University of Pennsylvania freshman Josh Greenbarg started his nonprofit Blazeryourway to help people dress and feel confident for interviews. To increase Blazeryourway’s reach, he partners with different organizations and hosted an event at JEVS Human Services (JEVS) for its Work Ready program. Read the article from Technical.ly here.
Author: Erin Giberson
Axios Live Interviews JEVS President and CEO Cynthia F. Figueroa for “Zoom In: Building Opportunity in Philadelphia”
On October 27, JEVS President and CEO Cynthia F. Figueroa was proud to participate in Axios Live’s “Zoom In: Building Opportunity in Greater Philadelphia,” an important conversation about workforce readiness, skills-based hiring, and pathways to economic opportunity. The event took place in Center City Philadelphia and was livestreamed for viewers around the world.
Also interviewed live by Axios reporters were Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Chellie Cameron, President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber.
During the interview, Cynthia noted that Philadelphia is full of opportunities. “We are not a city short on ideas. All sectors are coalescing to elevate and link opportunities between employers and job seekers. We need continued investment in youth workforce, adult literacy, and programs that are effective.”
This effort is seen in JEVS’ youth workforce development efforts for Career Connected Philadelphia (C2L-PHL). Through C2L-PHL, JEVS paid $10.5 million to close to 9,000 young people during Summer 2026 programming. But over 17,000 youth applied.
Cynthia told attendees and viewers that to address barriers to job readiness, “we need to keep working together to have strong education, access to workforce opportunities, access to trade and vocational tech, and, subsequently, the opportunity to grow within a sector.”
Thank you to Axios for convening this conversation and to JPMorganChase for sponsoring the event. Click here to view the livestream of the conversation. Cynthia’s interview begins at the 40-minute mark.
JEVS Care at Home (JCAH) Now Provides Non-medical Home Care in Delaware
JEVS Care at Home (JCAH), a program of JEVS Human Services (JEVS), officially opened its new office in Dover, DE, on October 21, 2026. This new location marked JCAH’s expansion into Delaware and drew support from local leaders. Read the full article in Dover’s Bay to Bay news.
A JEVS Career Path Story: From Internship to New Job
“I’ve reached a point where I want to grow and push myself the furthest that I can go,” Jabbar S., a former JEVS intern, says. His experience with JEVS Human Services (JEVS) gave that ambition a place to take shape.
Jabbar’s internship with the JEVS’ Career Connected Learning – Philadelphia (C2L-PHL) team ultimately led to his new, full-time role with Chubb, a global insurance company. Working at JEVS supported his professional growth, which illustrates how it connects individuals with career-building opportunities.
An Opportunity to Achieve Personal Goals
During his internship, Jabbar gained hands-on experience, strengthened his workplace skills, and met JEVS staff who helped him continue to the next stage of his career. He describes the opportunity as everything he has been asking for—and says his internship at JEVS helped him achieve it.
Reflecting on his time at JEVS, Jabbar shares, “I will always appreciate and have a connection with JEVS for the work it does and how it literally changed my life in such a short period of time.” Seeing the impact of JEVS on himself and on those the team served during his internship helps him understand why JEVS has remained a trusted presence in the Greater Philadelphia region for more than 85 years.
Supporting Businesses and Individuals
For employers, JEVS offers a practical response to evolving workforce needs. Through business partnerships, industry-informed training, and career-connected experiences such as internships, JEVS develops candidates who are prepared to contribute, learn, and grow.
For job seekers, that same approach creates access to experience, skills, and networks that can otherwise be difficult to obtain. By aligning individual goals with employer demand, JEVS addresses both sides of the workforce equation and builds solutions designed to last beyond a single placement.
Jabbar’s growth from his internship to his new role shows what this alignment can make possible. Workforce development is not only about preparing someone for a job; it is about helping people build the skills, confidence, and professional connections that create lasting career momentum.
How to Take the First Step
For the opportunity he has gained from JEVS and Souleymane Falls, Director of Employer Services, Jabbar is immensely grateful. To individuals who are not sure about their next steps, he adds, “don’t be scared to put yourself out there and don’t be scared to go for it.”
JEVS helps people build career paths while partnering with employers to develop a skilled, resilient workforce across our communities and the region.
Whether you are an individual who is job seeking or an employer who is recruiting, JEVS offers resources to help you achieve your goals. To start the conversation, complete this form.
Supporting Employees through the Years: Workforce Development Starts at JEVS
At JEVS Human Services (JEVS), helping people build skills, find opportunities, and move forward in their careers is central to our work. This approach also shapes the kind of workplace JEVS strives to create for its own employees.
It’s evident in the experience of staff members who have grown with JEVS over decades.
At the 2026 Employee Milestone Recognition event on October 13, 2026, JEVS celebrated employees reaching milestones of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service. Their careers span different roles and programs, but the stories shared about them reveal something they have in common. Over the years, they have gained expertise, developed relationships, and helped other people recognize their own potential.
Building careers through helping others
For some long-time employees, workforce development is what they do. Preparing people not just to complete training—but to succeed once they enter the workplace—is a critical part of workforce development.
At Orleans Technical College (OTC), Robert “Bob” Watts has spent 20 years helping students prepare for future employment opportunities as an assistant instructor in Building Maintenance. His supervisor, Academic Affairs Director Anna Bogdanov shared messages from students. Bob is a tough instructor, they said, but it’s because he teaches them how to be ready for their careers. He challenges and encourages OTC students to thrive.
Kemahsiah “Kema” Turner has similarly spent 20 years guiding participants and creating connections. As a Job Developer at PA CareerLink® Suburban Station, she works with employers and builds relationships that support JEVS’ workforce-development efforts. Her manager, Jahara Russell, spoke about Kema’s kindness and her ability to build trust with employer partners. That combination of professional expertise and human connection is a hallmark of her work.
Bob and Kema’s experiences illustrate the two sides of workforce development at JEVS: employees develop their own knowledge and experience while using what they’ve learned to create opportunities for others.
Developing expertise and meaningful relationships
Building on a foundation spanning over 85 years, JEVS works with individuals to create paths to economic independence and personal fulfilment. This legacy is apparent in the range of programs that JEVS provides and in the impact of those who work directly with participants.
For Recovery Educator Anthony Buenaflor, his 25 years with JEVS are reflected in the relationships he continues to build with the people he serves. During the milestone celebration, his supervisor, Director of Recovery Services Jacqueline Stabler, shared messages from participants Anthony has worked with and supported. Many spoke about his kindness, and several ended their messages with an inside reference and personal tribute: “May the Force be with you.”
The importance of relationships is a recurring theme at JEVS. Erika Creighton, Director of Community Residential Rehabilitation Services, has 35 years of service with JEVS. Reflecting on working with Erika, Alycia Keeports-Love, JEVS Vice President Integrated Behavioral Health, shared that Erika makes people feel valued, heard, and important. She added that people naturally gravitate toward Erika because of the way she treats them.
These tributes show what often develops over a long career at JEVS: extensive knowledge elevated by heartfelt dedication.
Creating a workplace where people can keep growing
Recognizing 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service is about more than celebrating the passing of time. It is an opportunity to think about what enables someone to continue learning, contributing, and finding purpose in an organization.
To the employees celebrating milestones, JEVS President and CEO Cynthia Figueroa extended her appreciation and emphasized that “it’s the people of JEVS who make us extraordinary.”
Senior Vice President of Human Resources Joy Smith-Groomes also thanked milestone employees as well as those who have supported them. Our goal at JEVS, she said, is creating an environment where people learn, grow, and remain.
This environment matters because the people who carry out JEVS’ mission are themselves a workforce worth investing in. The skills they deepen become skills they share. The relationships they build strengthen programs and partnerships. And the experience they gain over years of service benefits the people JEVS exists to serve.
Congratulations to each of the 2026 milestone honorees! Thank you for the experience, compassion, and commitment you bring to JEVS and to the people we serve every day.
20 Years of Service
Jeffrey Booth
Samuel Cole
Donna Crocker
Marquita Davis
Tamika Gary-McClay
Bryan Keele
Robert Watts
Brian Tucker
Kemahsiah Turner
25 Years of Service
Natalie Bargeron
Anthony Buenaflor
Kelli Bonds
Luis Gonzalez
Julia Hilgham
Jennifer King
Gina Parmley
Melissa Parsons
Francine Piper
Iris Vazquez
30 Years of Service
Alycia Loev
Eric Stevenson
35 Years of Service
Erika Creighton
Phyllis Lebby
Clara Thompson
Dellanora Toumuene
Robin Weaver-Olabode
40 Years of Service
Monique Kelly
“Blazeryourway to Success”: Inspiring Confidence and Workforce Readiness for JEVS’ Participants
By Erin G.
When he was a teenager, University of Pennsylvania student Josh Greenbarg heard from his mother a story that would greatly impact him.
At the residential program where she worked, his mom had given a blazer to a young woman for an interview.
Beyond the practical value of dressing professionally for the occasion, his mother noticed something else. Wearing the blazer had an immediate effect on the young woman’s confidence, and she got the job.
This story inspired Josh to collect and give blazers to young adults for interviews, internships, and first jobs. Then, he and his mother formed Blazeryourway® Inc., a nonprofit with an important mission: “providing business professional blazers to young adults entering the workforce to help build confidence and ultimately lead to success.”
On October 1, 2026, Josh brought his efforts to JEVS Human Services (JEVS) with a Blazeryourway® event for JEVS’ Work Ready and The Choice is Yours (TCY) programs.
More than a Blazer
A blazer is practical, but its value is greater than a piece of clothing. As the Blazeryourway® mission page emphasizes, “A blazer changes how you carry yourself before you say a word.”
Yet many individuals who are applying for early employment opportunities do not always have the resources to get the very item that signals professionalism.
That’s why the gift of a blazer not only provides a needed clothing item but also inspires confidence in a person who’s striving toward independence.
Many JEVS’ participants face such barriers. Work Ready supports individuals receiving TANF and SNAP benefits in overcoming obstacles to self-sufficiency. The Choice is Yours (TCY) works with individuals who have previous justice-system involvement and provides mentoring to continue their education, gain job-skills training, and complete community service. Both programs provide critical resources to give individuals the opportunity to shape their futures. In line with the mission of JEVS, that begins with supporting individuals in becoming job-ready and gaining employment.
Work Ready and TCY often hold clothing events where participants can select an outfit for an interview.
In hosting an event with Work Ready and TCY, Blazeryourway® provided a beautiful complement to existing services.
Creating an Immediate Impact – and Including a Special Message
At the JEVS and Blazeryourway® event on October 1, 2026, participants were greeted with a row of neatly hanging blazers.
After choosing a blazer, participants got to add one more aspect to their selection: a “Top 3 About Me” tag. Each blazer from Blazeryourway® adds a special reminder: an inner label on which participants get to write their own strengths. It means that each person can glance inside the blazer and get a quick reminder of the qualities they possess.
As they left the event, 26 women carried a blazer as well as a reminder of their inherent worth.
Malika Scott, JEVS Resource Coordinator, captured the impact: “The blazers were more than professional clothing. They became a reminder that confidence can start from within, and sometimes a few encouraging words are exactly what someone needs to keep moving forward.”
On behalf of JEVS, she added, “WorkReady and The Choice is Yours (TCY) extend a sincere thank you to Josh Greenbarg for bringing Blazeryourway® to our programs and helping us create an experience that our participants can carry with them long after the event. We truly appreciate his generosity, his vision, and his commitment to helping others feel empowered as they step into their future endeavors.”
Support the Missions of JEVS and Blazeryourway®
As Josh learned as a teenager, one individual can make an extraordinary difference in the life of another person. Are you called to do something, too? To learn more and get involved, be sure to check out the ways you can support JEVS and support Blazeryourway®.
Walking Together: JEVS President & CEO Cynthia Figueroa Honored by The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia
JEVS Human Services (JEVS) President and CEO Cynthia Figueroa received the Eliza Shirley Women in Leadership Award at The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia’s Celebrate Hope Annual Luncheon 2026.
The award recognizes women who demonstrate dedication to service and community, honoring the legacy of Eliza Shirley, the young Philadelphian whose efforts helped establish The Salvation Army in the United States in 1879.
For Cynthia, the recognition was an opportunity to reflect not only on her own journey but also on the people who have shaped it. She shared a saying that her mother often said:
“Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres.” It means, tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are.
The message was about herself and also JEVS: meaningful work is built through relationships.
She spoke about her JEVS colleagues, as well as the leaders, mentors, and partners she has had the opportunity to walk alongside. She specifically thanked Bonnie Camarda, Divisional Director of Partnerships for The Salvation Army Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware, and Pedro A. Ramos, President and CEO of The Philadelphia Foundation.
“Walking together is how we create solutions to today’s challenges,” Cynthia said.
Building stronger communities through partnerships
JEVS supports individuals on sustainable paths to independence and economic security, bringing together programs, people, and community partnerships to address needs across the region.
Whether someone is preparing for a new career, pursuing education and training, seeking behavioral health or home support services, JEVS’ programs provide resources that illustrate the impact of a thriving and connected community.
JEVS works with employers, educators, government agencies, community organizations, and other partners to expand access to opportunities and connect people with the resources they need to move forward.
“Walking together is how we create solutions to today’s challenges. -Cynthia Figueroa
These relationships are particularly important as communities face complex and changing needs. No single organization can do it all alone: working together allows organizations to build on their strengths, share expertise, and broaden the ways they can serve.
A Shared Commitment to Service and Community
Cynthia’s recognition by The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia is a reminder of the value of those connections—and of the people who choose to walk alongside one another in service to their communities.
Partnership has always been central to how JEVS works. Learn more about JEVS’ programs in education and workforce development, behavioral health and home supports, and youth and young adult services.
JEVS Human Services Expands Support for Individuals Ages 6 and Up with Complex IDD and Mental Health Needs
Behavioral health needs do not always fit neatly into one system, one diagnosis, or one service. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), who also experience mental health needs, navigating support systems can be especially challenging. Families and caregivers may find themselves coordinating across providers, agencies, and care systems, often when needs have already escalated into a crisis.
To provide both crisis intervention and prevention services, through START Philadelphia, JEVS provides support that considers the whole person and the people who support them. Through its program expansion, START Philadelphia now works with individuals 6 and up who have IDD and mental health needs.
A Person-Centered Approach to Complex Needs
Since provider systems are often siloed, START facilitates collaboration: the program works with caregivers, providers, and other members of a person’s support team to identify strengths, address gaps, build skills, and develop a coordinated plan for preventing and responding to crisis.
That includes assessment, therapeutic intervention, coaching, clinical consultation, facilitated team meetings, and the development of a Cross-Systems Crisis Prevention and Intervention Plan—a living plan that can evolve as a person’s needs change.
This approach reflects an important reality of behavioral health: complex needs often require coordinated support.
For JEVS, that means looking beyond a single service to consider how behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disability services, families, caregivers, and community providers can work together more effectively.
Expanding JEVS’ Behavioral Health Reach
When START Philadelphia launched in February 2026, JEVS introduced the national START model to Philadelphia through a partnership with the NCSS, Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), Community Behavioral Health (CBH), and the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), and the National Center for START Service (NCSS).
Then, in September 2026, START Philadelphia expanded services to be available for qualifying individuals ages 6 and older. Eligible participants must live in Philadelphia County and have a documented intellectual or developmental disability and co-existing mental or behavioral health needs. Services are provided at no cost to those who qualify.
Expanding access to children and youth is particularly important because complex behavioral health needs often begin prior to adulthood. Providing coordinated support from an earlier age can help families and support teams build strategies before challenges escalate.
This work is consistent with JEVS’ broader role as a provider of behavioral health and community-based services. From psychiatric rehabilitation and outpatient mental health services to peer and community living supports, JEVS brings together different areas of expertise to meet people where they are and help them gain independence and personal fulfilment.
START adds another program to JEVS behavioral health and home supports services, one that is designed specifically for individuals who experience complex intellectual/developmental and mental health needs.
Based on the National Center for START Services (NCSS) national model, START Philadelphia is an evidence-based crisis prevention and intervention model for individuals with IDD and mental health needs. START uses a person-centered, trauma-informed approach to strengthen support teams and prevent crises. The effect of the START service model on reducing crisis situations is evident. According to the NCSS, psychiatric hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and law enforcement encounters decrease between pre- and post-enrollment surveys (NCSS Emergency Service Utilization).
Learn more about START Philadelphia
Supporting individuals this way requires collaboration, specialized expertise, and a willingness to look at where existing systems can work better together. START Philadelphia offers this approach.
Through its work with individuals, families, caregivers, and providers, JEVS is helping to build a more coordinated response.
Learn more about START Philadelphia and find out which services may be available for you or someone you support.
Support Education with JEVS through EITC Contributions
Did you know that JEVS is an approved Educational Improvement Organization (EIO) under Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program? This means that businesses and individuals can support JEVS and receive substantial tax benefits at the same time.
What is EITC?
EITC, or the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, is a program designed by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to encourage businesses and individuals to contribute to educational organizations like JEVS. Eligible contributors can receive a tax credit equal to 90% of their Pennsylvania state tax liability.
How Can You Contribute?
If you’re an approved EITC business or an individual looking to support education, consider directing your contributions to JEVS. Your support will directly benefit JEVS’ programs and initiatives aimed at enhancing education and workforce development in our community.
Learn More and Take Action
For more detailed information on the EITC program and how you can participate, visit the PA DCED’s official EITC program page.
If you experience any issues accessing the link, please copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: https://dced.pa.gov/programs/educational-improvement-tax-credit-program-eitc/
Ready to make a meaningful impact? Contribute today to support JEVS’ programs and services.
When you invest in education, you invest in the future of our community. Together, we can create lasting change through the EITC program with JEVS.
Tackling Philadelphia’s Adult Literacy Crisis: How JEVS Helps Bridge the Gap
For 85 years, JEVS Human Services has been helping people get back to work. One of the largest barriers to employment is education, including literacy. In fact, about half of Philadelphia residents read at or below a fifth-grade level. As JEVS provides essential career coaching, education, and job training, it offers specific literacy support to program participants who need it. Read the full story at Axios Philadelphia.