Did you know that over 70,000 Jewish people live in the greater Denver/Boulder area? Did you know that only about 25% are connected in some way to the Jewish community ? Even those who are connected in some way are often seeking new ways to get involved – meeting new people, taking a class, finding groups with common interests, from hiking to Torah study. Are you curious about the hundreds of opportunities to get involved in the Jewish Colorado community? The Jewish Resource Center is your complete resource for information and connection to the Jewish community. Here are just some of the things we do: Reaching People Whether you are new to the area or a long-time resident, the Jewish Resource Center can help you meet people, learn about community resources, put you in touch with professional services, or help you find just the right class or caterer. The JRC has a free Information and Referral service; we'll be happy to take all of your inquiries about Jewish Colorado. "Are there any classes I can take to learn about Judaism?" "Whom can I contact to see about transportation services for my elderly aunt?" "Where can I find a kosher restaurant?" "Where is there a play group for my children?" "Are there any Hebrew classes offered in Boulder?" "Where can I find a model Seder?" "Are there any Colorado missions to Israel this year?" Just about any question that you can think of concerning our Jewish community and the services and programs offered here, can be answered by our Information & Referral service, either through the I&R email address or the telephone hotline. We help people link up with others who have similar interests to form groups that can often lead to new friendships. We help newcomers get oriented. We send out packets to people who have just moved here or are thinking about relocating to Colorado. Each packet includes promotional materials from many local organizations. People who have just relocated are eligible for a free, two-month trial subscription to the Intermountain Jewish News, and they are invited to attend the social events that we plan throughout the year. Helping Local Organizations The Jewish organizations and synagogues in our community focus on serving their clients and members; the Jewish Resource Center focuses on helping them. The JRC helps by allocating* nearly $2 million dollars annually to local organizations serving Jews in need. Our local allocations process involves 50 community volunteers, who generously spend hundreds of volunteer hours learning about the needs in the local Jewish community, evaluating requests for funds, and making many difficult funding recommendations. The Shared Services program offers local Jewish organizations ways to save money on goods and services that they could not negotiate on their own. Federation identifies organizations’ needs, finds vendors, negotiates cost savings, connects vendors with organizations, and evaluates the project’s effectiveness. The goal of the program is to help organizations make the most of their dollars, and to emphasize the importance of efficiency as well as collaboration. Building Community Finally, the Jewish Resource Center facilitates projects and initiatives that make our community stronger and more vital. Here are some brief descriptions of some of community-building projects: Older Adults Initiative - Federation convened organizations concerned about the future needs of Jewish older adults for housing and related services. Then, Federation joined other organizations in funding a market study was done to help provide direction for facilities and services necessary to meet the needs of the next generation of older adults. Disabilities Network - Federation facilitated a process to develop a Jewish Disabilities Network to create a shared vision and coordinated plan for better serving Jewish people with special needs. A broad range of stakeholders was convened, including community leaders, parents, funders, service providers, rabbis and school directors from supplemental schools, day schools and preschools. The intention of this "Forum" was to imagine together what a truly coordinated system of serving Jewish people with special needs could look like. A strategic plan was created and implemented, bringing together service providers from both Jewish and secular organizations to develop way to serve Jewish people with disabilities more effectively. NORC’s: An Aging-In-Place Initiative - Federation, in partnership with Jewish Family Service, embarked on a federally-funded pilot project, Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC’s) designed to help seniors live independently. The project, called ‘Senior Connections,’ provides a variety of direct services related to home care, transportation, medical care, personal care and hygiene, safety and recreation. The project also provides residents with information about community-based services and makes referrals to appropriate providers. Jewish Educators Council - To determine how to best help synagogues improve religious school education, the JRC met with our local Jewish Educators Council, which is comprised of synagogue religious school directors. The directors developed a collaboratively proposal to hire a consultant to provide individualized professional support to synagogue religious school directors and staff.
| home | contact | mission | connect | give | | serve | centers | financials | agencies | board | staff | Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado 300 South Dahlia Street, ste 300 Denver, Colorado 80246 ph: 303.321.3399; fax: 303.322.8328 www.Jewishcolorado.org