This issue contains...

1. Inclusive Community Leadership: MLK Day of Service

2. Career Success Training Expanded Through OVR Partnership

3. Member Advocates Give Back to Cherished JCHAI Volunteer

4. You're Invited on May 20 — JCHAI's 2026 Annual Celebration!

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

On Saturday, January 17, community members were invited to Experience JCHAI by volunteering alongside our JCHAI and AADD members to make a difference in the community, focusing on Health, Heart, & Home.

Volunteerism builds skills, confidence, and pathways to future employment for our members. As well, it serves as an opportunity for like-minded individuals to come together as a community, make new connections, and build friendships.

Thank you to co-hosts Cindy and Jordyn Dannenbaum for making our Inclusive MLK Day of Service such a success!

Jordyn, one of our JCHAI Member Advocates, practiced her leadership skills by co-coordinating the day's programming, bringing the community together and making a real difference in service areas that hold special meaning to her.

Together, we accomplished so much! We are proud to have:

• Collected donations of hats, gloves, socks, bar soap, deodorant, toothbrushes & toothpaste, and new or upcycled beads

• Assembled 50 backpacks with essential items to support homeless individuals, benefiting H.E.L.P.I.N.G The Homeless

• Created 92 bracelets for people fighting cancer to give them hope for beating it, benefiting Beat It Beads

• Spread joy and gratitude by crafting hundreds of heartfelt cards of kindness, benefiting Operation Gratitude, Jewish Relief Agency, and Caring for Friends

We are so grateful to each and every volunteer for showing up with kindness and compassion. Together, we honored Dr. King’s legacy through service and community.

JCHAI is proud to have launched a new program providing career success training classes for transition-aged secondary students through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)’s Professional Connections Foundation (PCF) program.

We recently welcomed our very first cohort of students from Sun Valley High School, who participated in 30 hours of training taught by ACRE-certified JCHAI educators.

The first half of the curriculum centered around classroom learning, while the second half was spent out and about in the community, where students had the opportunity build experiential, real-world skills through workplace tours, a mock job fair, working in JCHAI's Training Cafe, and more!

Post-program feedback showed that participants:

• Explored different career paths and built workplace readiness skills

• Improved their professional communication and social skills

• Gained confidence through resume development and mock interviews

• Learned how to advocate for themselves in the workplace

JCHAI volunteer Sally Lou Loveman recently invited our JCHAI Member Advocates to her Philadelphia book launch party for her new children's book, Livy Lou Lovely Loves to Speak!

JCHAI Member Advocates Lior, Emily, Jason, Jessica, Gabriel, Matthew, and Jordyn did a fantastic job volunteering as greeters as well as working with the children in attendance in different project areas throughout the event.

For the past two years, Sally Lou has been hosting an incredible series of classes at JCHAI, inspiring and empowering our members to share their stories, improve their public speaking and self-presentation skills, discover the power of manifestation, and put forward their best, most authentic selves every day.

She has also joined us for countless other group programs like cooking classes, bowling trips, art workshops, and more, and is well-known and loved by members and staff alike for her warmth, friendship, and inclusion of all.

Thank you, Sally Lou, for sharing your passion for authenticity, kindness, and connection with our JCHAI family!

We hope you'll join us in celebrating this year's honoree and Board Chair-Elect, Jon Zuckerman. As a dedicated, long-time board member and Treasurer of JCHAI, Jon's leadership has helped support our growth and secure our long-term financial health.

Stay tuned for upcoming auction previews — you won't want to miss out on our exciting, one-of a-kind auction prizes!

About JCHAI

JCHAI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonsectarian organization in the Greater Philadelphia region that inspires and empowers individuals with developmental differences or disabilities to imagine and fulfill their life aspirations and be valued contributors in the community.

We rely on funds raised by generous donors like you to support the vibrant array of programs and services benefiting our 300+ members, helping them reach their personal goals and achieve their life aspirations.

Check out JCHAI's nonprofit profiles on Charity Navigator and Candid to see the great work we do in our community. We want to make sure you have the progress updates you need to confidently support our work with trust and assurance.