Did you know that 1 in 8 women in the US is diagnosed with breast cancer?

As you may know, common household tasks can become major challenges for those who are undergoing treatment to fight breast cancer. These circumstances can be especially hard if you are juggling your own health care needs with the needs of your loved ones. If this situation sounds familiar to you, JFS has a program that can help.

Another Pair of Hands offers vital homemaker services to individuals faced with the challenge of breast cancer, allowing you to focus your energy on getting better. Homemakers provide light housekeeping and meal preparation that helps alleviate the stresses associated with everyday chores. In addition, the program's care manager does a face-to-face assessment with you to determine your needs and provide ongoing support and referral services to other resources available in your community.

If you have breast cancer, you can be assisted by Another Pair of Hands on an affordable sliding–fee scale based on your income thanks to a generous grant from an anonymous donor. If you would like more information about this program, please contact Yvonne Sylvan at
(303) 597.5000 x339.

--Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Celebrate Spring!

While you are outside catching some sun and enjoying the wonderful weather we are having, don’t forget to purchase your tickets to the JFS Executive Luncheon on May 12th where you can catch Frank Abagnale.

Abagnale will be speaking about his amazing true story, which was depicted in the film Catch Me If You Can.

Buy tickets online or call (303) 597-5000 x 365.

--Kari Alpen and Alaina Green, JFS Marketing Department

Youth Volunteers Needed For Summer!

Attention all parents looking to get your teenagers out of the house this summer - the Weinberg Food Pantry has openings for summer volunteers.

Teens that are at least 13 years old are invited to apply for positions in the Youth Corps at Jewish Family Service. Youth Corps participants must be able to work at least one day per week in the Pantry. Volunteers are asked to set a regular work day and schedule, to be available during the hours the Pantry is open, and to act and dress appropriately for the work environment.

This volunteer opportunity is a great way for teens to complete community service hours or a mitzvah project. The work is often challenging, but is extremely fulfilling! Participants will receive a letter of reference and certificate of completion at the end of the summer. The team environment is rewarding and the service to the community is invaluable.

Please contact Nancy Benyamin, director of volunteer resources, at (303) 597-5000, ext 369.

--Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

JFS Volunteer Honored for Work in the Community

Mark Krivel is a dedicated JFS volunteer who spends eight hours per week helping out in the office with a variety of invaluable tasks. We're proud to announce that he will receive the CWEE (Center for Work Education and Employment) Volunteer of the Year Award for 2009 on April 23rd.

Mark is being honored for his continued commitment to tutoring CWEE’s participants as they work toward getting their GED. Since its inception in 1982, CWEE’s job readiness programs have empowered more than 8,500 participants. Its well-rounded, individualized services provide the assistance and support necessary for job candidates in the Denver Metro area to obtain continuous, meaningful employment, and become self-sufficient.

Next time you see Mark, please congratulate him on this award and all the work he does for JFS and in the community - he also serves on the board of the Hebrew Educational Alliance (the site of JFS's Annual Meeting on June 22nd) and E-3 Events!

--Kari Alpen and Alaina Green, JFS Marketing Department

National Volunteer Week Starts Sunday, April 19th

The theme for National Volunteer Week, commemorated April 19-25, is "Celebrating People in Action." The theme captures the meaning behind this signature week - honoring the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities.

Thank you to all our volunteers who give selflessly to our agency! Whether it's by visiting seniors, working in the Weinberg Food Pantry, or helping in the office, everyone's time and efforts are truly appreciated.

Volunteers are the backbone of JFS and we could not provide services to more than 21,500 people each year without their invaluable support. In 2008, 646 community volunteers provided a total of 17,053 hours of service, equivalent to over $332,000 in volunteer time!

JFS has a variety of volunteer opportunities to fit anyone's interests or time commitment. For more information about volunteer opportunities, please contact Nancy Benyamin, director of volunteer resources, at (303) 597-5000, ext. 369.

--Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Happenings at the Rafael Spiritual Healing Center

The Rafael Spiritual Healing Center at JFS is hosting a reception for locally renowned artist Naum Katsenelson on Thursday, April 23rd from 5:30-7:00 p.m. This exhibit, which will run through May, is sponsored by the Mizel Museum and the Healing Center. Katsenelson will do a live demonstration during the reception.

Katsenelson’s internationally exhibited watercolor and pastel paintings express the artist’s perspective of the “modest beauty of simple and casual things.” His poignant street scenes in Israel, quiet streets of Nice, parks of Spain, canals in Venice, rainy roads of ancient Rome, and exploration of nature reflect a warmth, richness, and beauty. Visit the artist’s Web site.

The Rafael Spiritual Healing Center will also be offering a Spiritual Healing Bereavement Support Group beginning on Wednesday, May 6th, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Healing Center, located in the JFS building.

The group, which will meet weekly over an eight-week period through June 24th, will provide spiritual and psychological support for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. It will offer a unique Jewish perspective to the grieving process. The Spiritual Healing Bereavement Support Group will be co-facilitated by Cynthia Heller, MSC director of the Healing Center, and Dee Trasen, LCSW, a JFS psychotherapist.

The fee for attending the group is $10 per session and advance registration is required. Participants are asked to make a commitment to attend all eight sessions. If you would like to sign up, please contact Cynthia Heller at (303) 597-5000 x392.

--Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

JFS Helps Others Celebrate Passover

What is Passover?
Passover, which begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 8th, is often referred to as the festival of freedom. Of all the Jewish holidays, it is the most recognizable by both Jews and non-Jews. The holiday of Passover commemorates not only the release of the Jews from their Egyptian captors, but the freedom to accept God’s laws and to live by those laws.

The holiday begins with a story, read from a special book, the Haggadah, in which all Jews are instructed to see themselves as active participants in this flight from slavery to freedom. The story is told with symbolic food and actions. At the conclusion of the story a festive meal is served, followed by blessings, songs and a prayer to be able to celebrate Passover the following year, in Jerusalem.

How is JFS helping others celebrate Passover?

JFS helps others celebrate Passover in two ways:

The Passover Food Project

The Synagogue Council of Greater Denver and the Weinberg Food Pantry at JFS are collaborating again this year to provide families in need in our community with the foods needed for a complete Passover Seder. This includes a kosher chicken as well as other necessary (and Kosher for Passover) items such as matzo, matzo meal, gefilte fish, candles, eggs, and fresh produce.

This program is designed to help those families who would normally prepare a Seder for themselves, but at the present time do not have the resources to do so. In light of the current economic circumstances, this number is higher than it has been in recent years.

Volunteers helped pack the Passover food boxes last night. This weekend, those who are able to pick up the boxes will do so at JFS and volunteers will deliver other boxes to homebound families. Thank you to the Allied Jewish Federation for its support of this project.

Passover Seders for the Socially Isolated

The Nursing Home Outreach Program at JFS is hosting more than 20 Passover services for socially isolated Jewish community members during of the month of April throughout metro Denver and Boulder. Services, which help isolated community members reconnect with their spiritual roots, are planned for Jewish residents of non-Jewish long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, a mental health center, and several correctional institutions.

And for your Passover enjoyment, check out this funny Facebook Haggadah!

--Kari Alpen and Alaina Green, JFS Marketing Department