An architect’s rendering of the plans for the new JESPY facility to replace the old one at 11 Milligan Place in South Orange.
Illustration courtesy JESPY House
June 19, 2008
JESPY House has launched a $2.2 million capital campaign to build a new central meeting space for its developmentally disabled adult clients.
The funds will be used to demolish their facility and rebuild at 111 Milligan Place in South Orange.
Administrators expect to break ground in late fall.
“The real drive behind this effort is to have a meeting place, a clean, safe, and well lit facility where clients can come in the evenings,” said Arthur Schechner, 77, who is spearheading the campaign.
JESPY House serves the needs of 150 adult clients with learning disabilities, offering day programs as well as independent living facilities. Most of the activities, from fitness classes to parties, take place at the Milligan Place site.But the site is in a state of disrepair and doesn’t provide the kind of space or facilities JESPY House needs, said its principals.
“The programs are all on top of each other, and if we wanted to have a board meeting there, we’d have to kick out a Weight Watchers class or an exercise class,” said executive director Lyn Kucher.
JESPY House clients threw their support behind the fund-raising effort, running a spaghetti dinner this spring that brought in $750.
Photo courtesy JESPY House
The new building will include a fitness room and an industrial kitchen that will house a cafe and serve as a place where clients can learn nutritional cooking. A permanent space will be created for SPUR, Special and Unique Resources, JESPY’s resident work program. An elevator, for clients with mobility challenges, will be installed.
JESPY representatives are scheduled to appear before the township on July 7 for site plan approval.
Administrators have been trying to find an alternative location for eight to 10 years. Unable to find an appropriate location at a reasonable price, they decided to rebuild instead.
“The idea isn’t new. But the ability to do it was never within reach,” said Kucher.
Not until Schechner stopped by in August 2006. His wife, Judi Ruback Schechner, who had died earlier that year, had served as president of the JESPY board. She had originally become interested in JESPY through “a desire to do good deeds,” said Schechner, and the organization was “unquestionably her favorite charity for the last 10 years of her life.”
“I thought maybe I would lay down some money or some time there,” he said. But he saw the condition of the building — what he described as “a broken-down garage” — and heard that the administrators were considering a renovation.
“I said, ‘Don’t fool with a garage,’” said Schechner.
A recent exercise class in the “broken-down” JESPY facility. It is now slated for demolition to make way for a new building that will better serve the needs of its clients.
Photo by Johanna Ginsberg
The clients have thrown their weight behind the effort; a spaghetti dinner fund-raiser they held this spring brought in $750. Clients are planning to run a series of fund-raisers in the fall, including a garage sale. Beyond the annual dinner to be held in August, JESPY House administrators said they are not planning any other fund-raisers for the capital campaign.
Schechner provided the lead gift of $400,000 and is serving as chair of the campaign, which officially began last fall. The new building will be named in memory of his wife. “We need a safe, welcoming environment where they can come,” he said. “That’s what this campaign is all about.”
JESPY clarification
June 26, 2008
Since publication of the article “JESPY starts campaign for new central facility” (June 1), the agency has requested the publication of the following additional information.
The facility that JESPY House, Inc., plans to demolish, known as The Mitchell House, was named in 2000 to honor longtime JESPY client Mitchell Connor and his family for their dedication and financial support. The Foundation for Servicing Adults with Learning Disabilities of NJ, Inc., and its executive director, Sondra Connor, provided crucial support to JESPY during its earliest years. Collectively, they contributed in excess of $1 million.
To honor the Connor and Schechner families, the building that will replace the Mitchell House at 111 Milligan Place in South Orange will be named The Mitchell Connor Building. The center will be known as The Judi Ruback Schechner Recreational and Vocational Center.
While the Mitchell House building is not new and in many ways falls short of satisfying JESPY’s future needs, it has continued to be properly maintained and is in a good state of repair. The “garage” referred to by Arthur Schechner is a detached building on the property that does require attention and was being considered to satisfy additional space needs along with renovation of the main building.
The lead gift to the campaign is from the Schechner family, which includes Arthur Schechner and his children Marjorie (Schechner) and Tom Gart and June and Michael Schechner.
Finally, JESPY wants the community to know that it has passed the halfway point toward reaching its $2.2 million fund-raising goal; support is welcome from community members.
For more information, readers may contact director of operations Lois Rose at 973-762-6909, ext. 333.
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