Westchester Campus Launches New Musical Partnership!

On October 19, the Pleasantville Cottage School's Therapeutic Arts program launched its new partnership with Lagond Music School, one of the best music schools in Westchester. For the first time on this campus, our youth were invited to see a live concert. The Element, a seven-piece band, complete with saxophone, trombone, trumpet, lead guitar, bass guitar, percussion, and drums, led the audience through a wonderful night of hip hop, Latin grooves, and old school classics. They rapped, danced, and wowed the crowd with their showmanship. Our kids loved the show, and toward the end of the evening, a number of them met the musicians and free styled with the band. Sign-up sheets for classes were waiting in the back of the room and the response was amazing. More than 25 youth signed up for classes!

Supporting Jobs for Compass Youth

Each year, the Adult Career and Continuing Education Services—Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) holds a breakfast to highlight October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, honoring outstanding employers who have supported hiring people with disabilities. At the award ceremony event this year, JCCA Compass Project’s nominee, the accounting firm Wald and Wald of Jericho, NY, was one of five Long Island nominees honored at the event.

The JCCA Compass Project serves the special needs of Jewish high school and college-aged teens with learning disabilities or on the Autism Spectrum, providing them with counseling, educational direction, and social support. They also advocate with employers to give internships to those youth lacking work experience. Wald and Wald took on their first Compass intern and had such a wonderful experience that they offered the intern a paid position. They have also paid for additional training and education in the accounting field for this individual. Recently, they created two new staff positions and hired Compass candidates to fill them. Great thanks to owner Larry Wald and Office Manager Sonia Vazquez for their encouragment and support of these youngsters whom his firm have welcomed, appreciated and valued.

Reuniting with Old Friends

On September 18th, 150 men and women from JCCA’s predecessor organizations gathered together on JCCA’s Westchester campus for our annual Alumni Day, a festive event celebrating these individuals and their history. Enjoying a beautiful day outdoors, alumni, their families, former and current staff, and residents from The Cottage Schools shared moving stories, played softball, and lunched with old and new friends. A wonderful time was had by all!

A Global Connection

As part of a new partnership between JCCA’s Bukharian Teen Lounge and the Neot Rachel Community Center in Holon, Israel, 24 teens, many of whom are Russian-speaking, will exchange two visits to each other’s home cities. Over a period of three years, the program will focus on creating community between immigrants in America and Israel, while offering an ongoing dialogue of the experiences, realities, and misconceptions of being a Jewish immigrant in both places. Although this program is primarily targeted to youth, there is a parallel goal that involves the professionals who work with the youth to impact the larger communities in which they live.

The Israeli teens recently visited New York from July 27 to August 4 for their first experience of building friendships and acquiring knowledge of the social, political, and cultural life here. Their visit included exposure to the Bukharian community in Queens, sites of Jewish interest in the NY area, meetings with key community leaders and professionals at JCCA and UJA-Federation of New York, as well as a “retreat” at a summer camp for three days.