The Charlotte Jewish News - September 2015 - Page 18
Internship Program at ZABS Place Begins This Fall
By Rebecca Gale
College students are always
looking for a way to get their foot
in the door. This fall, students pur
suing eareers eatering to individ
uals with speeial needs will have
this opportunity by interning at
ZABS Plaee.
ZABS Plaee is a non-profit
thrift boutique in downtown
Matthews that employs young
adults with speeial needs. The
brainehild of Friendship Cirele di-
reetors, Bentzion and Roehel
Groner and Temple Beth El mem
bers, Charles and Caren Gale,
ZABS Plaee beeame a reality
through the overwhelming sup
port of a key group of eommitted
eommunity members beeause
they knew the statisties: There are
50,000 young adults with speeial
needs and 70% of them are unem
ployed. After being featured in ar-
tieles in The Charlotte Observer
and Charlotte Jewish News, the
organization was inundated with
phone ealls from parents all
eradling the same hope: Can my
ehild work at ZABS?
Knowing that they did not have
enough job eoaehes to support
these young adults, Caren Gale
reaehed out to Isabel Owen, the
Exeeutive Direetor of Autism
Charlotte, who with Laura Cozart
had already established an intern
ship program for their organiza
tion with several eolleges. Gale
saw the benefits of utilizing these
eolleges to draw from a popula
tion of students interested in fields
sueh as psyehology, speeial edu-
Intern Greg Trombello helps an em
ployee sort some items.
eation, and speeeh therapy.
“It seemed like a perfeet
mateh,” Gale says. “Our young
adults benefit from having a peer
mentor and the eollege students
benefit by gaining hands-on expe-
rienee for eollege eredit.”
Autism Charlotte provides eol
lege students with as many re-
sourees as possible before they
begin their internship program.
Cozart even takes them through a
three-hour training program so the
students know what to expeet.
“We take everyone’s needs into
eonsideration,” Cozart says. “We
are there to provide hands-on sup
port.”
Alison Salerno Dugo, Sup
ported Employment Coordinator
at ZABS Plaee, also assists these
eollege interns before they begin
working with ZABS employees
by providing them with materials
that outline preferred job eoaehing
methods.
“Currently, teaehing is through
instruetion, observation, and
hands-on experienee.” Dugo says.
The interns assist employees in
a variety of tasks sueh as sorting
donations, working the eash reg
ister, and posting merehandise for
sale on eBay. The goal is for the
eollege students to support the
employees while still promoting
their independenee.
Greg Trombello of Wingate
University is one of ZABS Plaee’s
first interns. After working for
only a eouple weeks, he feels he
has already learned so mueh.
“All the workers here are good
workers,” he says. “Even though
they have disabilities, they are just
like you and me.”
The internship program is of
fered to all eollege students in the
Charlotte area, and students ean
eontaet Laura Cozart at Autism
Charlotte or Alison Dugo at Ali-
son@ZABSPlaee.org if they are
interested.
ZABS Plaee is grateful for the
support of the Charlotte Jewish
eommunity and thrilled by their
zabs place
new partnership with Autism
Charlotte.
ZABS Plaee is a benefieiary
ageney of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Charlotte. ^
Operation Understanding Includes
Charlotte in Their Summer Itinerary Again
23 days. 6 states. 16 cities. 24
teenagers.
By Amy Krakovitz
Every year Operation Under
standing DC seleets both Jewish
and Afriean Ameriean teens from
their area to travel the US in
seareh of the past, present, and fu
ture of eivil rights, toleranee, and
an appreeiation of eaeh other’s
eultures. From New York City to
the Deep South, OUDC’s mission
is to “build a generation of Afriean
Ameriean and Jewish eommunity
leaders who promote respeet, un
derstanding, and eooperation
while working to eradieate raeism,
anti-Semitism, and all forms of
diserimination.”
In New York, they visit eom-
munities in Flarlem and in Bor
ough Park; they meet with people
who marehed on Selma, and peo
ple who survived the Holoeaust;
they experienee a living history
and a turbulent past, all while
planning for a brighter future.
Part of their visit ineludes
Charlotte, where they visit the
Museum of the New South to see
the “Cotton Fields to Skyserap-
ers” exhibit and hear from two no
table loeal speakers. Susan
Jaeobs, direetor of Temple Beth El
religious sehool, and lifelong
member of Temple Israel, speaks
to them about growing up Jewish
in the south. And for a speeial
(Continued on page 24)
Andrew Goldberg and Lauren Lee
Bellamy
CJD5 pointed me in tine Right diRection!
Scott
MCtitete Mecoa fcaltrgnepilng
Join Us!
Wednesday, October 28
8:30am-2:30pm
Admissions Open House
Come for your private tour.
Friday, October 30
Morning Preschool Visitation
Attending the Charlotte Jewish Day School
was crucial to who I am today. At a young age^
the teachers and atmosphere provided a place
where students begin to grow. They taught
strong moral values through religious stories,
provided a safe atmosphere for students to
cultivate their Interests, and instilled a strong
educational foundation through skilled
teachers, independent learning tracks, small
class sizes, and personalized attention.
I am currently a student at NC State majoring
in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in
Business. As any good designer knows, a
structure is only as stable as the support upon
which It's built. I believe this to be true in many
aspects of life, ke cream only lasts as long as
the integrity of the cone holds, skyscrapers are
only as sturdy as the floors beneath them, and
a person's character is only as respectable as
the values on which It was raised.
From an early age, CJDS provided me with
a strong academic foundation. This allowed
me to be more than prepared going into
middle school and subsequently
high school and college.
In addition to academics, CJDS imparted moral
values through their annual school-wide mottos.
Most of the themes, discussed during assemblies,
guided talks and education programs, were
centralized around being a Mensch in all walks of
life. These lessons acted as the brick and mortar
that hold the structure of my character together.
Today I am active on my college campus, as a
University Scholar, current service chair of my
fraternity, a committee leader of the Engineering
Council, and a heavy participant in intramural
sports. I hold myself to a high academic standard
while also making sure not to take life too
seriously. I have been fortunate to have two
engineering internships, giving me essential
insight Into and guidance for my career path.
This, along with strong academics, elevates me to
higher floors of my life's structure.
I believe my time at GDS provided structure,
guidance, and direction regarding how to
construct my life. I learned important lessons
applicable to both the classroom and the real
world; and because of CJDS,! am able to
withstand any earthquakes life throws my way.
CJDS
Chartotte Jewish
Day School
704.366.4558 • CJDSCHOOL.org
A strong academic foundation for living Jewishly,