Breaking New Ground: JCFS Abe and Ida Cooper Center to open in 2016

The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and its affiliate, Jewish Child & Family Services, are building a state-of-the-art facility in West Rogers Park to house JCFS’ expanding programs for children and adults with special needs.

The new building, which will be known as the Cooper Center, is being made possible with a lead gift from the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation.

“We are very excited about creating a facility that will leverage our resources in support of individuals with special needs and their families,” said Howard Sitron, JCFS president and CEO. Construction of the new center, which will be located adjacent to JCFS’ Joy Faith Knapp Children’s Center in Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood, will begin in June. The campus will be named by the Jules and Gwen Knapp Family Foundation in memory of Esther Knapp, grandmother of Joy Faith Knapp and JCFS Board Vice Chair Sue Schulman.

The Cooper Center will be owned and managed by JUF through its JFMC Facilities Corporation.

“Supporting the most vulnerable members of our community is one of JUF’s top priorities. We are thrilled to support a new space that will be uniquely designed to meet clients’ needs,” said JUF president Dr. Steven B. Nasatir.

Neither school nor clinic, the Cooper Center will serve as the new home of JCFS’ Virginia Frank Child Development Center, Encompass, and Integrated Pediatric Interventions (IPI), along with a host of expanded services for people with special needs – including residential supports, respite care and the JUF Legal Advocacy Center.

“The facility has been carefully planned as a departure from an institutional ambience by incorporating as much natural light as possible and making the facility comfortable and welcoming,” said Stacey Shor, JCFS Vice President and Chief Development Officer. “We planned the Cooper Center using design elements for people with special needs, considering best options right down to paint color. For example, we have selected a shade of pale green for our treatment rooms that is shown to be especially calming for children with autism spectrum disorders.”

Such a feat could not be accomplished without the support of architects who truly “got it.” Enter: Mike Breclaw and Katie Lambert, of OKW Architects.

“We wanted to create a quality of indoor space that was almost an additional therapist in the way that it serves the clients,” said Breclaw. “We saw the building as client-focused, with good staff support—good connections between the two and also good separation between them.”

“Right now the various programs have distinct lines of communication,” said Beth Wyman, senior director for Services for People with Disabilities at JCFS. “With Cooper’s opening, there will be better communication across programs. The open workspace will facilitate effective conversation ultimately benefitting our clients.”

The center is slated to open in 2016.

The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago mobilizes resources to uplift the global and local Jewish community by supporting basic needs, creating Jewish experiences and strengthening Jewish community connections. For more information, visit juf.org.

Jewish Child & Family Services (JCFS) is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community. JCFS provides vital, individualized, results-driven, therapeutic and supportive services for thousands of children, adults and families of all backgrounds each year facing challenges with life transitions, mental health, developmental/intellectual disability and basic human need.