Making an Impact Through Service

Each month during the school year, Kent Denver highlights two Upper School students who are making a positive impact in the community through their service hours. The first installment in our 2025-26 series features Claire Bookmyer ’27—who has done extensive volunteer work with a local assisted living facility—and Brody Brownstein ’28—who has been volunteering with Jewish Family Services for nearly four years. 

Read about their experiences below, and learn more about Kent Denver’s commitment to social responsibility and impact here. 

Claire Bookmyer ’27 has spent many of her recent Sundays volunteering at Kavod Senior Life, which provides senior living and assisted living apartment homes for people ages 62 and over. She provides technology help for the seniors and also hosts a special jewelry-making class once a month. 

“It’s pretty rewarding, and I’ve created a lot of connections with the people there,” says Claire, who highlighted the value in interacting and building bonds with a different age demographic than your own. “There are people who know me by name, and they come every Sunday to say hi. One time, I was out of town, and the next week, one of the community members mentioned he had stopped by the previous week and realized I wasn’t there. It was cool to see how they genuinely care about you, and that you’re able to help people.” 

Claire has already fulfilled well over 50 service hours on her way to her 80-hour graduation requirement, and she discussed the importance of students finding a primary organization that they feel a real connection to. 

“Do something that you find interesting,” she said. “Try out a bunch of different organizations at the start. Some will speak to you, some won’t. Try and do something where you feel like you have a purpose, and you’ll find that it will be a really rewarding experience.”

Brody Brownstein ’28 has also made a positive impact with local seniors through his service work with Jewish Family Services—a nonprofit that helps people of all faiths and backgrounds through a variety of community service programs. Brody has volunteered weekly over the summer and other school holiday breaks with the organization’s Community Lunch Table Companion program. There, he provides meals and social engagement for elderly adults in the community. 

“When I was 12, I was getting ready for my bar mitzvah project, and JFS popped up as a place that I could get involved with,” said Brody, who started volunteering with his mom until he could drive himself. “I’ve created a really good relationship with some of those people. Getting to hear about their life—sometimes, it can be really hard because they can be dealing with hard times. But the value of providing community and support makes me feel really good.”

As a sophomore with 60 service hours, Brody is already three-quarters of the way to his graduation requirement. But he knows the work is about more than just completing a checklist. 

“Outside of our community service hours, it’s really important to interact with communities outside of our own,” said Brody. “It’s important to keep a good relationship with people who need help. If you’re able to build that strong community, that’s a really good thing.”