Do a Little Good
At JFS, we couldn’t help our neighbors thrive without our volunteers—both within the agency and throughout the community.
Friendly Visitor program: neighbors helping neighbors
The JFS Friendly Visitor program promotes connection, engagement, and fun between older adults and volunteers. Volunteers are individually matched with an older adult to provide an hour or so of companionship each week. Our volunteers find that they establish a rich connection with the individuals they meet. We ask our volunteers for a minimum commitment of six months, which gives them time to develop a relationship and form a bond.
Volunteering through generations
At JFS, we couldn’t help our neighbors thrive without the help of our volunteers—both within the agency and throughout the community. It’s exciting to see how we’re experiencing different generations of volunteers working together, making a difference just like their families have done throughout the organization and beyond. Recently, JFS clients were the beneficiaries of Carter, Wyatt, and Brody’s mitzvah projects as part of their bar mitzvah preparations.
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.
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.
Fighting Food Insecurity While Inflation Rises
March is National Nutrition Month, and it was created to call attention to making informed food choices and developing healthy eating habits. It’s also an excellent time to talk about JFS’s Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Food Pantry.
Voices of JFS: Jill Miller
Jill Miller and her family have a long history of volunteering with JFS. We talked with Jill to learn more about how she got started, her involvement with the organization, and why she chooses to spend her time helping JFS. Let’s learn about Jill’s dedication to JFS in her own words.
Thank You to Boulder JCC for Partnering in Fire Relief Efforts
Almost immediately after the Marshall Fire ended and the crisis emerged as many Boulder-area residents found themselves homeless, the Boulder JCC mobilized a community of volunteers to help JFS Boulder staff handle the large influx of people coming for help. JCC consultant Susan Rona shares how and why she and the JCC team quickly jumped into action to support JFS and the fire victims.
Helping Refugees Feel Safe and Protected
When Ellie, a seventh grader preparing for her bat mitzvah, heard about JFS helping to resettle Afghan refugees, she wanted to make a difference. As she learned about the struggles facing these newly resettled refugees, Ellie saw an opportunity to help women and created a meaningful mitzvah project.
Be Merry, Be Bright
The JFS Bright Holidays program began more than 20 years ago as a giving tree at Graland Country Day School. Every December since then, the holiday spirit spreads throughout the community and people’s hearts, as the program flourishes each year.
JFS Para-chaplain Work: Full of Surprising Encounters and Rewarding Opportunities
Joe Lukasik, a volunteer for more than a decade, shares his experiences and encourages others to become a volunteer para-chaplain.
Thank You to Corporate Days of Service Volunteers
A big thank-you to groups from Xcel Energy and Denver Community Credit Union who recently volunteered at JFS as part of their corporate Days of Service! See what each company’s employees shared about their positive experiences giving back to the community they serve.
Volunteers Have Heart!
This year 1,671 volunteers have donated their time to help in all areas of the organization, and we could not be more thankful for that. Learn more about how volunteers serve our Aging Care & Connections older adult clients.
JFS Launches Best Buddies Citizens Chapter
Jewish Family Service is one of the newest organizations to launch a Best Buddies Citizens chapter for adults in their one-to-one friendship. In this program, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) become buddies and are matched with neurotypical adults who become their peer buddies.
Working Together to Fight Isolation
The pandemic left 93-year-old Greta isolated and lonely. See how our Baskin Jewish Community chaplain and a volunteer para-chaplain helped her feel reconnected.
Lunchbox Express: Feeding Kids Throughout the Summer
Learn more about JFS’s summer lunch program, Lunchbox Express! See where you and your family can receive free breakfasts and lunches throughout the summer and check out our volunteer opportunities.
Mother-Daughter Charity Donates Feminine Hygiene Products
Thank you to Bonnie and Lindsay List who recently organized a feminine hygiene products drive through NCL, Inc., Rocky Mountain Chapter to benefit JFS. In total, the group donated 585 bags/boxes of feminine hygiene products, which filled 20 large garbage bags!
A Creative Solution Leads to a Life-Changing Intervention
What started as an inquiry into signing “Jeffrey” up for homemaker services turned in to a life-changing intervention. Earlier this year, Jeffrey’s knee collapsed leaving him unable to move. He could barely get around his apartment and could not go anywhere on foot. Jeffrey was functionally immobile—even unable to acquire food—and had been living in a state of dire poverty for years. Fortunately his brother stepped in and contacted JFS Boulder. See how JFS helped Jeffrey get his life on track!
Our COVID-19 Response…One Year Later
One year ago, Jewish Family Service of Colorado adapted its programs and services to meet our community’s increasing needs in response to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. See what we’ve accomplished with your help and consider a donation to support more of your neighbors in need.
How Volunteers are Adapting to Pandemic Life
A longtime JFS volunteer wrote us a heartfelt letter that truly captures this moment in time of “life interrupted” due to the pandemic. Read this blog post to see his letter and learn more about JFS volunteers.