JFS Perspectives

For students working on their graduate degree in social work the place they complete their internship has a huge impact on their learning experience. In the JFS Senior Solutions Department we have been fortunate enough to have two fantastic interns this year.

Rene Hickman is a second-year student from the University of Denver who is specializing in geriatric work.

Elizabeth Cossin is also a second-year student, though she came to us from a bit further away. Elizabeth studies at Yeshiva University in New York City.

Typically we see interns learn and supervisors teach but we saw that dynamic change a bit this year. Yeshiva hosts a conference each year for the professionals who supervise their students in the field, and this year I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation. As the vast majority of our student interns come from the Denver area, the opportunity to travel to New York City and represent JFS was an exciting one! I had the chance to learn more about trauma on a community level and how best to help others when your entire community is in need. I also attended a conference educating providers about the many myths and realities of eating disorders. In between conference workshops, I had to take advantage of being in Manhattan, of course, and I enjoyed some of the sights of the city.

Our interns have been dedicated and passionate about helping seniors in need and ensuring that seniors are safe and comfortable in their homes. When asked about her internship experience Elizabeth said, “This internship has played a big part in changing my perspective and thoughts about older adults and how to have an effective supportive role with these clients.” Both students have had the chance to learn about effective support and navigating the benefits that older adults rely on. Out interns have had such a positive impact on our department and we wish them the best as they move into the professional world of social work!

-Laura Harter, JFS Senior Solutions Care Manager         

Volunteer Mary Hanson with her two granddaughters

Last Friday, December 7, Edgewater residents came out to the local fire station in support of the JFS Colorado Senior Connections program at our first intergenerational community-wide event. Families made a $5.00 donation to the program and received a kit containing all the goodies, generously assembled by our wonderful team of volunteers.


Volunteer Louis Apodaca and his grandchildren

We had even more people than we expected! Kids were asked to stand, grandparents got the chairs, and everyone left a sticky mess. Thank you to Edgewater Parks and Recreation for the supplies, Jefferson High School Optimist Club for lending a hand, and a special thank you to our volunteer extraordinaire Louis Apodaca. He got us organized, helped us clean up, and best of all he got to have a great time making holiday memories with his own family.

To learn more about JFS Colorado Senior Connections, visit www.edgewaterseniors.org.

-Alison Joucovsky, JFS Colorado Senior Connections coordinator

Did you know that volunteer para-chaplains lead holiday services in more than 25 nursing homes, retirement communities, and assisted living centers in the Denver area for Shabbat, High Holy Days, Hanukkah, and Passover? These services help bring the holidays to life for hundreds of isolated members of the Jewish community who otherwise may not be able to celebrate.

This year, our volunteer para-chaplains and staff are revising the service booklets for each holiday celebration. Jay Miller and Allan Markman started with the Passover Hagaddahs last spring, which turned out great and all the seniors loved using them. Jay Miller, Allan Markman, and Leland Huttner recently finished new High Holy Day service booklets. Now Andy Thangasamy and Paula Breese are working on Shabbat service booklets. Here they are diligently studying various prayer books, taking the best pieces of each to build the perfect service for our senior clients!



We are currently seeking volunteers to assist for High Holy Day services starting September 14. Contact Beth Lippa at 720.248.4599 for details.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

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

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

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

JFS Colorado Senior Connections in Edgewater kicked off summer with a Trash to Treasures event last week. In conjunction with the City of Edgewater and St Anthony’s Health Passport program, we hosted this event modeled after the popular TV show, “Antique Road Show.” More than 50 seniors gathered in Jefferson High School’s gymnasium, each carrying an antique that they hoped was the rare and precious heirloom worth thousands of dollars. Items ranged in diversity from family Civil War documents to stuffed animals and furniture. One person brought a tobacco cabinet purchased at a garage sale for 25 cents that ended up being worth more than $125!

The honored guest and volunteer of the evening was Jack Wartell, owner of the Antique Trader, an Antique store on South Broadway in Denver. Jack has been working with and appraising antiques for almost 40 years and his wealth of historical information and keen sense of humor kept the seniors entranced as they waited upwards of three hours for their appraisal.

Jack stated, “JFS helped take care of my dad when he died at age 92. It is a great organization and I was happy to support its work.”

All in all, the highest-appraised item of the evening was a ticket from a boxing match, Dempsy vs Gibbons. It was given to the participant by a friend and was in mint condition. The evening was a great success. Neighbors gathered for a fun and social event, people offered to volunteer and participate in other aspects of our program, and everyone walked away a little bit richer.

-Alison Joucovsky, Colorado Senior Connections Program Coordinator

Spring is here, which means graduation season is upon us and our JFS Senior Solutions interns are wrapping up their work this week. Before they left, we asked them a few questions about their internship experience and what they're doing next.

Lindee Burns

Q: What were your responsibilities at JFS during your internship?
A: I worked about 30 hours/week and saw a small caseload of about 10 to 12 isolated senior clients either weekly or every other week. I did assessments, provided companionship to the seniors, and helped them with errands. I also helped one day/week at Colorado Senior Connections in Edgewater and often helped with their special events. In addition, I attended community meetings, seminars, and local events to learn about senior issues.

Q: What did you learn during your internship or what was your favorite part of the experience?
A: My passion is working with seniors, so I really enjoyed this opportunity! I loved working with the people at JFS. JFS values its employees; everyone is so dedicated and committed, and they believe in the mission of the agency. I received a lot of support from the Senior Solutions staff, which is really important and especially helpful in social work and case management. I also learned a lot about community work from Alison Joucovsky, Colorado Senior Connections coordinator, about what it takes to enter a community without alienating them, find out what programming the population wants/needs, and create programs to fit their needs.

Another important lesson I learned is that sometimes just being present with someone (an elderly client) is helping – you don’t need to always do something. For example, I saw a 102-year-old woman with dementia and sometimes just being there with her was all she needed.

Q: What are you doing next?
A: I am graduating from Colorado State University with a master's in social work on Friday, May 13th and looking for a job working with seniors. I am having a baby at the end of August, so I may wait until after baby is born to start a job.

Jason Polk

Q: What were your responsibilities at JFS during your internship?
A: I worked 16 hours/week at JFS and provided companionship and emotional support for seven senior clients. I usually visited them weekly and got to know them well. They opened up a lot to me – some talked about their problems and some just told jokes.

Q: What did you learn during your internship or what was your favorite part of the experience?
A: JFS was a good place to intern – the staff was supportive and interested teaching the interns. I learned a lot about the Jewish culture, which I enjoyed. This was my first experience working with an older population and I became more aware of the personal struggles that seniors face.

Q: What are you doing next?
A: I am working on my master's degree in social work at Newman University in Colorado Springs and graduating next year. I have an internship next semester through Denver Health at Lake Middle School in their school-based counseling department.

Renate Fettig

Q: What were your responsibilities at JFS during your internship?
A: I worked 16 hours/week with a caseload of eight senior clients that I visited in their homes, took on errands, and was there for them when they wanted to talk.

Q: What did you learn during your internship or what was your favorite part of the experience?
A: My favorite part of the internship was working with the JFS staff. I learned so much including how to be a team player, how to discern what the clients really meant when they said they wanted certain things, and about the Jewish religion from my clients and the staff. I also had to learn to like getting up early to beat rush hour since I live in Boulder! I am really going to miss working at JFS!

Q: What are you doing next?
A: I am finishing my bachelor's degree in social work from Metro State University this Sunday and starting a one-year master’s program next fall at Metro. I have an internship next fall at Halcyon Hospice.

Congratulations to Lindee, Jason, and Renate for completing your internships and doing such a great job at JFS! We appreciate all your hard work and wish you the best of luck in your careers!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Congratulations to Alison Joucovsky, JFS Colorado Senior Connections Coordinator, for winning a Sawaya Values Award from the Sawaya Law Firm! The "Sawaya Values Awards" recognize Coloradans who are committed to helping themselves and members of their community reach their full potential. Alison received this recognition because "she is truly dedicated to help increasing the health and welfare of her community in Edgewater, Colorado."

Alison was nominated by Officer Sean Kennedy of the Edgewater Police Department, who said,  "Senior Citizens are often left on the backburner of society and Alison is dedicated to making sure that does not happen. She is a tremendous help in spreading the importance of citizens getting to know one another and banding together. She has a special talent of bringing people together for the purpose of helping one another."

The Sawaya Law Firm is making a $250 donation to JFS Colorado Senior Connections in Alison's name! Congratulations, Alison and thank you to Sawaya Law Firm!

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Alison Joucovsky and Claire Gordon staffing the CSC table at the Resource Fair

Last week, JFS Colorado Senior Connections held a resource fair for seniors in Edgewater called "Living Well in Edgewater." JFS Colorado Senior Connections (CSC) brings seniors together through fitness, education, and social events. At the resource fair and community event, participants learned about CSC and how they could get involved with the program. 

The free event featured healthy food, reflexology and foot care, chair massages, benefit consultations by St. Anthony Hospital, identity theft information from Edgewater police, and a Tai Chi demonstration. The event was hosted by Jewish Family Service Colorado Senior Connections in Edgewater, City of Edgewater Parks and Recreation Department, St Anthony Hospital, and the Edgewater Police Department.

The event was a great kickoff to the many upcoming classes and programs for seniors planned this fall through CSC. If you would like more information about these programs or ways to get involved, please contact Alison Joucovsky, CSC coordinator at (303) 597.5000 x376.

-Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department