JFS Perspectives

Sarah* walked into the Success Center at George Washington (GW) High School crying, looking for a mental health professional to talk to. To her surprise, she was guided into a therapist’s office by a dog! 

As our busiest season of the year comes to an end, I am humbly reminded why we do this work. The holiday season is a challenging time for staff and clients because emotions are high, we have lots of financial and relationship stressors, and there is always more to do than we have time for. As staff, we remind one another that it’s the holidays and that things will settle down in January. During the Jewish High Holy Days in September and October, we organize food drives at synagogues throughout Denver and the surrounding smaller cities. We collect literally tons of food for our food pantry and for our Thanksgiving program.  

Please help us welcome three new members of our executive staff:  

Jewish Family Service values an inclusive environment for all people, regardless of their faith, age, race, gender, gender identity, ability, education level, political affiliation, income, language, or sexual orientation. This applies to clients, staff, volunteers, supporters, vendors, partners, and others with whom the agency interacts. It’s a tall order that requires thoughtful evaluation and scrutiny. 

Linda P. Foster was selected as Jewish Family Service of Colorado’s (JFS) new president and CEO and will join the agency on November 28, 2018. JFS’s Board Search Committee conducted a wide-ranging national search for the agency’s new leader and came to a unanimous choice, which was ratified by the full JFS Board of Directors today. 

Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) is pleased to welcome Julie Alcorn as Chief Development Officer. As a key member of the JFS executive leadership team, she is responsible for developing the strategy behind the agency’s growing fundraising and communications programs and for overseeing the implementation of those strategies. Alcorn leads and provides vision for the marketing and development staff and is responsible for supporting the fundraising and communications efforts of the organization. 

Despite all I’d heard about what interns do, I didn’t go on any coffee runs during my time as a Jewish Family Service (JFS) intern. Instead, I went on photoshoots and learned how to capture the excitement between Colorado Senior Connections members passionately discussing the program over lattés. I happily accompanied coworkers to catering tastings for our Celebrate JFS event rather than ever being asked to go pick up everyone’s lunch. I never was directed to monotonously organize files for the office, but I did spend a rewarding afternoon organizing fruits and vegetables at the JFS Weinberg Food Pantry with volunteers to help feed the Denver community.  

Jewish Family Service is embarking on an important new initiative. We have committed to provide the highest quality, nutritious food though all our food programs. Considering that JFS distributed the equivalent of more than 345,000 meals in the last year, this is significant.  

We were honored to have Cleo Parker Robinson, founder and executive creative director of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, speak at our agency staff meeting on Thursday, March 2. Founded in 1970, Cleo’s dance ensemble has toured the world and earned international recognition. Among Cleo’s many honors, she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, named to the National Council on the Arts (by President Clinton), and awarded a Kennedy Center Medal of Honor.  

By Tamara L. Weil, AmeriCorps Member, JFS Refugee Mental Health

I think of serving in AmeriCorps as my very own superpower. It evens comes with a uniform, the ubiquitous “A” that I always wear when serving, either as a small, elegant pin or a big, bold patch on a t-shirt or vest that announces: I am an AmeriCorps member and I am here to help.