Erase the need with backpacks and supplies—it’s a school thing
All kids should start the school year with the supplies they need to help them be successful in school—and you can help them thrive.
As the cost of living increases and caregivers struggle to afford school supplies, you can help JFS provide more than 400 backpacks filled with school supplies to kids at our Lunchbox Express program sites! Donating $50.00 provides all the essentials for kids’ first day of school, including a backpack. You have the power to help boost confidence, promote learning, and encourage success for students in our community—and show them we’ve got their backs!
Finding career success with JFS Employment Services
Whether you’re unemployed or looking for a career change, the process can be daunting. However, the Employment Services department is ready to make the job hunt easier with free virtual workshops, trainings, and support groups to help you re-enter the workforce. The team can also help you achieve your employment goals by providing one-on-one customized career development services, which is how Laura found her new job.
Good thymes in our garden
JFS’s Arts and Community Exploration program (ACE) focuses on the whole person, community involvement, and integration, with activities tailored to each participant’s needs and unique personality and centers around healthy lifestyles and mindfulness through art, exercise, and nutrition. With our recent move to Calvary Baptist Church, we’re able to expand the programs and services we offer to our participants, including having an outdoor space for a garden, which is just about to sprout.
Finding support after a tragedy
It’s difficult to imagine going out of town and returning to find your home—your entire neighborhood—decimated by a wildfire, but that’s exactly what Julie and her family experienced in late December when the Marshall Fire roared through their Louisville community. However, throughout the turmoil, Julie shared stories about the acts of kindness and grace she experienced from people and organizations, including JFS, who stepped up in so many ways.
Refugee Mental Health team offered a therapeutic wellness group for recently arrived refugee students
The JFS Refugee Mental Health program provides specialized, culturally sensitive, compassionate mental health care and support services for refugees and immigrants of all ages, faiths, ethnicities, and countries of origin. Last April, the Refugee Mental Health team started a new therapeutic wellness group for recently arrived refugee students at Denver’s South High School to give students a space to feel comfortable sharing their experiences and expressing themselves in a welcoming and safe environment.
Lunchbox Express is BACK!
JFS’s Lunchbox Express program adapted to accommodate COVID-19 health and safety guidelines for the past two years. With restrictions lifting, we’re excited to welcome children back to our traditional service model. When schools let out for summer, families who rely heavily on school-based free and reduced-price lunch programs can turn to the Lunchbox Express program to receive nutritionally balanced lunches.
2022 Lunchbox Express Schedule
FREE Lunches for Kids! Lunchbox Express, a program of Jewish Family Service, provides free lunches to children during the summer when they don’t have access to free or reduced-fee lunches in their schools. Meals are provided at 13 sites throughout the Denver metro area via vans and one static site.
Free meals are available Monday through Friday. No service on July 4.
Economic Vulnerability in the Jewish Community
The 2018-2019 Greater Denver Jewish Community Study is the most recent compilation of data around economic vulnerability in the Jewish community. Over 2,500 Jewish households in metro Denver and the Boulder region participated in the survey which provides an in-depth look at the area’s Jewish population, demographic composition, philanthropy and volunteering practices, community engagement levels, connection to Jewish life, and more.
Help shape the future of JFS
Thanks to the vision and substantial commitment of those who came before us, JFS has evolved to meet the needs of those who rely on us most for 150 years. Without their support and generosity, JFS would not be the vital resource it is today. Now, we hope it’s time for you to consider your legacy.
Make mental health a priority
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health, fighting stigma, and supporting the estimated one million Coloradans with mental health conditions and their families. It is also a time to check in with yourself and ask if you or your loved ones need additional support, want to make healthier choices, and are the best version of yourself?
Finding a path to meet community needs
It’s easy to list how the Covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected us, but there have been unexpected benefits. At JFS, for example, we found new ways to connect with people throughout our community, identified ways to adjust our programs to be still able to help people, and became even more aware of the importance of meeting their needs . Whether barriers were related to Covid-19 or just illuminated by the crisis, the Aging Care and Connections team continues to find ways to serve the older adult population better.
JFS Family Concert: Rocking Colorado for 150 years
JFS is hosting its inaugural family-friendly event—JFS Family Concert: Rocking Colorado for 150 Years at Mission Ballroom, and you’re invited! This concert will honor and celebrate JFS’s 150th anniversary and feature a special solo acoustic performance by Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff. This multigenerational event is sure to be a crowd-pleaser you don’t want to miss!
Volunteers needed for the Boulder Jewish Festival
Join JFS Boulder at the 25th annual Boulder Jewish Festival on Sunday, June 12. Volunteers are needed at the JFS booth to help set up, work the booth, and tear down at the end of the event.
Celebrating Passover throughout our Boulder community
This year, senior community residents in the Boulder County area welcomed a traditional observance of Passover with both JFS Boulder volunteer para chaplains and local Rabbi’s leading services and returning to in-person experiences.
Marshall Fire response
The JFS Boulder team has responded to unprecedented community need from the Marshall Fire. Since December 30, 2021, we have responded to 344 applications, representing 944 individuals. Read how this extraordinary team is making a powerful impact throughout the community.
Project EM: Embracing, Empowering, Employing Our Community
Whether you’re out of a job or need to make a career change, we know that looking for work can be overwhelming. But you don’t have to go it alone thanks to Project EM and JFS. Learn more about jump-starting your employment journey today.
I Matter: Making sure youth have the support they need
In the summer of 2021, Colorado passed a bill establishing a temporary behavioral health services program in response to our youth’s worsening mental health crisis. And, JFS is proud to be one of the participants in the I Matter program, which is the first in the nation. Learn more about this one-of-a-kind program and how it might help you.
The 150th Anniversary Executive Lunch is in the books
The JFS 150th Anniversary Executive Luncheon with Amy Schumer proved that laughter is the best medicine—especially when you also make a life-changing difference for thousands of families who come to JFS to rebuild their lives.
Shout-out to our volunteers!
At JFS, we often talk about how we could not do what we do without the work of our volunteers. It’s not a secret that JFS has some of the most dedicated and compassionate volunteers any organization could hope to have. Our volunteers’ efforts can be seen and felt throughout the organization and community. While we appreciate our volunteers every day, during National Volunteer Appreciation Week, this remarkable group of people deserves to be recognized for their impact and celebrated for their commitment to JFS.
Women of JFS: past and present
March is National Women’s History Month. In honor of the impact women have had on JFS’s 150-year history, we’d like to highlight our founder and a few of the current women who continue to help shape the organization to have the greatest impact for the greater good.