NEW CITY, NY — These are exciting times for Jawonio, the Rockland County-based nonprofit dedicated to the well-being and independence of people with disabilities, special needs, and behavioral health challenges.
The agency has received grants to build a new behavioral health center for adult clients with mental health issues, something Jawonio CEO Randi Rios-Castro calls “a game-changer.”
Former client Steven Schwartz would go even further.
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“It will allow for the program to grow and help more people in the community like me,” he told Patch, “not only did they change my life, but they truly saved my life.”
Plus, Jawonio is opening a new, innovative retail business this month — also thanks to a grant — which its clients will staff, enjoy and learn from, and which will excite the wider community too: a Lego resale store.
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Jawonio’s mission is to provide lifelong services to help the community’s most vulnerable individuals reach their highest potential. From infancy through end of life, Jawonio supports people with developmental disabilities, mental health challenges and chronic medical needs. It serves thousands of children and adults a year, mostly on its campus in New City, and also at a satellite location in Yonkers.
The agency’s leaders have always tried to think outside the box, as well as follow best practices – as evidenced by the name. The agency’s first executive director, John Mueller, called the New York Public Library and asked its researchers for Native American words meaning “independence,” agency spokeswoman Diana Hess told Patch.
One thing the new retail business will do is give clients workforce training and experience to help them be independent.
The Store
Called Brick It Again, the store is in the Lake Ridge Plaza Shopping Center in Valley Cottage.
The grand opening is March 28. (From then through April 30, customers who make a purchase will be entered into a raffle to win a free Brick it Again birthday party.)
Store hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Future plans include hosting children’s birthday parties as well as other special events throughout the year.
The store will provide lots of employment opportunities, from sorting, washing and packaging Legos as they come in, stocking shelves, and day-to-day customer service responsibilities.
“At the heart of our mission for the store is to provide vocational and employment opportunities for individuals with special needs to achieve their highest levels of independence,” said Rios-Castro. “We invite everyone in the community to come in, have fun and play.”
The store could not have happened without a grant of $300,000 dollars from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, she said. “As previous grantees, we are honored and grateful for their ongoing belief in our mission and investment in our work.”
The PROS Center
Jawonio’s leaders want to buy a property for their Personalized Recovery Oriented Services program for people with behavioral health challenges, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, substance abuse, and the dually-diagnosed, including those with a developmental disability and mental health diagnosis.
“This is truly a game-changer for our staff, the participants we support and the community,” Rios-Castro said in a news release.
Why?
“This is going to allow this program to really blossom,” she told Patch. “A unique space where we can provide services all in one building, where people can come and feel supported in their community, where we can help individuals make their own way.”
In February, Jawonio’s leaders learned New York State had awarded them $2.2 million to purchase property. They had already been awarded a federal $1.3 million grant to help them to renovate the site once they find one.
They want to create 8,000 square feet of program space, are looking for something that’s not too far from the main campus, and that is accessible by bus and near shops. A broker is helping to scope out different locations in Rockland County.
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“It’s going to be a little bit of a challenge to find the right site,” Rios-Castro acknowledged.
Now almost 300 clients are enrolled in the PROS program. Its activities happen on the Jawonio campus in New City, spread across three different buildings. (Some clients also have some services delivered remotely.)
“For mental health, it’s only adults we’re helping right now,” she said. “Who knows what the future will bring?”
By The Way
Jawonio seeks donations of new and used Lego and Duplo products for the store. If you would like to donate, please call 845.708.2000 x2339 or email [email protected].
Steven Schwartz is now an Administrative Assistant for Jawonio Community Employment Services. You can learn more about why he called Jawonio a “life-saver” here.
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