Article Contributed on: 1/14/2009 1:05:28 PM
Every morning Lakewood resident
Jennifer Sylman walks across the street from her home to the open space near Green Mountain. Her retriever dog,
Jerry, happily walks beside her. Sylman, who enjoys observing the changing seasons on Green Mountain, says her hour-long morning walks is what makes Jerry a very happy dog.
"Then he will just sit under the piano during the day and listen to me play," she said.
Sylman, who says her number one passion is music, has been volunteering in Lakewood for the past 27 years, ever since she and her husband,
Jack, moved to Colorado from New York. Even though raising four children kept her busy - her youngest child now a senior in high school - she always felt it was important to be involved.
"I've never really thought of myself as staying at home," Sylman said. "It's important to get out and be involved in the community."
Sylman said when she first moved to Lakewood, she missed the culture and music in New York. Eventually, though, the culture in Lakewood grew, especially when the city built the Lakewood Culture Center.
"I made comments to friends and neighbors," Sylman said. "I got involved with some groups and soon found many people with the same common goals. It became a complete city for me."
Sylman has sat on many different organization's boards throughout the years, including the Lakewood Heritage, Culture and Arts Alliance; the Lakewood Historical Society - where she has been vice president of the board for five years; the Lakewood Arts Council; and the Isaac Solomon Historic Synagogue Foundation. She also has opened her home to visiting musicians from England for the past several years through Lakewood's Sister Cities program.
"The Lakewood Arts Council is the newest board I am on," said Sylman. "It was brought on by my oil painting teacher."
Although she hadn't painted much, after a trip to Europe Sylman said she had dreams of painting what she saw there. She then took a class and got involved in the visual arts.
Right now, Sylman said she is pretty busy with Lakewood Historical Society, as she also serves as the chair of membership.
"I'm in charge of all the memberships coming in. It's a lot of data entry - I update renewals, send personal thank you notes," she said.
Sylman holds a degree in Early Childhood Development and has also loved volunteering with children.
"Children are very important to me. I volunteered in all my children's schools. I love working with children and not just my own."
Although various meetings keep her busy, she still finds the time to play the piano for several hours a day. As an attendee of Julliard, Sylman has been playing since she was 3 years old.
"I not only play the piano, but I also compose," she said. "I get so involved that I have to set an alarm to remember to pick up my son from school. It's a blissful world."