Speed Racers and Football Fans!

This month, some of our clients with disabilities attended special sporting events through the generosity of some of our donors and volunteers! Below are some highlights from a trip to Bandimere Speedway and a Broncos game.

The Guys Enjoying Their Night at Bandimere Speedway

On August 11th, SHALOM Denver director, Arnie Kover and delivery driver, Anthony Montoya, took several clients with disabilities, who are “real car guys” to the drag races at Bandimere. Thanks to the generosity of Paul Lombardi, food and beverage manager at Bandimere raceway, they were able to have a “guys night at the races."  Admission, hot dogs and burgers were provided by Paul and the guys got souvenier T-shirts to take home. In addition, Tim Hall, former Laradon Hall Director, turned race car driver let the guys sit in a real Corvette race car. Thanks to Paul and Tim for a great night!

Laurie, Denise, and Lee at the Broncos Game

On August 21st, Duke Kaminsky, a long-time donor, gave the JFS Group Home four tickets to a Broncos exhibition game. Laurie and Lee were the lucky residents who got to go to the game. Denise, a member of the Group Home staff, and Phil Rose, a volunteer, were the chaperones for the evening.

Phil has been volunteering at the Group Home for a couple of months, hanging out with the guys and watching sports at the house. He had expressed an interest in taking them on an outing and when this opportunity arose, he jumped on it! Everyone had a great time and upon Laurie's insistence, stayed until the end of the game.

Thanks to everyone who made these fun events happen for all the guys!

Spring Has Sprung at the JFS Group Home!

This spring, the JFS Group Home had several visits from elementary student groups. In April, Risa Aqua brought kids from her 6th grade religious school class at B'nai Havurah to hang out with the residents. They brought snacks, played Bingo, and chatted with the residents. "I enjoyed the field trip!" says Risa. "It was my first time to the Group Home. It was a delightful experience and I would take other classes back in a heartbeat."

Later that month, Samantha Baumgarten brought her 5th grade religous school class (also from B'nai Havurah) to do yard and patio clean-up and get the flower beds ready for planting. Herzl 4th graders took over where they left off by going to the Group Home to plant flowers in early May.

You may remember our blog post in April about Herzl 4th graders choosing JFS as their mitzvah project for the year. Planting flowers at the Group Home was the culmination of this year-long project. Rayna Halzel, a parent who went on the field trip, says, "I found this to be one of the more useful and meaningful field trips to date. It was informative for both students and parents and the kids enjoyed planting the flowers to make the yard look pretty."

Last Friday, Dawn Richard, JFS development director, attended a Kabbalat Shabbat service where all the Herzl classes presented checks to the organizations for whom they raised money during the school year. The 4th graders gave Jewish Family Service a beautiful poster (shown below) and a check for $113, which was the remaining money after they bought the rice they bagged for the Weinberg Food Pantry.

As a way to thank and recognize the Herzl 4th graders, we invited them to come to our Annual Meeting on June 28th to share their experiences with our supporters. If you haven't already RSVP'd for this event, please do so now so you don't miss out!

Yeshiva University Students Visit SHALOM Denver

As part of a recent leadership trip across the Midwest, 19 students from Yeshiva University in New York toured SHALOM Denver, a division of Jewish Family Service. While the students enjoyed kosher pizza, Ezra Shanken, Allied Jewish Federation’s senior manager of the Young Adult Department, presented information about young Jewish leaders in Denver.

Arnie Kover, JFS director of disability and employment services, talked about JFS’s disability services including SHALOM Denver, SHALOM Jeffco, the JFS Group Home, and the Jewish Disabilities Network. Two SHALOM Denver employees and former TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) recipients told their stories about how SHALOM Denver was instrumental in teaching them employment skills and helping them get on the road to self-sufficiency.

The students then split up into four groups and spent time volunteering at different locations. Some worked with clients on mailing and assembly projects on the work floor at SHALOM Denver, while others helped clients with disabilities create craft projects. Several students painted at SHALOM Jeffco and the rest did some touch-up painting, cleaning, raking, and organizing at the Group Home.

They all met back at SHALOM Denver to discuss their experiences. “Everyone had a great time, met a range of clients, and learned more about the disabilities services that JFS offers,” says Arnie Kover.

Group Home Residents Mourn the Passing of Audrey Reich

We are sad to report that Audrey Reich, an original JFS Group Home resident, passed away earlier this week at the age of 81. She endured various health challenges in recent years, but just kept on “doing her thing” with gusto until last week. Over the past week, her health conditions took a bad turn and she passed, easily and peacefully, with the support of her family, our dedicated staff, fellow residents, and support from Beth Nehamah Hospice services.

The Group Home residents and JFS staff will miss Audrey immensely. Arnie Kover, director of disability and employment services says, “We will always remember her passion for shopping (she was a fashionable thrift store maven) and eating out (even enjoying a cocktail on her very special 80th birthday dinner), her love for her Group Home family, and especially how she used the words, ‘you’re delicious’ to express her affection for those especially close to her.”

Thanks to all of you who made Audrey's 27 years living at our Group Home extra special!

A Day in the Life of JFS...Our 2009 Annual Report is Here!

After many months of hard work, our 2009 annual report has arrived! Each year we pick a theme for the annual report, and this year we chose "A Day in the Life of JFS" to give donors an idea of what JFS staff, clients, and volunteers experience on a daily basis.

Eric Hübler, a local copywriter and former Denver Post staff writer, volunteered his time to interview many staff members and volunteers to portray some of the stories of their daily work and interactions at JFS. He then transformed these stories into succinct, eloquent hourly accounts to fit the annual report theme.

Eric says of the project, "Like a lot of people, I knew JFS was out there but didn't appreciate the breadth and depth of what they do. I'm impressed! What a privilege it has been getting to know the talented and committed professionals and volunteers who do so much to help so many."

To go along with the hourly updates, we went to multiple locations where JFS provides services to its clients. Photographers Bill Green and Howard Lutz captured our real staff, clients, and volunteers in action. Bill and Howard both said that they enjoyed seeing pieces of JFS that they were unaware of and catching a glimpse of an upclose and personal side of the people that are involved in the agency.

Thanks again to Eric, Bill, Howard, and everyone else who participated in this project. Thank you to Hal Aqua who designed the annual report.

Download your copy today!

New Champion Crowned at Annual Group Home Croquet Tournament!

The JFS Group Home recently hosted its annual croquet tournament. In addition to the residents, several Group Home friends and supporters, including event organizer, Scott Friedman, attended the tournament. Several played, while others cheered on the players and enjoyed a BBQ dinner.

This year, Micah took the long-standing title of Champion away from Laurie! Congratulations, Micah!

In other Group Home news, Laurie and Micah recently competed in the Special Olympics and each took home several medals. Congrats to both Laurie and Micah!

Our Group Home is the only Kosher group home west of the Mississippi. Through the caring supervision of Jewish Family Service professionals, our eight adult residents reach their full potential while enjoying a Jewish cultural atmosphere and active social lives.

View more photos of the Group Home Croquet Tournament...

Whoa, It's Magic!

Recently, Brad Montgomery performed a private magic show for JFS Group Home residents, volunteers, and community members with a vested interest in disability advocacy. Thank you to Scott Friedman for organizing this fun event and the Merage & Allon Hillel Center at DU for hosting the show.

Check out some photos of some of the Group Home residents helping Brad with some of his magic tricks!

--Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department