JFS Perspectives

If you haven't already committed to attend Celebrate JFS on Monday, June 25, here are the top 10 reasons you should join us!


The lobby of Palazzo Verdi

10. Check out an awesome venue, Palazzo Verdi (6363 South Fiddler's Green Circle, Greenwood Village) and view the world-class art in the Madden Museum.

9. Visit with friends, JFS staff, volunteers, and board members, and meet new people.

8. Bid farewell to outgoing board members: Doug Antonoff, Sheryl Feiler, Elaine Gampel, Sherri Goldstein, and Perry Moss.

7. Pick up a copy of the JFS 140th anniversary special section that was in the Intermountain Jewish News on June 8.

6. Enjoy delicious Italian hors d'oeuvres and sip on wine or the signature cocktail, Peach Amoré.

5. Welcome the new board members: Ed Barad, Charlie Gwirtsman, Gareth Heyman, and Jamie Sarché.

4. Commemorate JFS's 140th anniversary and learn more about the agency's history.

Kay and Aubrey Knight

3. Toast the Max Frankel Volunteers of the Year, Kay and Aubrey Knight, who have dedicated more than 2,000 hours to the Weinberg Food Pantry in the last six years.

2. Celebrate the successful work of the staff, board, and volunteers over the past year.

And the number one reason to attend Celebrate JFS is...

1. It's free! And what better offers do you have on a Monday night?

We hope we've convinced you! Please RSVP today by filling out this form or by contacting Lisa Mehl at 720.248.4633.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Last month, many generous individuals, organizations, and corporations collected holiday gifts for JFS clients. Through our Bright Holidays program, 432 individuals received hand-picked gifts such as clothing, toys, electronics, sports equipment, and other items on their wish lists. This is a significant increase from last year’s total of 308!

The gifts came from 65 individuals, groups, and businesses or organizations, which was also a large increase from 37 last year. Thank you to all the individuals and the following organizations for their generosity: Graland Country Day School, Cherry Creek High School, El Jebel Shrine, Greenwood Elementary School Book Club, Havurah Mosaic, Meritage Energy Company, Holland and Hart, Allied Jewish Federation, Denver Westin, and the Operation Santa Claus program at Lockheed Martin.

In addition, the Sisterhood of Temple Emanuel collected toys and gift cards from the Sunday school students that we distributed to 132 of SHALOM Denver's TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) clients at a holiday party. UMB Bank also provided 50 $10 gift cards to Target and King Soopers for these families to buy additional gifts.

Many JFS staff members also contributed gifts for this party and adopted families for Bright Holidays. "It always amazes me that our staff members are the first to contribute gifts for this program!" says Yana Vishnitsky, JFS president and CEO. "Even though nonprofit employees are not known for making a lot of money, they continue to exceed my expectations with their generosity!"

We appreciate everyone's compassion to make the holidays brighter for those in need! Ralitsa Ranova, JFS International KidSuccess school-based therapist, said, "I had the chance to see great joy in the eyes of my clients when they got their gifts." There are countless stories we wish we could share about how thankful all the families were for the outpouring of support from so many in the community.

Shelley Kolman, JFS Family Safety Net administrative assistant who helped with the Bright Holidays program, said, "Many people referred other family members and friends to adopt. We had one individual recruit five families to adopt people for the program, who then each adopted several families of all sizes including one family of 12. I was blown away by all the new donors that came forward this year!"

And last, but not least, thank you to Westword for donating 554 pounds of food and $250 in gift cards for clients of the Weinberg Food Pantry through their annual holiday drive!

 

Thank you to Andrea Stillman (pictured above) and all our volunteers who helped organize all the gifts!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

 

Earlier this week, we said goodbye to Annie Reilly, care manager of the Hearts and Hands Homemaker Program, after 21 years. At her retirement party, we toasted and roasted her, shared tears of joy and sorrow, and celebrated her future endeavors over cake. A few past employees even came back to share their stories! JFS presented Annie with a photo book of memories and beautiful earrings as a token of our appreciation.



Thinking back on the wonderful party, we started to wonder what makes people want to work at JFS so long. We asked some of our staff members, who have worked here at least a decade, why they like working for JFS. Here are just a few of the many comments we received:

“When I started at JFS 33 years ago, I found a community and a place I belong. It was tremendous to find a place like this to not only work, but to know that I am doing something good every day.”

-Yana Vishnitsky, President & CEO

“I’ve served 14 years because we are not only a family service, but indeed a family, helping one another in our professional and personal lives.”

-Rabbi Eliot Baskin, Jewish Community Chaplain

“I’ve stayed with the agency 32 years because Jewish Family Service of Colorado has a heart and soul and dedication to quality service that cannot be found elsewhere. Our mission and values guide our operations and our operations are carried out professionally, yet passionately. Our leadership and staff are selflessly dedicated to helping people live healthy, happy and complete lives. Our philosophy of Tikkun Olam, to “repair the world,” is one in which I strongly believe. I am blessed and privileged to be able to come to work every day to an environment where all staff leave their personal “stuff” at the door and form a huge circle of love and support around each client and each other. JFS is the ultimate in our field and I am proud to be a part of it.”

-Arnie Kover, Director of Disability and Employment Services

“I’ve been here 11 years. Working at JFS is truly like having a second family. Not only are there the quirky and eccentric family members, but more important is the family support. We are all caretakers - not only of the community, but of each other. JFS is a magical place and I feel blessed every day to work with such amazing people to do such amazing things.”

-Dawn Richard, Development Director

While we haven't worked here for quite as long (but we're getting close!), here are a few of our favorite things about working at JFS: the staff and leaders of the organization, the office environment, getting all the Jewish holidays off, finding creative ways to tell the stories of the agency, the management trusts and believes in us and helps us grow our skills and interests, we always have fun at our jobs, and of course the fact that we help people in the community every day is fantastic!



And, JFS is hiring for several positions right now! If you want to join this amazing team of professionals and see what we're talking about first hand, check out our job openings!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Last week, JFS at the JCC Colorado Senior Connections hosted a party to kick off a new program for older adults that includes social, educational, recreational, and health activities. More than 80 people over the age of 60 attended this event held at the Robert E. Loup JCC Denver (JCC). The attendees enjoyed mingling and learning more about how to get involved in this new program, while feasting on hors d'oeuvres and wine provided by Allied Jewish Apartments and Jewish Family Service.



Cathy Grimm, Suzi Malman, and Lil Shaw are the staff members at both Jewish Family Service and the JCC who are leading the program. Cathy Grimm, program coordinator and director of Senior Solutions at Jewish Family Service says, “This new partnership will take all the social and educational programs older adults love at the JCC and will add exciting new programs and resources that will strengthen and bring the community together.” At the end of the event, we had transportation service available to ensure everyone got home safely.

If you are interested in learning more about this program and the weekly events and activities taking place, check out the JFS at the JCC program schedule!



Thank you to the partners of this program: Rose Medical Center, Jewish Family Service, Jewish Community Center, Shalom Cares, Allied Jewish Apartments, and local synagogues for coming together to keep our community united.

Also, thank you to Howard Lutz for generously donating his photography skills for the party!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Appetizers on edible spoons, a signature Sangria, 200 people mingling in a hip art gallery...this was definitely not your grandmother’s annual meeting! Last week, we hosted Celebrate JFS at District 475 in the new Vallagio at Inverness area, which Peter Kudla, owner of the event space and emcee for the evening, said is the new midtown.

JFS volunteers, board members, staff, and supporters gathered to celebrate the agency’s successes from the past fiscal year, install eight new board members and new Board Chair Alan Mayer, and toast the 2011 Max Frankel Volunteer of the Year Daisy Flynn.



In the past four years, Daisy has volunteered two days per week in the Accounting department and has given about 1,650 hours to JFS! She is also a regular canning volunteer, and fills in at the Weinberg Food Pantry as needed. Congratulations to Daisy on this well-deserved honor!



We also said goodbye to our previous board chair. Yana Vishnitsky, president & CEO, presented Steve Kris with an over-sized gavel with the inscription: Steven D. Kris, Jewish Family Service of Colorado Board Chair 2009-2011. Heartfelt thanks for your leadership and dedication. May your gavel continue to be heard far and wide.



After a few brief words from Steve, he turned the meeting over to the new board chair, Alan Mayer, who welcomed our eight new board members: David Asarch, Carla Bartell, David Friedman, Will Gold, Blanca Lerman, Linda Appel Lipsius, Rob Naiman, and Kerry Shelanski. He also thanked outgoing board members Jeff Johnson, Annette Pluss, Dean Prina, M.D. Chet Schwartz, Debi Tepper, and Ted Wirecki, M.D. for their years of dedicated service to JFS.

View more photos from the evening...

Thank you everyone who attended this event! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. If you were there, please leave your comments - we'd love to know what you thought of the event!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Join us for Jewish Disabilities Awareness Day this Sunday, February 27 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia St. This event is the cornerstone of the metro Denver Jewish community celebration of National Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month, promoting understanding and inclusion in community life for Jewish people with disabilities. The goal of the day, which focuses on “finding ability in disability,” is to increase awareness in both the Jewish and general community around the abilities, goals, and contributions of people with disabilities.

If you're not convinced, here are a Top 10 List of why you should attend!


 
10. You might learn something and you’ll have fun doing it.

9. Work with other participants on the Hiddur Mitzvah art project to create a custom piece of Gary Rosenthal Judaica that will be on display after the event.

8. Get inspired by Ken Gordon, former Colorado Senate majority leader, who will speak about his decision to become a legal guardian for a child with autism to whom he is not related.

7. It’s a Jewish event, so of course there will be food!

6. Hear the touching account of how disability and silence shape a life from Dr. Anne Gross, author of “The Polio Journals: Lessons from My Mother.”

5. Hear about the success of the ARC Thrift Store model from Lloyd Lewis and self-advocate, Lori Espinoza, in a presentation entitled “the Heroes of Thrift.”

4. Learn more about Josh Blue, a Denver-based comedian with cerebral palsy and winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, as he shares his story in “Conversations with Josh Blue.”

3. View art and other achievements by community members with disabilities, including the Circle of Light Photo Project in the Singer Gallery.

2. Focus on the abilities of people with disabilities!

And the Number One Reason to Attend is...

1. It’s free and open to the public! And did we mention Josh Blue will be there?

We hope to see you there!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

On Sunday, September 26th, eight members of the Jewish Disabilities Network and five students from the Voices for Inclusion club gathered at the Denver Jewish Day School (formerly Herzl/RMHA) for a Sukkot celebration. They recited the blessing over the lulav and etrog, decorated the Sukkah, and played soccer and Jewish holiday bingo.



Everyone had a great time! Below are some quotes from members of Voices for Inclusion:

“This gathering of people of all ages from throughout the community combined holiday spirit, chesed, and fun for everyone. I can think of no better way to enjoy the holiday of Sukkot.”
-Doniel Kaye

“This program was a great example of inclusion in the Jewish community. Every person is of equal value and every voice needs to be heard. This program showed that the students of Denver JDS, through the Chesed Club, are ready to work for this goal of inclusion.”
-Anonymous

“This was a great thing to do over Sukkot and the High Holidays. Being with these special people makes me feel like I did an amazing thing. It also makes me amazed to see what some people in our community do every day and spend all their heart, time, and energy on."
-Avi Kaye

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department