Jewish Family Services Reel Hope fundraiser

The Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) honored Norman Brownstein, Rabbi Steven and Senator Joyce Foster at its 18^th annual benefit film screening, Reel Hope fundraiser. Reel Hope supports all programs of JFS, including mental health counseling, senior and adult in-home care, disability and employment services, and family safety net services.

Reel Hope returned this year to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The guests enjoyed a cocktail reception and hors d’oeuvres by Kevin Taylor. All proceeds from the event will benefit programs of Jewish Family Service of Colorado.

600 community members attended the event and paid tribute to Norm Brownstein as he received the 2013 Kal Zeff Business Leader of the Year Award, and Rabbi Steven and The Senator Joyce Foster accepted the 2013 Jack Shapiro Community Service Award.

Norm Brownstein is a founding member and chairman of the board at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. The National Law Journal named Brownstein one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America and he was named as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Top Leading Lawyers in America. He is involved in many activities on behalf of the University of Colorado and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where he is currently vice president. He is presently a director of National Jewish Health and a trustee of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He is a past presidential appointee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council (1996–2006). He and the firm are longtime supporters of Jewish Family Service.  When a young Norman Brownstein and his brother lost their family, Family and Children’s Services (now Jewish Family Service) stepped in and gave them the wherewithal to redirect their lives.

Rabbi Steven and Senator Joyce Foster were the 2013 Jack Shapiro Community Service Award recipients. They have both supported and advocated on behalf of many nonprofits, including Jewish Family Service. Rabbi Foster spent his entire 40-year rabbinate at Temple Emanuel. Rabbi Foster brought to his rabbinate a deep commitment to social justice, Jewish education and Jewish continuity. He founded the Temple Emanuel preschool and kindergarten, the Theodore Herzl Jewish Day School (now Denver Jewish Day School) and Stepping Stones to a Jewish Me. Senator Joyce Foster has a long legacy with Jewish Family Service that includes leading, working for and supporting the agency. Senator Foster was a Denver City Council member for 10 years and served as president during her term. She served as a Colorado state senator from 2008 to 2012.

The awards ceremony concluded with a live auction and the movie “Torn,” an 80-minute film that the New York Times calls “sensitive and profoundly human.” The event co-chairs were Ed Barad, David and Allison Foster, Danny and Becky Foster and Debbie Foster.

Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) believes in strengthening the community by providing vital services to people in need. Every day, JFS helps people overcome life’s challenges to live fuller, more meaningful lives.  Founded in 1872, JFS is a nonsectarian, nonprofit human services agency serving metro Denver and Boulder. JFS helps seniors live independently at home, provides quality mental health counseling, offers training and job placement to those with barriers to employment, and provides food and financial aid to people in crisis. Every year, the agency benefits more than 20,000 people of all ages, faiths, and incomes. For more information, call 303.597.5000 or visit www.jewishfamilyservice.org