Joyce Foster’s connection to Jewish Family Service (JFS) dates back to the 1970s. She and her husband, Rabbi Steven Foster, served on the Board at different times and supported the agency. In 1977, Joyce joined the staff as part-time employment director. Through this position, she was mainly responsible for finding jobs for the Russian refugees JFS resettled.

In February 1978, Yana Vishnitsky attended Shabbat services at Temple Emanuel (where Rabbi Foster was assistant rabbi and later became senior rabbi) the day she arrived in Denver from Russia. If you’ve been around JFS for more than a few years, you’ve probably heard this story…

“I met Yana when she came to Temple that night and quickly noticed that she spoke English. I needed Russian translators to help my clients at JFS,” shares Joyce. “Charlene Loup and I quickly convinced Jerry Grossfield (executive director at the time) to hire Yana, and she joined the staff shortly thereafter. Yana and I were a great team to find newcomers jobs and make them feel welcome!”

Joyce has so many fond memories of those days. Her stories include funny anecdotes like driving two brothers-in-law to Ft. Collins for interviews at Colorado State University and watching a horse be born at the vet school, to examples that show her true compassion and dedication for placing clients in the right jobs. She recalls, “Yana and I piled into my station wagon with four Russian women for an interview at a laundry service. After a little while, I realized this place had too many problems and they would be unhappy there, so we left, and I found them much better jobs at retail stores and Temple Emanuel preschool.”

With a grant from the City and County of Denver, Joyce developed an on-the-job training program with Emily Griffith Opportunity School for Russian immigrants to learn English and receive job training over the course of nine months. As they trained, Joyce would find jobs for them. “It was a very successful program where people were essentially being paid to learn English and job skills, then start a job when they felt more confident, rather than trying to jump into a job right when they moved to a new country,” she explains.

Joyce worked at JFS until 1993, when she left to run for Denver City Council (and won!). During her Jewish Family Service tenure, she touched countless lives and made a lasting impact. She says, “I have a love for the agency and such good memories. I stayed 17 years because I felt like I was really making a difference and had fun. Every day was different.”

She welcomed clients to her home for Shabbat, Passover, and other holiday meals over the years. “I didn’t consider them clients, but simply people I wanted to help,” Joyce explains. “As Jews, you help people, and we believe everyone is created in God’s image.”

During a successful stint on Denver City Council, including a term as President, Joyce joined the JFS Board again in the late 1990s and served as Chair from 2003 to 2005. She was instrumental in JFS’s move from paying rent in an office suite on Colorado Boulevard to buying its current building in 2003. Joyce concluded her career by serving as Colorado State Senator from 2008 to 2012 and has continued to support JFS during her retirement. She and her husband received the Jack Shapiro Community Service Award at Reel Hope in 2013 for their incredible dedication to JFS and the community. Joyce currently serves on the 150th Anniversary Steering Committee.

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