For the JCC, the Silvers Are Pure Gold
Since the Adaptations program at the JCC opened its doors in 2005, more than 600 adults in their 20s and 30s have discovered the community, purpose, and valuable connections that are so important to all of us, but even more so to those who have difficulty finding them. For that, they can thank Shirley and Jack Silver.
From elementary school to college, children and young adults with special needs are guided toward peers in the classroom, through extracurricular activities and their parents. But what happens once those structured years come to an end?
This was the question the Silvers asked themselves nearly 15 years ago, when a family member with learning differences graduated from college. Finding no programs that would allow young adults with special needs the chance to socialize, grow, and develop life skills, the couple decided to establish one themselves.
With Anita Altman, founder of UJA-Federation of New York’s Task Force for People with Disabilities, “we looked at several places,” Shirley says, “but it was clear the JCC was the right place. It was open, vibrant, and innovative.”
Special needs programming had existed at the JCC from its earliest days, explains Allison Kleinman, who was involved with the program then and is now director of The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Special Needs. “We had several discrete programs, but Adaptations became the cornerstone.“
“These individuals tend to isolate themselves,” explains Jack. “By bringing them together, we gave them connections and socialization skills created within the framework of the program.”
In addition to a wide range of social programs, Adaptations has evolved to include a jobs program and several social enterprises, enabling members to develop job skills and interact in a work environment through meaningful employment. Among those enterprises have been the Shabbat Shop, which sells Judaica gifts and foods in the JCC lobby, and Adaptations Glassworks, through which members produced and sold handmade glassware. In 2017, at the suggestion of Adaptations job coach Margarita Korol and with the Silvers’ help, AdaptLab Filmmakers, which enables Adaptations members with technical backgrounds to use their skills in a meaningful way, was added to the list.
The Silvers’ personal partnership goes back 48 years, when the two met at a party in Manhattan on a rainy summer day. Shirley was 25, Jack two years older. They began dating a year later and married two years after that. At the time they met, Shirley, a Brooklyn College graduate, was a social studies teacher, and Jack, a University of Vermont alum, worked for an investment company. When she left teaching, Shirley worked for European American Bank, training employees in how to work with customers. After their two children were born, she continued training companies, this time through her own consulting business.
The Silvers’ complementary strengths have helped Adaptations grow over the years. “Shirley created something from the ground up, while I create from the top down,” explains Jack, founder and manager of the investment firm Siar Capital. “Shirley is 100 percent responsible for the creation and development and the continuing care of Adaptations. My role has been the planning of how to preserve, grow, and distribute the wealth to keep it moving forward.”
Their support has been invaluable. “Shirley is incredible,” says Kleinman. "She can see a need before it emerges. She asks, how do we keep being innovative and creative? She’s a great networker. Jack is a strategic coach, a motivator. He thinks anything is possible—and encourages others to make sure it is.”
Echoes Rabbi Joy Levitt, the JCC's executive director, “Shirley’s passion and critical thinking allow her to see beyond what’s right in front of her. Jack is always encouraging me to think big and pushes us to be more than we are.”
For the Silvers and the Center for Special Needs, the next big focus is on future planning—helping aging parents plan for what happens to their children when their parents are no longer around. “We’ve looked at several existing programs and are working on what this could look like at the JCC,” Shirley says. “It’s a crucial area for families of children with special needs.”
While the couple have been major supporters of the Center for Special Needs over the years, their recent legacy endowment of four million dollars, along with the gifts of others, ensures that the Center—and Adaptations—will always thrive.
Their philanthropy radiates outside the JCC as well. A gift to Jack’s alma mater enabled the restoration of UVM’s Billings Library and the establishment of the school’s Alumni House and its Jack and Shirley Silver Pavilion. In February, the Silvers made a $20 million legacy gift to UJA-Federation of New York to renovate the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds, the largest Jewish day camp system in North America.
Clearly, giving plays a large role in the Silvers’ lives. Shared interests in art and travel—and often the intertwining of the two—keep them busy as well. A vacation two years ago to India, Shirley says, was among their favorites. But back at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the work of Adaptations is a source of true nachas to the couple.
“From Adaptations, these young adults have gained community, independence, and pride,” says Shirley. “Through Adaptations, they’ve found a home.”
Sherri Lerner is the former editorial director at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She has written and edited for numerous publications and is currently on the staff of the Wechsler Center.