March Volunteer of the Month

Hannah G., March Volunteer of the Month

We are excited to introduce Hannah G., our March Volunteer of the Month. Hannah volunteers as a para-chaplain, helping to strengthen the connection between Jewish residents living in non-Jewish older adult residential facilities and the Jewish community by arranging and leading religious services for Shabbat, High Holy Days, Hannukah, and Passover.

Staff member Lisa shared:

“As a teen, Hannah has a very hectic school schedule and lots of extra-curricular activities. Even so, she makes it a priority to share her love of music and Judaism with older adults by volunteering every Friday as a teen para-chaplain, co-leading services with Dale Marcus. Hannah couldn't be sweeter, kinder or more generous with her time in service to JFS.”

Read more about Hannah's volunteer impact below:

Q: Tell us about yourself and your background.

HG: I'm Hannah, I'm 18 years old, and I started volunteering as a Para-Chaplain with JFS about two years ago. I have lived in Denver since I was a baby and have always been involved in the Jewish community and prayer leadership, as my father is a Rabbi, and I started on the davening team at HEA at a very young age. I have attended Denver Jewish Day School since kindergarten and have always found a love for Judaism and prayer, both at synagogue, school, and at Ramah in the Rockies and Camp Ramah in California. Throughout high school, I have become very involved in Jewish leadership as a student council member and through BBYO, and I currently serve as Rocky Mountain Region's 70th Regional Morah (recruitment and membership engagement chair). Outside of school, I enjoy creative passions and have been a dancer for 15 years at Dance Kaleidoscope, I play guitar and enjoy singing, and love to create art. I am lucky to have grown up in an environment that nurtured my Jewish learning and has turned me into a passionate Jewish leader. I enjoy contributing to my Jewish community and creating an impact through voluntarism and Jewish pride.

Q: What volunteer role do you have with JFS, and what roles have you had with JFS?

HG: I am currently a Para-Chaplain and volunteer at the Carillon at Belleview Station, an older adult living community in Denver. In the past I have volunteered for JFS through helping pack older adults' houses to move, and through volunteering in the food pantry.

Q: What motivated you to begin volunteering with JFS?

HG: At Denver Jewish Day School, we are given the opportunity to fulfill volunteer hours, and I chose JFS Para-Chaplaincy as my service project to devote my voluntarism to. I reached my required volunteer hours a while ago, but continue to volunteer because I love it! When I learned of para-chaplaincy, it felt like the perfect opportunity for me to contribute to the Jewish community, as it combined my passion for music, Jewish prayer leadership, and caring for older adults. I have been volunteering at the Carillon for two years!

Q: What's your favorite part about volunteering with JFS, and how has being a JFS volunteer impacted your life?

HG: My favorite part about volunteering with JFS is the connections I have created with the older adult and being able to provide them with a Jewish community where we can pray, learn, and sing together. My favorite moments with the older adults are when they sing and share their personal stories with me. I enjoy getting to know the congregants and feeling a part of their Jewish community that I have helped contribute towards. My volunteer work has impacted my life because it has taught me the importance of Jewish community and to not take for granted the Jewish education and communities that I have in my own life. Without Shabbat services, many of the older adults would not have the ability to pray, practice their Judaism, and continue to grow their Jewish education. I've gained a sense of gratitude for my Jewish upbringing and have been impacted knowing it's important that throughout my life I find a Jewish community wherever I am and continue to spread Jewish light to others. I've learned a lot from my congregants. I enjoy listening to them share their wisdom and stories with me, and I look up to all of them for their continued commitment to Judaism in their later years. I strive to one day be like the older adults I volunteer with, and I hope I will always be involved in the Jewish community, no matter where I end up in life. I've also grown as a leader through my volunteer work and have found confidence in my voice as a leader and my ability to connect with others through shared Jewish experiences.

Q:Do you have a memorable story about your JFS volunteer experience to share?

HG: Along with leading the Shabbat services, I also deliver weekly sermons that teach a lesson and relate to the weekly torah portion. Once, after I gave a sermon about my older brother’s passing, a resident shared her experience of losing her sister. She told me my words helped her feel connected to her sister and helped her heal and navigate through her grief. It is meaningful to me to be able to connect with elders through shared experience. I truly enjoy giving my Divrei Torahs and being able to converse with the older adults about their personal experiences and how they feel connected to words of Torah. My voluntarism creates impactful friendships with elders in the last years of their lives. Every time an elder passes away I feel like I have lost a grandparent and more importantly, a friend. I have created strong friendships with the Carillon community, and I care about every resident very much. I empower the community by bringing light and connection to the residents.

Q: What would you say to someone considering volunteering with JFS?

HG: If you are thinking of volunteering with JFS, know that the experience will truly shape and change your life. JFS provides leaders with the opportunity to contribute to the Jewish community and build meaningful connections and real impact. Volunteering with JFS teaches others how to be selfless and make a change in the world for the better. Community service is so important, and caring for those who are less fortunate than ourselves is an important value to learn and carry throughout our lives. Volunteering and doing good in the world is easy if provided the opportunity, and JFS creates so many opportunities to participate in community service. Through JFS, you can be the change in the world that you hope to see.

Are you interested in volunteering? Learn more and sign up today.