Justice is baked into Jubilee’s mission as we work to support adults with disabilities lead full lives. Actively doing justice – both for the people we support and hardworking staff – is one of the core areas of our new strategic plan. Jubilee is focusing its justice work on supporting more adults with disabilities from underserved communities, and integrating anti-racist… Read More »
New Roles for New Goals By Steve Keener, Executive Director You may have noticed some new faces around Jubilee. What’s going on? We’re adding more staff to better serve our community. Our hiring supports Jubilee’s new strategic plan to grow our work in the areas of helping the people we support achieve their life goals, housing support, and community engagement.… Read More »
After 25 years, Carolyn Durojaiye is retiring from Jubilee. While we say good-bye to Carolyn as a Jubilee employee, she will always be part of our history and our community. Carolyn dedicated her life’s work to people with disabilities. Carolyn leaves behind a legacy as a leader, advocate, valued employee and a friend to countless members of our community. Just… Read More »
After 38 years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Toni Zoghby retired at the end of July. She started working in the mailroom at NIH in January of 1983, and over the years was trained to work in multiple buildings where she sorted and metered mail. Her favorite thing about working at NIH was being around many different people,… Read More »
We are sad to share that Irene Kiruparany (Kirupa) Williams passed away peacefully on August 12. Irene/Kirupa was 29 years old. Jubilee was honored to support her on her path to independence. She loved coloring, watching Disney movies, playing piano, baking, gardening, amusement parks (especially roller coaster rides), and cruises. Irene is survived by her mother, Grace Pushparany (Pushpa), and… Read More »
Helping Asian and Hispanic Communities Access Support Services Navigating the process of securing disability services is a challenging process. For many in Hispanic and Asian communities, it’s overwhelming. Jubilee’s new program Breaking Barriers aims to significantly increase the number of adults of Hispanic and Asian descent who receive services in the county. Data shows that here in Montgomery County, DDA… Read More »
Do you want to be the next leader of Jubilee’s Client Council? Nominations are now open for our 2021 slate of officers! Put your name in for President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer. All people supported by Jubilee are eligible to run for office. Alex Rivas, Jubilee’s current Client Council President encourages everyone to step forward and get involved. “The best… Read More »
Register by Monday, September 6 Back by popular demand! Our week-long JAM Festival brings our community together September 20 to 26. Fun activities include bingo, karaoke, arts, charades and a talent show. Read the full list of activities and register using the attached form. All events are virtual, many are free. Return the form to Julia McCune at the Jubilee… Read More »
By Executive Director Steve Keener One of the many things about Jubilee that brings me great joy is how invested the members of our community are in the organization’s long-term success. Over the past several months, I’ve met with a diverse cross-section of our community during our strategic planning process. I’ve heard your ideas on how Jubilee can continue to… Read More »
Our new monthly series exploring Jubilee’s core values is a great opportunity to connect and discuss issues important to us all. “It’s really meaningful to hear what each value means to people based on their own life experience. Most importantly it helps us understand each other and connect on a deeper level,” shared Melanie Moore, Jubilee’s Learning and Development Manager.… Read More »
Thank you to The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation A great big thank you to The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for awarding Jubilee a grant to make the entrance to our building more accessible with an automatic door opener! Our building is a hub for meetings and special events, and we’re thrilled to now improve access to the building… Read More »
We’re creating an art gallery wall at the office, and we’d love to feature your masterpieces! If you’ve been busy creating art this past year, show off your handiwork at our upcoming office art gallery. Submissions welcome from our entire community. Contact Office Manager Bethany Coomes at bcoomes@jubileemd.org to submit your artwork. Want to be an artist, but don’t know… Read More »
Jubilee recently received two grants that help us support adults with disabilities. Grants are an important component of Jubilee’s funding as we continually seek to innovate and improve to best serve our community. A grant from The Arc Maryland and Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council provides funding to refurbish desktop computers for people we support. Being able to use a computer… Read More »
Thank You to Our Departing Board Members It’s the time of year when we say good-bye to our departing Board members and welcome new members. Our Board members provide important oversight and guidance to Jubilee, and we are so grateful to each and every one of you. We’re thrilled to welcome four new members to our Association Board. As we… Read More »
A Welcome Return to our Kensington Hub By Steve Keener, Executive Director I’m thrilled to share that the doors to our Kensington office reopen July 1! This is an exciting moment and a milestone on the road to recovery as we welcome back all staff to work in the office. Our building in Kensington is so much more than an… Read More »
A Juneteenth Reflection as Jubilee Works for Racial Justice By Nyla Jones, Program Assistant and Racial Justice Advisory Group Member This June 19th as we celebrate Juneteenth, also known as Black Independence Day, I reflect on the heartbreak and turmoil of the past year – and the increased focus on racial justice that resulted from it. Out of pain and… Read More »
Our commitment and work to create a more just and equal environment for all continues. In May, Jubilee hosted seminars on our core value of justice, and our management team participated in anti-racism training hosted by Roots of Justice. During our seminars on Jubilee’s core value of justice, our community had an opportunity to learn more about: issues surrounding guardianship… Read More »
Boy Scout Troop 52, friends and family volunteer with Jubilee’s maintenance team to create a safe outdoor workspace at our maintenance shop.
We’re thrilled to be able to offer new opportunities to get together in person this summer! Sign up for weekly art, hiking and tai chi IN PERSON programming! Our Reaching Out program is now open to everyone, and you can sign up for one class session at a time. Classes cost $25, and a Reaching Out form must be completed… Read More »
In light of new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Jubilee’s COVID-19 protocols are newly updated. We welcome these updates, and ask everyone to continue to make safe choices for our interconnected community. What’s new? If you receive Jubilee services, please follow the CDC’s guidance. If you are not fully vaccinated, the CDC still recommends that you… Read More »
To better serve our community, Jubilee is making two exciting updates to our popular Reaching Out program! Starting this Sunday, we are offering one-time class options, and they are now open to everyone! We will be offering outdoor, in-person programs for art, hiking and tai chi. We are also offering a virtual tai chi class. Classes cost $25, and a… Read More »
Annual Worship Service with Hyattsville Mennonite Church Have you had a chance to participate in Jubilee’s programming this Spring? We have a full slate of exciting programs open to everyone we support. Join us to connect with friends old and new, exercise, learn a new skill, and more. All programs hosted on Jubilee’s programming link, unless otherwise noted. Check out… Read More »
On April 24, Angela Mann passed away peacefully at home after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She is survived by her sister Maureen Mann Ritz, two nieces, three nephews, and many cousins from the families Mann, Owens, Matthew’s, McNamara, and Moran. Jubilee was honored to support Angela in her home. The Jubilee staff members who supported Angela were able to say their goodbyes before she passed. Angela taught her… Read More »
Caring for Yourself in a Difficult Time How to take care of our mental and emotional health — as we have all experienced trauma during the pandemic — were key take-aways from Jubilee’s self-care seminars. The seminars, which were free and open to everyone in the Jubilee community, brought together staff and people we support in a caring environment. Participants… Read More »
Join us for our first-ever Champions of Inclusion fundraising breakfast! This virtual event is on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 8 AM. Register now to get your unique zoom login at https://tinyurl.com/Jubileechampions. Different from any other event we have ever done Totally free Only 30 minutes No requirement to donate Join us and find out about the great work we… Read More »
Sharing exciting new updates to our April virtual programming to keep us connected while we’re physically apart. We recently hit our one-year milestone of being “on the air” every weekday with Jubilee Radio. Join Steve Keener and Genevieve Leary at 12:30 PM for community and friendship. Open to our entire community! Friday Happy Hour – Join Client Council Vice President… Read More »
Register now for new spring Reaching Out sessions! We are offering an art class and an independent living life skills class for adults on the autism spectrum beginning this April. While the classes will mostly be virtual, there will also be in-person classes at local parks. Register using this form or contact Jubilee’s Reaching Out coordinator Allison Bohn for details and at abohn@jubileemd.org before these popular classes… Read More »
Statement by: Steve Keener, Jubilee Executive Director With increased vaccinations in our community, I am thrilled to share that Jubilee’s COVID protocols are now updated. After a year of strict precautions, we feel it is now safe to take some preliminary steps to bring back more flexibility and in-person social engagement. The newest updates to the protocol have been highlighted… Read More »
We hope you enjoyed reading about how you made a difference in the lives of adults with disabilities this past year in your print copy of our FY2020 Annual Report! Didn’t see it yet? Check it out here via our website!
Congratulations to our DSP II advanced training graduates! Applications open for our next session. As a founding member of the Maryland Direct Support Professional Training Consortium, Jubilee offers advanced training and certification for our direct support professionals. We work to create an educated and empathetic workforce that provide high-quality support to people who rely on Jubilee. Our 7th class just… Read More »