EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

SUPPORT GROUPS

These support groups are free and open to all experiencing infertility in Denver.

You will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Registration is requested at least 24 hours in advance.

FERTILITY BUDDIES

Our fertility buddies practice “relationship-based support.” Individuals currently experiencing infertility and/or on a family-building journey are matched with trained fertility buddy veterans, who understand the pressure, pain, and emotional upheaval caused by infertility and various paths to parenthood, and can offer the much-needed support to their buddies.

Need a buddy?Want to become a buddy?

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

JFF-DEN FERTILITY GRANTS

As a Denver resident, you may be eligible to apply for our grants:

Invitro Fertilization (IVF)
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Other financial benefits through JFF include:

20% off discounts from our partner clinics
Pharmacy discounts for medications and genetic testing (of embryos) discounts from our partners

Learn More

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

JOIN US!

JFF offers community programming to spread awareness of infertility and family-building pathways and to bring our amazing community together.

DENVER COUNSELORS (for one-on-one counseling)

Lauren Brittsan, LPC – in-network with Aetna and accepts private pay
Emily Frank, LPCC – accepts private pay; superbill option available
Gitit Kaufman, MS, LPC. Accepts private pay. Focus on relationships and grief issues (including pregnancy loss)
Melissa Michaud, M.S., LPC, NCC – accepts private pay; superbill option available for out-of-network reimbursement
Alexandra Rothschild, LPC, LAC – in-network with Aetna and accepts private pay
Dr. Emily Sheldon, MD – Adult Psychiatrist focusing on women’s mental health, accepts private pay, superbill option available

DENVER CLINICS

DENVER TEAM

Meet the JFF-DENVER Manager

Shira
JFF-DENVER Manager

Email

Shira Gabry-Kalikow has a dual Master’s in Social Work and Public Health from Columbia University. Even before going through infertility herself, she worked in the reproductive health and infertility fields, interning at a fertility clinic in graduate school, teaching gender and sexuality education, and designing and developing educational content at a fertility start-up.

Shira joined the JFF-DEN Advisory Council in November and has significant experience at other non-profit organizations. Now she is excited to join the staff of a mission-driven organization focused on a cause about which she is both personally and professionally passionate. Shira believes social support is vital to coping with infertility and looks forward to further developing programs that provide this support at JFF.

After attending a pluralistic Jewish Day School from K-12 and becoming involved in various Jewish activities in college, Shira is excited to get to know the Denver Jewish community even better.

Meet the JFF-DEN Volunteers

Paula Samet

Advisory Council Chair

Paula was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication and Business from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After graduating, she moved west to Denver to fulfill her goal of expanding her reach in the Jewish non-profit/Israel advocacy community. Paula has spent the last decade working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (“AIPAC”) in both a programming and fundraising capacity. She currently serves as a Director, overseeing AIPAC’s efforts in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and El Paso, TX.

WHY JFF?
After years of unexplained infertility and loss, Paula and her husband Josh underwent multiple rounds of IUI and finally IVF. They are blessed with a wonderful 4-year-old son through IVF and have both become passionate about connecting with others in the Jewish community with shared experiences.

Erin Groom

Bio:
Erin Groom was born and raised in Denver, CO, and is a 5th generation native. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Erin moved to New York City to work in finance. She spent 5 years there and then met her husband Adam; they moved back to Denver in 2008. Since then Erin has spent her career in the stock business and continues to do so today. She and Adam have two miracle children, a daughter Sutton who is 7, and a son Nash who is 5, as well as their dog Hank.

Why JFF?

After undergoing four years of infertility treatments including IUI, IVF, many surgeries, several miscarriages, and the initial engagement of a surrogate, Erin always wanted to find a way to give back to the infertility community. She is excited to help JFF by mentoring and connecting with those experiencing infertility as well as assisting in raising awareness about infertility and the organization throughout the Denver community.

Evi Makovsky

Evi Bachrach Makovsky, JD, MSW, is a retired attorney and social worker. Having served five years as Assistant Colorado Attorney General and six years as Denver’s Senior City Attorney in employment, Evi was also an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work and at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in healthcare and ethics.

Evi is a member and immediate past Chair of the AIPAC Colorado Council, and serves on the board of several organizations including: Rose Community Foundation - Jewish Life Committee, Metropolitan State College of Denver Foundation, Children's Hospital of Colorado Foundation, and Denver Health Foundation. Evi's former board participation includes being a former Trustee for Denver Jewish Day School, JEWISHcolorado, the Women's Bean Project and a Trustee with the Colorado Symphony. Evi was also an original founder of "CHAI", a community response to domestic abuse, that is now a part of Jewish Family Service in Denver. CHAI provides confidential counseling, advocacy, information and referrals.

Why JFF?

Evi is excited to be involved with JFF - serving a long time need in the Jewish community - addressing fertility, IVF, surrogacy and overall family building. Up until recently our community had very few resources, so she is thrilled to be a part of this project. She wants more women to participate in the future, and cares deeply about setting an example for her children and (many) grandchildren to engage in important community work.

Debra Michaud

Debra Michaud grew up in Orlando, Florida. She graduated from nursing school while receiving a degree in Education in 1986. Debra worked in labor/delivery and postpartum, newborn care and then as a State Medical Inspector in the Florida Jail system. She also worked as a utilization review nurse for the Medicare and private insurance systems.
Debra later transitioned into the medical-legal world. She owned and operated a legal nurse consulting business, MedReview, for 20 years, interpreting and assisting attorneys in the evaluation of medical-legal claims and retaining medical experts.
Debra’s prior experiences and this role allowed her to transition into the evaluation and management of small businesses, including the financial direction and oversight of these businesses, and the personal financial mindfulness of their owners. This role continues to evolve and now also includes the personal mindfulness education of individuals and life coaching.
Debra’s philanthropic involvements have included participating as one of the founding families, subsequent Board of Directors, and President of the Board of Directors of Hillel Day School in Boca Raton, Florida. She was also on the Board of Directors, and subsequent President of the Board of Directors of Ramah Darom in Clayton, Georgia. She also served on the Court Appointed Special Advocates for the State of Colorado. Debra is a Past Member of the Board of Directors at the Hebrew Educational Alliance in Denver, Colorado.
Why JFF?
JFF piqued Debra's interest as a new way to get involved with Denver's Jewish Community. She was especially interested in giving back via JFF due to her own personal journey as a young woman and as the mother of a child experiencing infertility, along with her past women's health nursing background.

Pauline Shaffer

Pauline lives in Denver (as an East Coast transplant from Boston) with her husband, Jody, and their toddler daughter, Anna. Pauline has been a stay-at-home mom since Anna’s birth in late 2022 but stays connected to her community through volunteer work. She serves on the Board of the nonprofit Family Tree, which offers services for those affected by the interconnected issues of homelessness, child abuse, and domestic violence. She is also the Chair of their Development Committee.

Previously, Pauline worked as the Operations and Marketing Manager for Touch the Top, Inc., supporting Adventurer, Author, and Keynote Speaker Erik Weihenmayer, who happens to be blind. Erik also founded the Fort Collins nonprofit No Barriers, which his team, including Pauline, supported. Her role included traveling the country with Erik and acting as his event manager for his presentations to corporations, nonprofits, and schools. During her time with Touch the Top, Pauline created and produced the No Barriers Podcast, which highlighted folks who had faced immense challenges in their lives and the process of healing had turned their pain into meaning.

Pauline’s journey to becoming a mom was only possible through reproductive technology. After years of experiencing infertility, she was advised to embark on IVF. Eventually, Anna was conceived after many emotional years and ups and downs. Having to go through the process while the country was on COVID restrictions made Pauline extra cognizant of how isolating, lonely, and challenging fertility treatments are and the importance of mentorship and support. She is thrilled to join the Advisory Council and bring her lived experience and dedication to the work JFF provides their community.

Cantor Elizabeth Sacks

Cantor Elizabeth Sacks is the Senior Cantor at Temple Emanuel in Denver. She was ordained as a cantor in 2007 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies and Music from Harvard University. From 2007-2012, Cantor Sacks served as the Associate Cantor at Central Synagogue in New York, focusing on worship, education, and young professional engagement.

In addition to her congregational work, Cantor Sacks advises national Reform Movement organizations across the country, chairing and serving on associations for the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the American Conference of Cantors, and the Union for Reform Judaism. She is a frequent presenter at conferences and panels on the topic of worship design and ritual innovation. Cantor Sacks is married to Elias Sacks, Director of the Jewish Publication Society. Cantor Sacks, Eli, and their children - Charlie and Tova - live in Denver.