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INTRODUCTION
Founded in 1984, Israel Elwyn (IE) is the largest nonprofit provider in Israel of programs for children and adults with developmental, intellectual, and other disabilities. Our mission is to develop and provide a wide array of supports, means of accessibility, and tools for people with disabilities while constantly striving for excellence of service and the creation of a just society. Together with people with disabilities and society at large, we work as an innovative and cutting-edge organization.
IE operates on the belief that a just society is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and to safeguarding the right of each person to participate equally and actively in all spheres of life, according to personal preferences. We are committed to providing tools and supports to adults that support their interests and needs.
ABOUT ISRAEL ELWYN’S EL QUDS BRANCH
Israel Elwyn’s El Quds Branch in East Jerusalem was established in June 1985 and was the first program serving people with disabilities in the Old City of Jerusalem. Today, these programs serve individuals from East Jerusalem and the surrounding areas who are recognized by the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs.
The El Quds Branch’s Programs include:
The El Quds Branch in East Jerusalem is a leading provider of educational, vocational, and support services for 1,000 individuals with disabilities. It operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs and local municipalities.
ELWYN EL QUDS ADULT DAY SERVICES CENTER
The El Quds Branch in East Jerusalem currently operates an adult day program in rented spaces in East Jerusalem. This space is not designed to optimally meet the programs’ needs. In addition, this program needs to move to a new location when building owners reclaim their spaces for other purposes. This is difficult as program participants need to adapt to new public transportation routes, neighborhoods, etc.
To respond to these challenges, Israel Elwyn would like to purchase and, if needed, refurbish a 400- square meter (approximately 4,000 square feet) building in the Atarot Industrial Park in northern Jerusalem. Building ownership will guarantee stability, enable infrastructure customization to meet program needs, and allow for program expansion.
The proposed building will house the Elwyn El-Quds Adult Day Program:
Elwyn El Quds Adult Day Programs serve program participants age 21+ who require therapeutic and daily comprehensive support. The programs offer a variety of recreational and professional therapies, including physical, occupational, and speech therapists, emotional support from social workers, and expressive creative therapies, such as art, music, drama, and more.
In addition, the programs provide opportunities for social interaction and independent living skill training. They enable participants to fulfill their potential, according to their preferences, together with comprehensive individualized plans and necessary adaptations.
Location is important as these programs foster an integral relationship with the community through volunteerism and partnerships with other organizations. Through shared activities, the adult day programs have become an essential part of the surrounding communities, which benefits everyone.
Currently, there are 63 service recipients in the Elwyn El Quds Branch in East Jerusalem adult day program and a waiting list. The program is operated in a rented building in Beit Hanina, which is close to the Atarot Industrial Park. The move to a new building will allow us to expand the program and serve an additional 40 service recipients.
ELWYN EL QUDS ATAROT CAMPAIGN: ADULT DAY SERVICES CENTER
Israel Elwyn is launching a fundraising campaign to raise $1.5 million from individual and organizational donors to purchase, refurbish, and furnish a building in the Atarot Industrial Park to house and expand the Elwyn El Quds Branch in East Jerusalem adult day services program.
We welcome your generous support. Pledges can be paid over three years. Naming opportunities are available.
For U.S. and Canadian donors, please make your donation through American Friends of Israel Elwyn or Canadian Friends of Israel Elwyn to ensure your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
For more information, please contact Israel Elwyn Senior CEO David Marcu at marcu@israelelwyn.org.il
INTRODUCTION
Founded in 1984, Israel Elwyn (IE) is the largest nonprofit provider in Israel of programs for children and adults with developmental, intellectual, and other disabilities. Our mission is to develop and provide a wide array of supports, means of accessibility, and tools for people with disabilities while constantly striving for excellence of service and the creation of a just society. Together with people with disabilities and society at large, we work as an innovative and cutting-edge organization.
IE operates on the belief that a just society is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and to safeguarding the right of each person to participate equally and actively in all spheres of life, according to personal preferences. We are committed to providing employment training and opportunities so that individuals with disabilities can work in the competitive job market in the careers of their choice.
Toward this end, Israel Elwyn has developed employment and career programs throughout Israel and continually expands its network of employers who welcome program participants into their businesses as paid employees. In February 2023, IE will receive the prestigious Zero Project Award for its successful creation of employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive job market.
(The Zero Project is a non-profit foundation based in Vienna, Austria, that focuses on researching and sharing innovative solutions that support the rights of people with disabilities globally. Awards are given as a part of The Zero Project’s annual conference held at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. IE’s 2023 award recognizes its leadership in supporting individuals with disabilities to realize their professional goals through training and job support in competitive employment rather than placing these individuals in sheltered workshops.)
ABOUT ISRAEL ELWYN’S EMPLOYMENT AND CAREER PROGRAMS
Israel Elwyn’s employment and career programs support thousands of employees with disabilities nationwide who wish to be gainfully employed in the competitive job market. Created in the early 1990’s, IE was the first Israeli organization to provide this opportunity to its program participants.
The program offers employees with disabilities the opportunity to gain relevant employment skills, the prospect of improving their earning capacity, and the development of a fulfilling career path. IE staff supports service recipients, either individually or in group models, to find suitable, adapted jobs.
During the employee’s inclusion in the workplace, the program’s staff serves as a liaison between the employer and employee to ensure that the employer’s requirements are met and that they align with the employee’s wishes and rights.
The program operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs and local municipalities.
Israel Elwyn continues to expand its pool of employers through new strategies, such as recognizing employers who hire people with disabilities with the “Open-Door Employer” social badge. This badge can be proudly and publicly displayed in the employer’s business, as recognition of their commitment to creating a just and equal society.
To learn more about IE’s unique job placement program, you are invited to watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkeCmvHcQTw
ISRAEL EMPLOYMENT AND CAREER HUB FOR HAIFA AND NORTHERN ISRAEL
IE serves nearly 400 service recipients living in Haifa and northern Israel through its employment and career programs. Participants are age 18+ with all types of disabilities, including autism, physical, sensorial (blindness and deafness), developmental or intellectual. Services include:
These programs are currently housed in a rental space that is not designed to optimally meet the programs’ needs. In addition, these programs need to move to new locations every year or two as building owners reclaim their spaces for other purposes.
To respond to these challenges, Israel Elwyn would like to purchase and, if needed, refurbish a 300- square meter (approximately 3,000 square feet) building in Haifa. Building ownership will guarantee stability for the programs and provide a space to optimally meet the needs of program participants
This building will become an anchor for IE programs in the region serving young adults, such as “Future Directions”, “Inclusion in Uniform”, and transitional programs, such as “Creating a Future.” It is anticipated about 170 program participants will receive training and support in this location.
In addition, the building will serve the broader community as a meeting place for families and parent support groups, social services, and supervisors from the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs. It will provide office space for about 40 IE professional staff and serve as a northern Israel location for staff meetings, trainings, and conferences.
Building ownership will provide savings on rental expenses over the years and enable IE to select a central and accessible location in the heart of the community. It will allow for a more stable service location and thus not disrupt service recipients’ familiarity with the building itself, local public transportation routes, the neighborhood, etc. IE will be able to adapt the building and make it accessible to the specific, long-term needs of program participants and staff members.
EMPLOYMENT AND CAREER HUB CAMPAIGN: HAIFA AND NORTHERN ISRAEL
Israel Elwyn is launching a fundraising campaign to raise $1 million from individual and organizational donors to purchase, refurbish, and furnish a building in Haifa to house and expand its employment and career programs. This building will also provide space for other programs serving young adults with disabilities in the region.
We welcome your generous support. Pledges can be paid over three years. Naming opportunities are available.
For U.S. and Canadian donors, please make your donation through American Friends of Israel Elwyn or Canadian Friends of Israel Elwyn to ensure that your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
For more information, please contact Israel Elwyn Senior CEO David Marcu at marcu@israelelwyn.org.il.
IE program participants in Haifa participate in employment training in landscaping.
Founded in 1984, Israel Elwyn (IE) is the largest nonprofit program provider for children and adults with developmental, intellectual, and other disabilities in Israel. Together with individuals with disabilities and society-at-large, we work as an organization that initiates groundbreaking changes in the field of disabilities.
Our mission is to develop an array of innovative programs, support, and means of accessibility for individuals with disabilities, while striving for excellence of service and the creation of a just society. Israel Elwyn is committed to providing the highest quality of comprehensive support services, utilizing state-of-the-art methodologies, and promoting professional development among its staff.
Israel Elwyn provides support services for close to 5,200 children and adults with disabilities annually nationwide. We are Israel’s leader in the areas of early intervention, youth transition, vocational training and employment, supported living and retiree services. Our award-winning programs offer tools and training so that participants can maximize their independence, inclusion in the community and a life of dignity.
Israel Elwyn is recognized as the consultant of choice for many organizations in Israel and around the globe. Our Academy for Continuing Education is a resource for IE’s staff, program participants, and a wide range of professionals who work with individual with disabilities.
A trusted service partner to the Israeli government, Israel Elwyn receives public funding to run its basic day-to-day programming. However, government support does not fully cover the capital expenses of Israel Elwyn’s centers or the innovative programs that create a crucial safety net for those in need.
Israel Elwyn relies on the generosity of its donors to continue its essential growth and program development.
Israel Elwyn’s Academy for Continuing Education and Professional Services operates in accordance with the values stated in IE’s vision, which are to develop an organizational culture of learning, together with the management, documentation and distribution of knowledge.
The Academy offers an ongoing and comprehensive curriculum of training programs, and holds seminars, conferences, lectures and workshops for a variety of audiences, such as professionals and individuals with disabilities and their families. The Academy’s courses provide professional knowledge and skills in the fields of education, rehabilitation, and other areas.
The Academy’s Objectives and Goals:
IE’s Academy for Continuing Education promotes an organizational culture of learning, continuing education and training. The Academy works in collaboration with academic institutions and other organizations in the development of accessible vocational training courses. Among the trainings in recent years were courses for becoming preschool teacher assistants in day care centers and kindergartens, assistant chefs in the food industry, administrative coordinators using digital tools, dental assistants, starting an independent business. In addition, foundational skill-building courses were offered in language skills (Hebrew/English), computer skills, social media and basic programming, developing soft and vocational skills and more.
To make the work of the Academy possible, $150,000 must be raised through donations annually. These gifts will be appropriately recognized at the Academy.
For over thirty years, Israel Elwyn has operated job placement programs to increase the number of individuals with disabilities employed in the competitive job market in employer-employee relationships. Over 1,500 employees with disabilities and around 3,000 employers are supported by the staff of IE’s job placement programs annually nationwide. IE places great value on leading social change through the gainful employment of individuals with disabilities, so they may receive salaries, social benefits and the possibility to grow personally and professionally.
To achieve this goal, there is also a need to provide support to the employers and their staff, which includes:
Since the 1990s, Israel Elwyn and the Aroma Espresso Bar chain have shared a unique employment collaboration and, recently, they initiated a “Food Truck” – a social café outside IE’s Adult Day Center in Holon that is operated by the service recipients and enables interaction with the community in a dynamic and busy industrial area.
IE wishes to mobilize the over 3,000 employers that we support, as well as our placement partners, to become an “exclusive club” and serve as a model for other employers. Thus, the employer would become an “ambassador” to raise awareness and to appeal to an increasing number of employers to open their businesses to employees with disabilities. IE’s professional staff would provide support and information, while acting as mediators in the referral of relevant knowledge.
Membership in this “exclusive club” will provide a variety of opportunities, including employers’ evenings, roundtables, professional training and information about the benefits of employing individuals with disabilities, marketing strategies to expand the number of employees with disabilities, assisting employers with information, an online support call center and more.
A donation of $100,000 will help us to expand the number of employers who partner with Israel Elwyn and to advance the creation of an egalitarian society in which fair and gainful employment of individuals with disabilities is considered normal and valuable.
In Israel, there are over 30,000 adults with intellectual disabilities whose lives are largely controlled by other people. The National Self-Advocacy Program enables individuals with intellectual disabilities to gain the skills they need to make their voices heard, to advance their rights, and to improve their quality of life.
In 2015, the National Self-Advocacy Group was created by representatives from local self-advocacy groups to initiate legislative and policy change and to promote pressing issues for individuals with disabilities. Activities included a meeting at the Knesset on the Guardianship and Supported Decision Making Law and a meeting with representatives of the Egged Transportation Company Ltd. on critical adaptations to public buses. This national activity was made possible through a unique collaboration between Israel Elwyn and Beit Issie Shapiro, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Ruderman Family Foundation.
Parents of individuals with disabilities are currently their primary spokespeople. IE’s objective is to train these individuals who are often not heard, particularly those who require considerable support.
By becoming a spokesperson, individuals with disabilities advocate for their own rights by taking part in public discussions and decision-making processes. Members of the self-advocacy group have advanced several issues in this way, and the Leadership Program is a natural extension of self-advocacy. The training is geared towards public entities, such as the police, hospitals, the education system, the Knesset, and others.
During the COVID-19 crisis, we witnessed public discourse in which, sadly, the
voices of those whom the discussion concerned were not heard. An illustration of this was a media debate about which COVID-19 patients should be a high priority in hospitals for machine respiration. It concluded that those with intellectual disabilities would be a low priority. Training as a spokesperson would enable individuals with intellectual disabilities to express their viewpoint, and, thereby, speak for themselves!
The spokesperson’s training includes using theatrical tools when facing an audience, body language, work with various media channels (radio/television/the press/Facebook/Twitter), using personal style, knowledge of current events, debating skills, and more. The training incorporates an internship period in a government ministry or company with a focus on spokespeople.
The Self-Advocacy and Leadership Program relies fully on support from donors. A donation of $100,000 will support the annual activities of the Self-Advocacy Program including ongoing training for both the self-advocates and facilitators, professional supports by an expert in the field of self-advocacy, access to information and literature required for group deliberations an annual self-advocacy conference, marketing materials, short videos and more.
Over the past 10 years, IE has supported 1,000s of employees with disabilities working in the competitive job market, many of whom are now approaching retirement and have expressed their wish to participate in an inclusive retiree program.
Unfortunately, upon reaching old age, many families can no longer support these retired participants, and they are forced to live in segregated institutions outside the community.
In addition, the state provides support to retirees without disabilities starting from age 67 (depending on gender) and IE’s service recipients often reach retirement at younger ages. This means that retirees with disabilities are frequently not eligible for support for inclusion in regular retiree centers.
IE believes that similar to retirees without disabilities, those with disabilities should be able to remain living in familiar surroundings, with the necessary supports. Therefore, in recent years, IE has placed a high priority on the inclusion of retired individuals with disabilities in inclusive programs. The establishment of IE’s pioneering Retiree Center over 20 years ago has improved the quality of life and health of these service recipients and has provided them with the possibility of continuing to live in the community.
The Inclusive Retiree Program creates collaborations between retirees supported by IE’s staff and other community-based retiree centers and activities. This provides a natural extension for the retirees after years of inclusion in the competitive job market.
As part of the program, each retiree develops an individual inclusion plan together with IE’s staff, with a weekly schedule and social activities in the community. The goal is to build a personal inclusion plan within “regular” retiree centers and to support them during the process, while also transforming the preconceptions in the community-at-large.
The individual plan allows participants to increase their inclusion in the community as much as they would like. For example, they could do part-time work during the week and be included in activities at a retiree center for seniors without disabilities or they could receive support for inclusion in classes at a local community center, and other combination.
A donation of $30,000 will help to develop this unique program and support the integration of 20 retirees with disabilities into inclusive community programs supported by Israel Elwyn’s professional staff, and would include training for a successful, inclusive process of aging for the retirees, their families and the support staff.
The Shoval (Equal in Education) Program enables individuals with cognitive disabilities or autism to enter institutions of higher education and to learn a variety of academic subjects. The topics these students study include communications, law, medicine, and psychology, while also participating in the overall academic experience, together with students without disabilities.
Established in 2018, the program was made possible through a partnership between the Reichman University’s (IDC Herzliya) Rabin Leadership Program and Israel Elwyn. The program aims to increase inclusion of students with disabilities in institutions of higher education, to promote a sense of accomplishment, and to advance equal opportunity.
The Shoval Program also creates opportunities for students without disabilities to interact with and learn about individuals with disabilities and build leadership skills. Scholarship and student volunteers participate in the program by teaching courses or becoming program coordinators.
Since the program’s inception, there have been five groups at the Reichman University and three at Tel Aviv University. In 2022, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem joined this program. In the future, the program will be expanded to other academic institutions in Israel.
Designed for an average of 12 service recipients from IE’s Job Placement Program who are currently employed, the program takes place one afternoon a week. On completion of the program, which is conducted over one semester, there is a formal graduation ceremony.
As the Shoval (Equal in Education) Program is not government funded, it is completely funded through donations. We need to raise $25,000 annually to run the program at the three universities. This amount funds:
In 1991, Israel Elwyn (IE) established the Community Living Services (CLS) to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to live with dignity in circumstances that respect their autonomy and enable them to participate in the community.
Currently, CLS has 14 apartments and a group home for 81 individuals in Jerusalem and Herzliya. With the support of IE’s staff, the residents live independently and interact with society-at-large. They manage their own lives and make use of the recreational activities and local services in their neighborhood and city.
IE’s Supported Living Services (SLS) in Jerusalem provides support to 190 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One of IE’s primary goals is to enable many of these residents to move from SLS to CLS, which requires the creation of an infrastructure to support their transition.
In accordance with the model supported by the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, five to six persons reside in each apartment. In recent years, IE has been transitioning to a model of two to four residents per apartment, as it considers the state-supported average number of residents in each apartment not to be optimal. Individuals who moved to apartments with four or less residents report greater levels of satisfaction, an increased sense of privacy, self-confidence and independence.
However, in Israel, public housing is very limited and has a long waiting list. As a result, most apartments are rented directly from private owners, who can choose not to renew a lease or to terminate it on short notice. This makes it impractical for IE to invest in extensive adaptations on the apartments and prevents the residents from creating a stable base for themselves. Therefore, IE prefers to buy apartments rather than renting them.
To date, IE has purchased four apartments in Jerusalem and we are now seeking funding to purchase and adapt additional apartments in Jerusalem and in Herzliya. Each apartment will have no more than four residents and will be renovated and adapted for aging adults with disabilities, which includes transforming them into smart apartments to enable the use of voice-assisted devices and other technologically accessible solutions for independent living in the community.
With a generous donation of $750,000, IE can purchase an apartment in one of Jerusalem’s neighborhoods, creating an opportunity for IE’s residents to live independently in the community. With a generous donation of $150,000 we can make accommodations and purchase supportive equipment for residents living at IE’s various apartments in the community.
Israel Elwyn serves its youngest program participants at early intervention centers designed for young children between ages six months to three years, in accordance with Israel’s Rehabilitative Day Care Law, 2000.
These centers offer comprehensive support and educational programs essential to toddlers with developmental and other disabilities and/or autism.
Serving the children at an early age when they respond best to therapies enables them to acquire life-changing skills and achieve goals. In addition, the families of the children with disabilities receive support and technical assistance to create an appropriate environment for these vulnerable toddlers. A multi-disciplinary team of professional therapy and educational staff provides integrated care through a coordinated, comprehensive approach.
In 2008, Israel Elwyn began operating an Early Intervention Program in Karmiel in two classrooms of a renovated building in the center of the city. Today, there are five renovated classrooms in three different locations in the city. Naturally, this situation is far from optimal, as not only are the services not centralized in one location, but the classrooms do not meet the needs of the children being served.
The new Early Intervention Center currently under construction will bring all services together in one building designed specifically to serve the support needs of the toddlers and their families. By virtue of its design and latest equipment, it will significantly improve the services provided and contribute to the children’s quality of life and to their rehabilitation process.
The new Early Intervention Center in Karmiel will continue to serve 52 young participants (between the ages of six months to three years) with autism and other developmental disabilities from the Karmiel/Galilee region.
The fact that the Karmiel EIC is centrally located will reinforce this growing city’s role as a hub in the Galilee, serving individuals from the entire northern region of Israel.
The estimated cost for construction, equipment, and related expenses totals nearly $3.4 million. The National Insurance Institute and the Shalem Foundation, a quasi-governmental entity, have committed to funding 47% of the cost. The balance must be raised through donations.
Donors making gifts of $10,000 or more will be recognized on a donor wall mounted within the building and offered a naming opportunity.
