When Anthony Robinson last appeared on JCCA’s blog, in 2015, he was a 19-year-old college freshman described as “charming, motivated, ambitious.” A strong student and accomplished track athlete who spoke of a career in law enforcement, Anthony was clearly a young man...
(Click here to read Part 1: Growing Out of the Orphanage) It was the turn of the century and Samuel Levy, President of the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society, knew that “the glorious work of individualizing children” was due for a modernizing leap forward. A lawyer...
(Click here to read Part 2: A New Paradigm for Care) The age of the orphanage lives on in the popular imagination in works like Oliver Twist and Annie. We envision crowded mess halls and tightly packed beds lining cold, institutional rooms, where lonely children eked...
We sat down with Sarah Goldstein, a clinician and supervisor in JCCA's Child-Parent Psychotherapy program, to learn more about her career and a connection to JCCA that dates back to before she was born. I was raised in Westchester and aware of JCCA as a child. The...
On the occasion of her recognition by the 67th Precinct Clergy Council and a slew of NYC elected officials for her work in the community, JCCA sat down with Lamacca Holmes, Director of the East Flatbush Community Partnership, to talk about her life and career. What...
After nearly two decades working with grieving families, followed by a period of hardship in her own life, Yessenia Gomez began a career at JCCA. We sat down with her to learn more. Tell us about your role. I’m a Family Support Specialist on the Pleasantville campus....
On the occasion of her retirement we spoke to beloved Pleasantville Cottage Campus veteran Liticia McKnight about her career and the inspiration behind it. What led you to working with youth and to JCCA? I’ve been in the field pretty much my whole career. Right away I...
Where does your story start, in general and with JCCA? I was born upstate and raised in the Bronx. My parents immigrated to U.S. from Central America when they were teens. For my first few years we lived in a housing project in the South Bronx, not far from JCCA’s...
A big congratulations on being named President of JCCA’s Board of Trustees. How did your election come about? I’ve been on the Board since 2010, including on the Executive Committee, and involved as a volunteer even longer. My family has a history with JCCA dating...
For many of us, the holidays are time to connect and catch up with loved ones. Natasha, a JCCA client coming home from her first semester at SUNY Oswego, has many new experiences to share with her family and friends this season—and she’s also sharing them with us. In...