I had a difficult adolescence and by the time I reached adulthood I was deeply addicted to drugs. I lost a son to medical complications as a result. Thankfully my other children were born healthy, but I continued to use all the same. While pregnant with my youngest...
JCCA caught up with Roshon Martin, Pleasantville Cottage School alum and award-winning chef, to learn about his journey from a challenging childhood to a career filled with passion and purpose. You can follow Chef Roe's culinary adventures on his Instagram page,...
Your childhood was not an easy one. What, if anything, do you feel you learned from it? I tell people: Don't let what you’ve been through stop you from becoming a greater you. You don’t have to let your past decide your future. How do your experiences with JCCA still...
JCCA’s alumni comprise a rich and complex group of people who come from diverse communities, backgrounds, and generations. Having suffered serious trauma in their early years, with the help of JCCA’s services, they have moved on to a wide range of occupations and...
In the first half of the last century, Morris Abramowitz was a NYC police officer patrolling a beat in the Bronx. Born in Russia in 1905, and the second of six children, he was six months old when his parents immigrated to the US. In his teens, his mother became sick...
Rick Safran is an alumnus of two of JCCA’s predecessor organizations, the Hebrew National Orphan Home (HNOH) and the Israel Orphan Asylum, where he resided for a total of 11 years. Now retired at 82, Rick had a distinguished career as an educator and administrator in...