Kristen H., who is on the Autism Spectrum, and her mother, Mary, are great champions of JCCA’s Compass Project. This program for teens and young adults with learning differences and related disabilities helps youth plan for and make a successful transition from high...
Eustacia Cutler, internationally-renowned author, advocate and lecturer on autism and the mother of autism activist and animal scientist Temple Grandin, and Long Islanders Cindy and Paul Woldar of The Edwin and Shirley Woldar Family Foundation which funds programs for...
Thanks to the 25 brave participants from the Kew Garden Hills Youth Center, Therapeutic Foster Care and Two Together who participated in the Generosity Brooklyn 5K Charity Run/Walk on Sunday March 29. Despite the bitter cold, they raised spirits and needed funds for...
Anthony R., 19, is a charming, motivated, ambitious young college student. But his earlier years were challenging. He came to JCCA’s Pleasantville Short Term Assessment and Rapid Treatment program when he was 15. Although very bright, he had problems at home and...
Being born with cerebral palsy (and wheelchair bound) does not stop Dejulaira (“DJ”) Lopez. Now 20 years old, she has endured many hardships but has also overcome many obstacles. When she was two, DJ was separated from her parents and family, except for one brother....
Nick was a troubled kid, getting bad grades and hanging out with the wrong crowd. His traditionally conservative father wanted him to become a barber just like him. He gradually became very active and involved with the Bukharian Teen Lounge, which had a transformative...
Akeena, 19, was abandoned in the hospital by her mother days after she was born. The task of raising her was left to her grandmother, Mable, a resilient and steadfast woman who is now retired after working much of her life as a nurse’s aide. The two came to JCCA’s...
When 91 year old Auschwitz survivor Mrs. Bronia Brandman spoke to 200 students at Brooklyn Democracy Academy (BDA) about the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of tolerance, there was a hush in the auditorium. Mrs. Brandman rejected the podium and stood in...
Aidbel Morano came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico when she was 18. Her life hasn’t been easy raising her four children, one with Downs Syndrome. Difficult family problems and the loss of her job put her and her 10-year-old son, Jalen, into a homeless shelter. The...
An important part of JCCA’s approach to helping troubled teens is to encourage them to volunteer and help others. The abused and neglected youth on our Pleasantville Campus take part in a youth development program that counsels them and helps them learn important life...