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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 15-17, 2017 The Park Record C-3 Ellen Silver will be honored Jewish Family Service director proud of programs By SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record When Ellen Silver moved to Park City from New Jersey in 2004, she didn’t think she would have opportunities to work with the Jewish community. She was wrong. Silver began working part time at Jewish Family Service, a nonprofit that helps facilitate heath, mental health and other needs that arise in the Jewish community and the community at large. She was appointed as executive director in 2008. Silver, along with past Federation president, Dr. Martin Gelman, will be honored at the United Jewish Federation of Utah’s Ben Gurion Society Annual Dinner on Thursday, March 16, at Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. “It’s an honor, but I feel this recognition is really recognition for Jewish Family Services and the impact the agency has had on the community, not just the Jewish community, but the community at large,” Silver told The Park Record. “We serve everybody, and that makes me really proud.” When Silver moved to Utah from New Jersey, she had years of experience working with different agencies that served the community. “As fate would have it, it worked out when I moved here,” she said. “ Jewish Federation of Utah just received some funding from the government and they were looking to get some match money and get a program off the ground. They took a gamble on me because I wasn’t in the budget. So, to grow along with this agency is very special in itself.” When Silver first started at Jewish Family Service, there was only one full-time employee and a handful of part-timers. “They occupied the office at the Jewish Community Center in Salt Lake City,” she said. “Now, we have 11 full-time staff, and a fairly large space in Salt Lake as well as a branch office here in Park City at the People’s Health Clinic, where we provide mental health counseling and meet needs that were out there.” Silver has seen a lot of growth at Jewish Family Service throughout her tenure. “Back in 2005, the federal funding we got allowed us to begin to provide better services to older adults in Salt Lake City,” she said. “The funding put JFS on the map as a respective provider for older-adult services that we called Project EncourAGE.” While working on that project, Silver and other staff members learned the importance of caregiver support. “People are living a lot longer these days and their children are becoming their caregivers,” Silver said. “So, these days, caregivers are in the 60s and 70s and never expected to taking care of their parents who are in their 90s.” They took a gamble on me because I wasn’t in the budget. So, to grow along with this agency is very special in itself...” Ellen Silver Jewish Family Service executive director To provide resources for these caregivers, Jewish Family Service started Caregiver Connection, which helps support and sustain caregivers and their roles. “Over the years we developed some programs including a respite program, a friendly-visitor program and another program where volunteers will help with chores and transportation, just to give caregivers a rest,” she said. The nonprofit also started some programs that would help the elderly clients. One is called Music & Memory, which is a community-based program that brings music to the lives of these elders. The program provides person- COURTESY OF JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE Ellen Silver, Jewish Family Service executive director since 2008, will be honored at the United Jewish Federation of Utah Utah’s Ben Gurion Society Annual Dinner this week. During Silver’s tenure, Jewish Family Service has implemented an array of programs that help Jewish and non-Jewish families in Summit, Salt Lake, Utah and Davis counties. alized music playlists to older adults living with cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia as well as chronic illnesses. In addition to program development, Jewish Family Service has expanded its coverage area. “The first area we grew into was Summit County in 2010,” Silver said. “We saw there was a need for behavior-health services up here. We had some funding that would cover staff a couple of days a week.” Jewish Family Service works in collaboration with the People’s Health Clinic, another nonprofit that provides health services to the uninsured and underinsured residents of Summit and Wasatch counties. “Mental health is a big issue and there are a lot of people who need help but can’t afford it,” Silver said. “So, we offer a sliding fee scale that accounts for most every situation and counseling with a licensed therapist.” The minimum fee is $25, but Silver said some clients pay below the fee. “We allow people to pay what they can afford,” she said. “That’s why we’re here.” In addition to counseling, Jewish Family Service hosts community events, Silver said. Please see Silver, C-7 Your future n Mountaei Hom is calling Check out The Park Record’s Real Estate Monthly for listings in Park City and the surrounding areas Looking to sell a home, condo, property, or townhome? 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