of disability and employment services, for providing the information for this blog post!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

SHALOM Denver in the News!

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:12:00 GMT

We had quite an eventful week at Jewish Family Service and SHALOM Denver! While there are always exciting things happening in our agency on a daily basis, below are a few things we think you'll especially enjoy:

Yesterday, CBS4 Denver aired an inspirational story about the wonderful work SHALOM Denver does to help transition people from welfare to work. View this story and learn more about the program! Thank you to Xstatic Public Relations for working with CBS4 and our staff to get this story on TV!

Heidi Pittaway, who is featured in the CBS4 story, with her daughters

Also yesterday, BBYO hosted a pre-screening of the popular movie The Hunger Games for Jewish youth in 6th-12th grade. To show that "hunger is not a game," the teens had to bring at a minimum of three canned food items to benefit the JFS Weinberg Food Pantry for admission. And in the spirit of the competition shown in the movie, BBYO had a contest to see which of their chapters would bring the most food. In total, the teens collected 2,200 pounds of food for our pantry! Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make an incredible impact on the lives of people who are in need.

Teens contribute food to their chapters' food bins at the theater

Earlier this week, we said goodbye to Amy Wood who left JFS after nearly 20 years of involvement with the agency. Amy actually started as a JFS board member in 1996 and held various positions including volunteer, intern, case manager, Family Safety Net program director, and finally government and community affairs director. We had a great party to toast (and roast) Amy and her love of flip charts, decision trees, and Venn Diagrams! Her energy, talent, and dedication will be missed!

Shelly Hines, Family Safety Net director, with Amy Wood

Amy's Tenure Timeline posted at the party in honor of her love of flip charts

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Celebrate National AmeriCorps Week March 10-18

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:28:00 GMT

This Saturday, March 10, marks the beginning of National AmeriCorps Week which recognizes the commitment of AmeriCorps Members and Alumni by highlighting the extraordinary impact they make across our country every day.

Did you know:
AmeriCorps engages more than 80,000 men and women in intensive national service each year through more than 15,000 organizations across the country?

Last year, Boomers Leading Change in Health (BLCiH) received a grant of nearly $250,000 to recruit, train, and place 23 full- and part-time AmeriCorps Members age 55+ at nine Host Sites across Metro Denver, including Jewish Family Service of Colorado. Our Members are helping to build the capacity of these Host Site Organizations in a variety of ways.

Here are a few Fast Facts about our AmeriCorps Members:
Average Age = 61.5
92% have a college degree
54% have a graduate degree
21% have worked in healthcare

Since they began their service last October, BLCiH AmeriCorps Members have logged more than 10,000 hours serving our community and helping our nine Host Sites better meet the needs of their constituents.

For more information about AmeriCorps--including how to become a Member--please click here.

-Submitted by Boomers Leading Change in Health

Thank You Congregation Beth Evergreen!

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:10:00 GMT

This week, we received some beautiful baskets of food and toiletries from the sixth grade religious school class at Congregation Beth Evergreen. Nineteen students bagged rice and held a food drive for items needed in the Weinberg Food Pantry. In honor of Purim this week, they made cards and put the items into colorful baskets.

Thank you to Gareth Heyman, a longtime supporter of JFS and member of Beth Evergreen, for connecting their religious school with our volunteer department for this project!

If your family or group is looking for some fun, easy ways to help JFS, check out the Family and Group volunteer page on our website and contact Nancy Benyamin, director of volunteer services, at 720.248.4642 before starting your project.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

El Teatro Performs at JFS!

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:13:00 GMT

Last month, Greeley’s El Teatro (a multilingual theater company) performed "OUR STORIES," a multilingual play written and performed by Greeley refugee and immigrant high school students, at JFS. The theater group was touring Denver and as part of our International KidSuccess program, we invited educators and supporters of refugee services to this performance.

Jewish Family Service is a part of the Refugee School Impact Grant program, which supports impacted school districts in Colorado with services that target school-age refugees between the ages of five and eighteen and within the first three years after arrival in the United States. The other service providers under the grant are Colorado African Organization and Lutheran Family Services.

El Teatro focuses on cultural pride, the benefits of knowing more than one language, and the idea that people are more alike than they are different. The script is based on true experiences of the El Teatro members, their families and friends. All of the students who performed also contributed to the writing of the script.

A couple of the attendees had this to say about the moving show:

"The play was very powerful and the personal experiences refugee and immigrant students shared with us were thought provoking and very inspiring. Thank you so much for organizing this amazing event!"

"I too was very moved and awe struck by the performers. Their stories certainly gave me pause to reflect on what’s important and all that I have to be grateful for."

To learn more about El Teatro and get a taste of their performance, view this brief segment that was on 9News recently:

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

What JFS Really Does

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:10:00 GMT

You have probably seen the "What People Think I Do/What I Really Do" meme going around on Facebook and other social networks this month. We decided to jump on the bandwagon and make one about Jewish Family Service of Colorado! We hope you get a few laughs and learn a few things about what JFS really does and who we really serve in the community!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Guest Blog by Evan Silverman: The Chain Reaction of Good

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:03:00 GMT

Evan Silverman; photo courtesy of Nathan Armes and Magpie Media, Inc.

Evan Silverman has been a JFS volunteer since 2008. We first introduced you to Evan in this blog post and he has been featured in two of our print newsletters. He is a great advocate and friend of JFS who wants to share his perspective about “the chain reaction of good” and other key ideas that have guided him along his journey in life.

There is a concept that Jewish Family Service (JFS) has been talking about recently called “the chain reaction of good.” This idea resonates very well with me. I think all of humanity is linked – not in straight line, but rather in a gigantic circle. What are the implications of this circular chain? First of all, it means everything is connected. According to Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, every point of mass attracts every other point of mass—everywhere.

It also means that when somebody holds the door open for someone, a temporary one-to-one connection has been made between the two people through the act of kindness. I believe the chances improve that the recipient will do something nice in the future for someone else. It is my feeling that temporary one-to-one connections happen all of the time as we make our way to the grocery store, pharmacy, and beyond.

I believe that sometimes there are more permanent connections as well, such as friendships. Another example of important connections is one where many people are connected over time, i.e. a community. Sometimes these communities are healthy, such as the one at Jewish Family Service.

There are connections created between staff, volunteers, and clients at JFS. A healthy community like JFS has some specific characteristics; everyone is valued for their uniqueness and there must be a sufficient amount of love. It’s also a community that helps assure that the people who need help the most get the most help. I believe that a community in which the members exercise free will in a positive way is extremely important as well.

Two assets over which we can exercise free will (at times) are time and money. One positive way to use time is to cultivate love. This, for me, has occurred as a natural part of being an active member of a healthy community. Jewish Family Service, where I’ve volunteered for the past four years, fits in that category. The Tattered Cover Book Store, where I work, is a great example as well. In each group I am motivated as part of something bigger than myself rather than by fear or greed. When we make positive choices within a healthy community, we transform that community, and by extension, we transform the world in general. In turn, this also further changes us.

Money is valuable as well. When we support a local charity, we improve the community in which we live. The Jewish concept of tzedakah contains the idea that regardless of how little money one has, there is always at least a small amount that can be donated. Living in this way improves the biggest human community of all—mankind.

-Evan Silverman, JFS Volunteer

Finding Ability in Disability at Jewish Disabilities Awareness Day February 12!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:39:00 GMT

We hope you have been reading The Story of Beautiful Girl that we told you about last month as part of Jewish Disability Awareness Month and are getting excited for Jewish Disabilities Awareness Day next Sunday, February 12 from 2 to 5 at the JCC! This day promises to be fun, informative, and inspirational. We can't wait to see you there!

Learn more about this event from the flyer below and check out the full schedule.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department