BOULDERMattersVolume 25, No. 1 • WINTeR 2015

Linda Woods has been through her share of struggles. Linda’s family of origin was very dysfunctional, she dropped out of school in ninth grade, and she has various health challenges. Despite these difficulties, she had made a good life for herself. She had a loving husband, two daughters, and a career managing convenience stores. In october 2010, her world came crashing down when she learned that her 24-year-old daughter, Susan, and Susan’s husband were killed in a car accident. Susan had graduated summa cum laude from Southeastern College in Oklahoma just five months before her death, and was attending Cornell University to get her master’s degree in public affairs. After the tragedy, Linda completely shut down. She couldn’t work, her friends couldn’t handle her grief and stopped calling, and she stayed inside except for brief trips to the grocery store. linda says, “I used to have a personality and was a real go-getter. Then the knock came on my door with the news and my life was over.” In 2013 linda turned to Boulder JFS for help. The first thing Boulder JFS did was match linda with a Friendly Visitor, Sarah Zacks. Sarah, a trained social worker, has been a stay-at-home mom for the last five years. She wanted to find a way to give back and use her social-work skills while having time with her kids, so she came to JFS looking for volunteer opportunities helping older adults. Being linda’s Friendly Visitor has been a rewarding experience. Sarah says, “Ultimately what I wanted to do as a volunteer is to show that there are people who care. She is often not up to having visitors and prefers that we talk

on the phone. even when all I can do is leave a message for linda, I know that I’ve shown her that someone genuinely cares about her. Linda tells me how much she appreciates that I listen and that she feels better after she talks to me.” linda’s birth mom was Jewish and her father was Puerto Rican. She identifies as Jewish, married a Jewish man, and raised her kids in the faith. She wanted to learn more about Judaism and asked JFS to help. Staff connected her with Hollace Westfeldt, a para-chaplain who specializes in working with people who are newly bereaved. “Linda doesn’t want prayers or to go to services,” says Hollace. “At first, I questioned what I was doing with her and how I could help. She is definitely grieving.” Hollace is also a victim’s advocate for the Boulder Police Department and puts a lot of the skills she’s learned in that volunteer job to good use with linda. “I listen to her a lot, validate what she says, encourage her, challenge her gently, and bring new thoughts to her.”

Boulder JFS Provides Village of Support for Linda Woods

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Left to right: Hollace Westfeldt, Linda Woods, and Sarah Zacks

2 BOULDER MATTERS WINTER 2015

UPCOMING EventsCaring for Your Aging Parent—A Support Group A monthly drop-in support group, Caring for Your Aging Parent, for adult children who are concerned about their parents, will meet January 15, February 19, march 19, April 16, and may 21 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Boulder JCC Children’s library. Information: Jodi Ansell, 303.415.1025 or jansell@jewishfamilyservice.org.

The Conversation Project Presents “Discussing Your Legacy” with Connie HoldenThursday, January 29, 7:00 p.m., at Congregation Nevei Kodesh, 1925 Glenwood Drive, Cost: $10 How do we talk about our wishes for end-of-life care? It’s not an easy discussion, but the Conver-sation Project is here to help. The Conversation Project’s mission is to foster meaningful and effective conversations within families about end of life decisions and care. This thought-provoking and highly interactive workshop is appropriate for adults of all ages, and includes a starter kit for the conversa-tion. A program of Jewish Family Service, Hadassah, and Boulder JCC.

Spiritual Eldering: The Paradigm Shift Envisioned in Reb Zalman’s “From Age-ing to Sage-ing”With Senior Instructor Deborah Fink WindrumThursday, February 5, 7:00 p.m. at the Boulder JCC Cost: $12 in advance (303.998.1900 or www.boulderjcc.org), $15 at the door Join us for a menorah Scholar Series lecture with senior instructor Deborah Fink Windrum. A programming and communications librarian and a Cu instructor, Deborah recently retired after 34 years. A team member for the “Reb Zalman life and living legacies” exhibit at the Cu-Boulder Norlin Library, she is active in Sage-ing® International, author of Harvest the Bounty of Your Career, and presenter on midlife transition, “seasonal attunement,” and spiritual eldering. This program is a collaboration of menorah, Boulder JCC, and Boulder JFS.

Boulder Matters is published quarterly by Jewish Family Serviceof Colorado, 3201 S. Tamarac Dr., Denver CO 80231www.jewishfamilyservice.org

Boulder JFS, a program of Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS), restores and enhances well-being to seniors and adults with physical disabilities throughout Boulder County by delivering services based on Jewish values. JFS believes in strengthening the community by providing vital services to people in need. Founded in 1872, JFS is a nonsectarian, nonprofit human services agency serving metro Denver and Boulder.

There are many ways to connect with Boulder JFS. If you are a senior who needs care management, help in your home, counseling, grief support, emergency financial assistance, or companionship, we can help! If you have extra time to volunteer, we have several meaningful ways for you to make a difference in the lives of seniors or adults with disabili-ties. Your generous monetary donations will help us continue our important work in the community. Please donate online at www.jewishfamilyservice.org/donate or by using the enclosed envelope. Visit www.jewishfamilyservice.org/boulder or call our office at 303.415.1025 to learn more and get involved today!

Get Help. Volunteer. Donate.

GEt INvOLvED!

Two hundred and fifty guests packed the Dairy Center for the Arts for Boulder Jewish Family Service’s second annual fundraiser, Reel Hope Boulder, in october. Attendees socialized in the lobby while enjoying a Mediter-ranean spread before moving into the auditorium for the program featuring Hollywood composer Rob Simonsen. The event raised more than $36,000, which exceeded fundraising goals! The program began with Sy Youngelman, a JFS client, who eloquently spoke about caring for his wife of 63 years, Horty, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. A JFS Friendly Visitor has become as close as family and provides Sy with a few hours of respite each week. Sy said, “It is surprising and humbling when you find yourself in need of help and I am grateful for all that JFS has done for us.” Rob and Ron Bostwick came on stage and sat in the “living room” set to begin their interview. Rob shared that music shaped his life from an early age; there was always music in his house and his grandma’s house. “Becoming a musician was natural for me, especially since I wasn’t an athlete,” he joked. After attending Boulder’s September School, Rob moved to oregon. His friends created a film called Westender, in which he had a small role and scored the music. It went to the Seattle Film Festival where he met mychael Danna, a Canadian composer, who became his mentor, and they went on to score Life of Pi and other movies together. In addition to composing the score for films, including (500) Days of Summer, Moneyball, The Spectacular Now, and The Way, Way Back, Rob scored the global ad launch for Apple’s iPhone 5 and provided the iconic piano melody for their “everyday” campaign. Rob said that years ago when the first iPod commercials were aired, he dreamt of doing work for Apple. Rob gave the audience a taste of his work environment and schedule. He works out of his

garage, but before you feel sorry for him, he has a high-end piano, a mini keyboard built into his desk, a large computer monitor, a 65-inch TV screen, and surround-sound speakers. “I wake up between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m., exercise, and have a green drink to start the day,” Rob explains, and then Ron joked that he would fit right in living in Boulder. He often works until 10:00 p.m. or later, composing, attending meetings, and answering emails. Reel Hope guests then got a real treat: Rob brought his keyboard and laptop to give a demonstration of how he works. He played a scene from Wish I Was Here without music (the way he gets it from the studio) so the audience could see how it feels without music. Then he played the clip with his music in it. He showed guests how he scores music on his laptop and then experimented with different kinds of music to show how it changes the scene and brings up different emotions. Thank you to everyone attended the event. We are especially grateful to our generous sponsors and members of the Reel Hope event committee who made the night possible!

BOULDER MATTERS WINTER 2015 3

Reel Hope Boulder Guests Get Inside Look Into Hollywood Composer Rob Simonsen’s World

Ron Bostwick interviews Rob Simonsen

Jewish Family Service of Colorado 3800 Kalmia AvenueBoulder, Co 80301

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Like Sarah, Hollace calls Linda once a week. She has offered to take her to Shabbat services, but so far Linda has declined. After much encouragement by Hollace and Ingrid (JFS volunteer coordinator), linda volunteered at Golden West, a senior community, for a High Holy Day service. linda says, “I really enjoyed helping, listening to the seniors’ stories, and not telling my own story for a change. You can’t always take; you have to give.” At press time, Linda was planning to volunteer again for Boulder JFS Hanukkah celebrations. Linda’s daughter always made a big deal out of birthdays, so for her recent 60th birthday, linda accepted Hollace’s offer to take her out to lunch. Since her birthday fell during Hanukkah, it was a dual celebration! linda also requested a mezuzah for her home, which Har Hashem is donating and Reb Patrice Spitz plans to bless it. Due to financial constraints, linda and Joe were unable to keep up with house maintenance. Through a housing rehabilitation program, Boulder JFS helped with major repairs to the Woods’ mobile home, including mold remediation, new carpet, and seamless gutters. In addition, linda has received financial assistance for psychotherapy through JFS’s Appel fund, and the couple has received Shabbat meals through the L’Dor V’Dor program. JFS’s care manager also went the extra mile by purchasing and delivering household goods to Linda and Joe when they couldn’t afford them. “I am so appreciative to everyone at JFS,” says linda. “Joe and I have been married 40 years and he is very

supportive, but it’s good that I have Sarah and Hollace to talk to because he needs breaks from my grieving.” She adds, “Aesthetically, my house looks so much nicer, which is a big pick-me-up, especially since I’m inside most of the time.” Even though Linda continues to struggle, she is in a better place than she was more than a year ago when JFS came into her life. “JFS has been a lifesaver!” she says. “I don’t even want to think about where I’d be without all their help.”

Boulder JFS Provides Village of Support for Linda Woods Continued from page 1

We would love for you and your family to join us to help make Jewish holidays special for older adults in our community! We will host Seders at several local retirement communities in April as well as monthly Shabbat services. Please contact Ingrid Swords, Boulder JFS volunteer coordinator, at 303.415.1025 or iswords@jewishfamilyservice.org for more details.

Passover and Shabbat vOLUNtEERs Needed