January Volunteer of the Month
January Volunteer of the Month, Joe L.
We are excited to introduce our January Volunteer of the Month, Joe L., who volunteers as a para-chaplain and friendly visitor volunteer in the Boulder community. In these roles, Joe helps strengthen the connection between Jewish residents living in non-Jewish senior residential facilities and the Jewish community by arranging and leading religious services for Shabbat, High Holy Days, Hannukah, and Passover. Additionally, his friendly visitor volunteer role helps older adults by providing companionship to individuals facing loneliness and isolation.
Staff member Tina K. nominated Joe "for going above the call of duty to present meaningful Shabbat and holiday programming to older adults for many years at The Lodge at Balfour in Louisville and for offering to help onboard new Boulder para-chaplains."
Read more about Joe's volunteer impact below:
Q: Tell us about yourself and your background.
JL: I was born in NYC into a family of volunteers. I moved back to Colorado in 1989 for a teaching position at CU (I lived here for a bit as a child) and now work to support global data collection for pharmaceutical clinical trials. Since 2007, I have served as a musician and lay spiritual leader at Congregation Nevei Kodesh in Boulder.
Q: What volunteer role do you have with JFS, and what roles have you had with JFS?
JL: I received para-chaplain training from JFS, Denver, in 2010 and have served both as a para-chaplain and friendly visitor in the Boulder area. As para-chaplain for JFS, I have led Saturday morning Shabbat services and holiday services at numerous elder care facilities. My main focus over the past few years has been providing para-chaplain support for the residents at Balfour Senior Living in Louisville. I have also served as a friendly visitor / para-chaplain to the homebound and hospice. I have also contributed with feedback on the para-chaplain program and helped recruit new candidates for the program.
Q: What motivated you to begin volunteering with JFS?
JL: Volunteering was always a core family value while I was growing up. Many years ago, when I was a child, my grandparents relocated from New York to Colorado. They were alive for quite some time (well into their 90s!) when I moved back to Colorado. During their final years living in elder care, I noticed a deep need for spiritual support and companionship for all residents of these facilities. When they passed in 2008, I felt a hole in my life and decided to pursue volunteering at a facility in North Boulder leading Saturday morning Shabbat services. In 2010, the volunteer coordinator at JFS Boulder reached out to me and asked if I would consider formalizing my volunteer status with JFS, which included special training lasting several weeks. I will always be grateful to JFS; the opportunity changed my life. The biggest motivation came by doing once I started formally after training. The personal rewards through the years have been inestimable and completely unexpected.
Q: What's your favorite part about volunteering with JFS, and how has being a JFS volunteer impacted your life?
JL: When I first volunteered for JFS, I had a general preconception of how it would impact me. As I see it now, it was almost two-dimensional! Then, I expected feeling satisfaction that I was able to help others in a way that seemed a good fit for me. Over the years, I have been constantly surprised by the gifts I have received and how it changed me, what I learned about myself and how it brought me outside of myself to appreciate our human family. The community of elders I served became my spiritual home.
Q: Do you have a memorable story about your JFS volunteer experience to share? If so, please share below.
JL: I have many that make me smile, but there is one in particular that makes me smile the widest. After just a few years of volunteering, I was considering pursuing becoming a full rabbi. I sought a lot of advice, and there are funny stories here as well! But after reflection, I thought I lacked patience to deal with the diplomacy required of a congregational rabbi. Fast forward after a few years of serving at Balfour Senior Living, I was schmoozing with residents in our mini-shul after a Saturday morning service. One resident who was active in her Jewish communities and Hadassah most of her life AND the individual who contacted JFS to arrange Jewish spiritual support at Balfour said to me, "You know, we auditioned four other service leaders before you, and two were rabbis, and we chose YOU!" WOW! That was the greatest and most surprising gift I have received ever. I realized I found my calling - the portion of it I needed to share with these people at this time. A Rabbi once told me that I didn't need to be a Rabbi, that I had already big responsibilities in life that didn't need to be disrupted by changing careers and that I "was already doing it" where it was needed. Volunteering with JFS is a chance to give as much as you are meant to at any stage of life, and receive so much more!
Q: What would you say to someone considering volunteering with JFS?
JL: Any level of volunteering makes a difference, and I guarantee you will benefit immensely!
Are you interested in volunteering? Learn more and sign up today.