Summer Lenderman Considers the Opportunity to Volunteer a Gift

Summer Lenderman’s first stop after moving to Boulder in 2010 was the Boulder JCC. She and her husband Max have two young daughters, Marley and Lara, and they found a welcoming home and community in the JCC Preschool.

Both Marley and Lara went through the preschool program from PAL to Pre-K, and Summer became an active parent volunteer. In 2011, she began working with the Reflections committee. Summer has helped run Reflections every year since, chairing the event in 2012 and 2013.

After chairing the Reflections event for two years, Summer started to work with Boulder’s Jewish Family Service (JFS). “My husband Max, along with his parents and older sister, immigrated to the USA from the USSR in 1979. After learning that the organization that sponsored his family – Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society – was part of JFS, I knew that I wanted to help this organization in a larger way.”

Summer currently sits on the Women of the J advisory board, and has been on the Reel Hope Committee that organizes the JFS annual fundraiser for three years.  Bringing her kids to JFS-sponsored events at retirement communities has also been an important tradition for the family throughout the years. She has helped to make the “Newish and Jewish” event a success for community members to connect with other older adults in the area.

Summer says she thrilled to be honored for her volunteer work at Reflections. But, she adds, it also feels a little “funny.”

“Volunteering at the JCC was my way to connect with ‘my people.’ I am being honored for something that has already been a great gift,” she observes. “It’s human to want to belong, and the JCC is something I can be part of. All I have to do is show up.”

In addition to finding a place where her family can connect, Summer adds that her volunteer work has another important benefit.

“One piece of it for me,” she says, “is that this is a way to be valued outside the home and family. And I do feel valued – even without the recognition.”

In case you missed it, check out the previous stories about Bright Stars Julie and Bruce Shaffer, Rising Stars Kate and Corey Litwin or Volunteer Star, Ardee Imerman.

For more information, please contact Boulder JCC Development Manager Caroline Meyers at (303) 998-1900 X 113 or caroline@boulderjcc.org.

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