JPMorgan Chase CEO Tours JVS
This past Wednesday we welcomed JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon for a tour of JVS, where he met with our students and learned about our Bridges to College and Bank Career Training programs. As JPMorgan Chase expands in the Boston area, they are investing $1.1 million in Greater Boston nonprofits to help residents develop the skills they need to secure well-paying, in-demand jobs, and we are grateful for their support of JVS! Click on the link below to read more about Jamie Dimon's visit to Boston.
Over 80 People Join JVS Refugee Simulation
Earlier this month, JVS hosted a Refugee Simulation, which helped participants gain a better understanding of what life as a refugee is like. Over 80 people attended the event at Temple Isaiah in Lexington, and over 25 JVS staff, board members, and volunteers worked to create a meaningful experience for all participants. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this event possible! If you are interested in learning more about JVS's refugee services and how you can get involved, please click here. To read about one participant's experience at the Refugee Simulation, please click on the link below.
You Can Support Opportunity
As the year comes to a close and we celebrate family, community, and faith, we hope you will consider supporting JVS. Together, we can continue providing opportunity for thousands of people each year, including immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and older workers. Contributions from individuals are a crucial part of ensuring that that our hard-working students have access to the assistance they need to improve their lives. We are so grateful to our donors who make our work possible.
Young Adults with Disabilities Train for Jobs
This past Monday, we celebrated the graduation of eight students from our Transitions to Work program, which helps young adults with disabilities launch their careers through skills training, employer-based internships, job placement services, and ongoing support. Our most recent graduates completed an internship at the CVS Regional Learning Center, where they gained valuable customer service and retail experience. Three hundred students have graduated from Transitions to Work in the past 6 years, and over 200 have found jobs. We are so proud of our graduates and look forward to seeing the great things they will accomplish in their careers!
Faces of JVS: Ana Arufe and Maricela Rodriguez 
Ana Arufe serves as JVS's Manager of Finance, and she is originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and now lives in Quincy. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting at ITESO in Guadalajara and a Master's degree in Management at Emmanuel College. Maricela Rodriguez serves as a Post-Employment Career Coach in our English for Advancement program, and she is originally from Durango, Mexico, and now lives in Revere. She is currently taking online classes at Waubonsee Community College.

Each year, JVS staff participate in a campaign to support the work of our partner, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. This year, Ana Arufe and Maricela Rodriguez led the campaign, and 85% of JVS staff members contributed through the campaign to support United Way! Ana and Maricela both enjoyed learning more about their colleagues at JVS and all of the different ways that United Way serves the community through their leadership of the JVS United Way campaign. We are grateful for their hard work on this important initiative!