Tuesday’s gala was a joy––and a great success. A sell-out crowd of over 350 people filled the ballroom of Mandarin Oriental, featuring an unbeatable view of Central Park, raising nearly $1 million and counting to support the young people in JCCA’s care. The warmth and camaraderie of the JCCA community were palpable all night.   JCCA CEO Ron Richter kicked off the program, highlighting the pivotal moment that the organization finds itself in. A moment of urgency, crisis, but also great possibility. “From pioneering programs like New York City’s first Youth ACT team, which helps kee ..read more

Note: reprinted with permission from Children’s Voice magazine, Volume 33, Number 1 The current crisis affecting mental health among young people has been widely reported, and the data are stark. The CDC reports mental health–related emergency room visits among teens increased by 31% during the pandemic. In New York, the Coalition for Behavioral Health reports that the pandemic sparked a 77% increase in demand for behavioral health services. Teen suicide is on the rise, as are depression, anxiety, and disordered eating.    For providers, this epidemic isn’t abstract. “All these ..read more

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 child, Joquan, I was tested for both drugs and HIV. The results came back positive for both. My life would never be the same. The doctor said that if I took the right medicine there was a chance my son would be born HIV negative, and, thank God, he was. However, a judge came to a decision and five days later ACS staff came and remov ..read more

We caught up with Leonard Leveille, Director of JCCA’s Helping Hands for Families program, to learn more about his unexpected career in social work. Where does your professional story begin? I grew up in Brooklyn, in a family of hardworking Haitian immigrants who valued education and had a strong orientation toward helping others. I’m also a lifelong sports fan and by college I’d begun to imagine a career as a sports broadcaster, but I was reluctant to leave New York to get my start. My mother was a nurse and one day she suggested social work to me. She interacted with social workers at the ho ..read more

JCCA’s Pleasantville Cottage Campus is a special place. Once you get to know the oasis of healing and reprieve that lies beyond the front gate, it’s hard to forget. Countless volunteers tell a version of a familiar story: ‘I came here by chance one day years ago and I’ve been back every week since.’ But for some younger volunteers the influence of the Cottage Campus shows up not just in how they spend their free time but in the direction they choose to take their lives. “Volunteering is a family value for us,” says Olivia Silberstein, whose mother Ellen is a fixture in the JCCA volunteer commu ..read more

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 10, 2024 JCCA Statement on the Governor’s State of the State Address and Investment in Mental Health (New York, NY) — Ronald E. Richter, Chief Executive Officer of JCCA, one of New York’s most experienced child and family services organizations, issued the following statement in response to Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State address: “JCCA thanks Governor Hochul for her commitment to youth and families, community health, and equal access to mental healthcare for all New Yorkers. We applaud her ongoing commitment to young people and their caregivers ..read more

On Thursday, December 7th, surrounded by staff, elected officials, foster parents, and a boisterous community of support, JCCA cut the ribbon on a stunning new office in downtown Brooklyn. The beautiful, state-of-the-art facility features a range of adaptable spaces to accommodate the multiple services and programs housed inside, including JCCA’s Brooklyn Counseling Center, Prevention Services, LEAP, and Foster Home Services. The opening of the office represents the last piece of the puzzle being put into place. Our multi-year project to invest in exceptional facilities, which includes a fabul ..read more

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 on a promising path. But finding that path had not been easy. During a challenging adolescence, Anthony spent time on the Pleasantville Cottage Campus and in a JCCA group home, where he worked to untangle complex emotions and come to grips with the upheaval he’d experienced. “I struggled with questions I couldn’t fully answer,” he ..read more

Dear Friends of JCCA, Thanksgiving is nearly here, and with it the start of a truly meaningful time of year. While decorations, eating too much, and heart-warming traditions often get the spotlight, generosity, gratitude, and connection are what make the holiday season so important. Given the turbulent times we live in, leaning into these values is essential. JCCA’s mission is to bring life-changing care and support to children and families facing steep challenges and sometimes long odds. It’s not easy work, but it’s filled with purpose, hope, and––when a client makes progress––profound joy. F ..read more

(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 who worked largely pro-bono with poor families, Levy had accepted his position on the condition that he be free to pursue whatever reforms he saw fit. “We have arrived at the stage of our existence when something more should be done than merely clothe, feed, and plainly educate,” he remarked in 1903. This aim required more than ju ..read more