Dear Friends of JCCA,
Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season––a time of joy and celebration that is often combined with stress. For some of us, there is even pain. During these particularly challenging times, we at JCCA are going to focus on hope and promise.
Let’s think about JCCA families who have made important progress this year, and the young adults we support returning from their first semester at college to reconnect with friends near home to share their new experiences. Let’s think of the JCCA clients who cannot go home, and of the dedicated individuals––staff, volunteers, foster families––who ensure that their holidays are extra special.
One particular story will make you smile. It is from our Edenwald program on Campus:
Residence Supervisor Donyal Campfield cooks a full Thanksgiving meal for the residents of her Edenwald cottage every year. Recently, when space in the kitchen got tight, Ms. Campfield stored the food on the balcony until it was time to eat and left the cottage to run last-minute holiday errands. When she returned, she found the meal devoured by birds. So she cooked the entire meal again from scratch––every last dish––leaving the kids in her cottage an indelible image of what it means to be cared for unconditionally.
This is one example of the countless ways––small and not so small, seen and unseen––that our staff, volunteers, and supporters come through for our clients every day. After two centuries, this remarkable organization continues to affirm our faith in humanity!
Over the next few weeks, we’ll share more stories like Ms. Campfield’s. They remind us about how we are continuously repairing the world, child by child through our people, our programs, and our plans for the future. We hope you will join us and be part of the story this holiday season. You can sign up to receive those emails here.
Have a joyful Thanksgiving,
Ronald E. Richter, Chief Executive Office