Jewish Family Service of Colorado

We are excited to introduce Michele, our July Volunteer of the Month. A staff member nominated Michele and said, "Michele does a wonderful job instructing some of our cultural orientation classes for our refugee clients. She is committed to the classes and the material and flexible when needed, which we greatly appreciate. And she has a warm and hospitable presence when interacting with our clients."

Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/blog/july-2024-volunteer-of-the-month to read more about Michele's impact.

JFS is excited to welcome five new Board members this fiscal year! With diverse experiences, including former JFS clients, they will help guide our organization over the next year and beyond. Their leadership and expertise will help ensure we are good stewards of our resources and will bring fresh ideas to JFS, ensuring we continue our work to provide programs and services to our community in need. Join us in welcoming these new members and read more about them at jewishfamilyservice.org/about/board-of-directors.

The JFS Boulder grief support groups are led by a licensed professional counselor who will guide you on your mental health journey, help connect you with a community of others experiencing similar struggles, and provide you with resources for your overall well-being. Our mental health programs accept most major insurance providers and have sessions available now. Learn more and sign up at jewishfamilyservice.org/services/counseling-groups.

This month’s spotlight shines on our Family Friendly Volunteers, who work across various JFS programs with their families, creating memories and teaching the value of helping those in need for generations to come.

Volunteers like mother and son Lauren and Brody who have long supported JFS. Brody began volunteering at 12 and continues 2.5 years later. When asked why they volunteer, the duo shared, “JFS is about helping people ALL people in the community, and that resonates with us.”

Another volunteer group, Andrea and her family, help newly settled refugees adjust to life in Colorado, sharing, “We started volunteering with JFS as a family to be more involved in the community and work with the refugee resettlement division.”

Interested in family volunteer opportunities? Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/volunteer-family to learn more.

We are partnering with our friends at Advantage Solutions this Friday, July 19, for a pop-up hiring event at the JFS offices located at 3201 Tamarac Dr. in Denver! Join us between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to learn about full-time and part-time opportunities with Advantage Solutions. Bring your resume and come prepared for on-the-spot interviews! Learn more about available positions at careers.advantagesolutions.net/.

Education is the first step to overcoming poverty, and now you can help kids learn, create, dream, succeed, and begin the new school year with a focus on learning! Your $50 donation will provide all the essentials for a student to succeed in school. Erase the need by visiting https://bit.ly/ErasetheNeedJFS to donate today.

Register now for our August Vocational Training courses! Classes include digital literacy, AutoCAD, and administrative and customer service. Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/vocational-training to learn more and take your career to the next level!

Join us in thanking Board members David Feiner, Mindy Levy Peckar, and Scott Stillman as their time on the JFS Board of Directors comes to an end. We are grateful to David, Mindy, and Scott for their leadership and for being good stewards of our resources. They have left an incredible impact on JFS, helping improve the lives of individuals and families in need with their dedication and support.

We’re so proud to partner with incredible organizations like Justice Necessary. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, they have helped pass four essential bills that will give women who may be facing period poverty access to hygiene products. In addition to this work, Justice Necessary provides hygiene items to the JFS food programs, helping individuals and families in need right here in our community.

🩷 Thanks to our parnters, legislative champions, and the support of everday people across the state, we have now helped pass FOUR imperative bills in Colorado to fight for Menstrual Equality. Those bills are:

✔️ HB19-1224 “Free Menstrual Hygiene Products In Custody”
✔️ SB21-255 “Free Menstrual Hyg iene Products To Students”
✔️ HB22-1055 “Sales Tax Exemption Essential Hygiene Products”
✔️ HB24-1064 “Free Menstrual Products to Students”

But there is so much more to do! Find out more on how you can get involved today by visiting https://zurl.co/oqLJ

Our JFS team recently participated in a door decorating contest for some summer fun and team bonding. It was a great way for everyone to collaborate and celebrate the season. Check out all the creative doors, and join us in congratulating our food and housing team, who took first place!

Join us on Wednesday, August 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at our Tamarac office for the JFS Community Resource Fair! This in-person event will feature a variety of community partners and will provide helpful information about JFS programs and services, including food and housing support, employment services, aging care, disability services, and more. See participating agencies and learn more at jewishfamilyservice.org/blog/community-resource-fair.

Last month, we honored our retiring and new board members while celebrating our successes in the previous fiscal year at our Annual Meeting. We had a great turnout and enjoyed celebrating what we’ve accomplished and what we can look forward to in the coming years to continue or work in making the greatest impact for the greatest good.

Wishing all a happy Independence Day🎇

Last month, we welcomed more than 150 job seekers to our third annual job fair at JFS. Attendees spoke with the 21 employer partners about career opportunities, received job coaching and resume writing assistance, and had access to a free LinkedIn headshot. Thank you to all our partners for helping make this event a continued success.

Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/blog/ready-to-work-jfs to read more.

All JFS programs and services will close at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, and be closed on Thursday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Find food and additional resources at jewishfamilyservice.org/closure.

We had a great day yesterday with GGirls Closet LLC, collecting clothes to help raise money for our programs and services. Thank you to everyone who came out and helped make the greatest impact for the greatest good!

The JFS Aging Care and Connections program is accepting new clients for homemaker services! Compassionate homemakers are available to assist older adults with light housekeeping, meal prep, and grocery shopping. To learn more about how this program can help you or someone you know remain independent at home, visit jewishfamilyservice.org/blog/accepting-homemaker-clients.

This Sunday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., we're teaming up with GGirls Closet LLC for a special clothing and accessories drive at the JFS offices, 3201 S. Tamarac Dr. in Denver. Donate your gently used shoes, handbags, and accessories, and GGirls Closet will donate 40% of the proceeds back to JFS, ensuring we can continue our impactful work in the community!

This month, we have been spotlighting the incredible work of our Yana Vishnitsky Refugee Resettlement program. Join us as we sit down with JFS Director Troy Cox to learn about this remarkable team and their impact throughout JFS and our communities. Visit https://www.jewishfamilyservice.org/blog/program-spotlight-refugee-resettlement to read more.

This month, we are excited to spotlight our administrative volunteers! This dedicated group of individuals helps ensure our JFS offices run smoothly, helping with mailings, records management, reception, and so much more. Join us in thanking these volunteers for their dedication and time.

Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/volunteer-administrative to learn more and sign up to volunteer.

We had so much fun at Denver with the Jewish Community this weekend! Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating our LGBTQIA+ family 🌈

Earlier this week, we celebrated the incredible career of one of our very own. Leonid worked as a bilingual psychotherapist in our mental health department for 26 years, helping countless individuals from diverse backgrounds with their mental health needs. Join us to congratulate Leonid on a successful career and wish him a happy retirement.

Looking for a fun way to get active while giving back? JFS is excited to introduce an adaptive bike program for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in Douglas, Arapahoe, and Elbert Counties. Volunteers are needed to support this initiative and assist IDD individuals in achieving a healthy, active lifestyle. Learn more and sign up at jewishfamilyservice.org/volunteer-adaptive-bike-companion.

We’re excited to partner with our friends at GGirls Closet LLC for a clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories drive on Sunday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring your gently used items to the JFS offices at 3201 S. Tamarac Dr. in Denver and GGirls Closet will donate 40% of the proceeds back to JFS, helping us continue to make the greatest impact for the greater good!

All JFS programs and services will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. For food and additional resources, visit jewishfamilyservice.org/closure.

We are excited to share that JFS has again been recognized as a Certified Age Friendly Employer by the Age-Friendly Institute, the nation’s only certification program that identifies organizations committed to being the best places to work for employees aged 50+.

This designation describes a workplace that includes opportunities for people as they age and focuses on inclusion for older adults in all aspects of life. Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/about/careers to learn more about career opportunities at JFS.

Thank you, Aubrey, for helping make the greatest impact for the greatest good by hosting a hygiene drive with our friends at Justice Necessary!

Your support will ensure that individuals and families in need have access to essential hygiene items at our Weinberg Food Pantry and Mobile Food & Hygiene Pantry.

🌆 We believe you know your community best — and hosting a hygiene drive is a fantastic way to give back and elevate the issue of hygiene poverty. Aubrey, a 16-year-old high school student from the Denver area hosted a community hygiene drive this past month. Supplies collected were distributed to Jewish Family Service of Colorado

From Aubrey: "It has been such an exciting experience hosting my first ever hygiene drive with Justice Necessary (and I hope to host more in the future!) A shoutout to Mrs. Rachna Chaurasia— without her support I would not have been able to pull this hygiene drive off!"

Want to host your own hygiene drive? Sign up to volunteer at https://zurl.co/nj8z

Wishing everyone a joyful Shavuot celebration.

All JFS programs and services will be closed on Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday, June 13, in observance of Shavuot. Visit jewishfamilyservice.org/closure for information about food and other resources.