Three Generations of One Family Make a Difference

The family feel at Jubilee is alive and well! And for the Green family, it’s more than a feeling. Program Manager Janeice Green joined Jubilee in 2001. Since then, Janeice’s family members have joined her in making a difference for people with disabilities.

“My daughter Jazmine was three months old when I started working at Jubilee,” Janeice reminisced. “We lived together at a group home, and the folks I supported were a big part of Jazmine’s childhood.”

“The people that lived at the Jubilee home were like my aunties and uncles,” added Jazmine. “When I was a little girl we would cuddle up on the sofa. As I got older, they’d sneak me strawberry wafers behind Mom’s back,” Jazmine confessed with a laugh. “In all seriousness, being involved with Jubilee my whole life helped shape the person I am today. I’ve always been part of the Jubilee family. Now, I’m working as a part-time direct support professional while getting a college degree in social work.”

Jazmine has helped support Eleanor McCarthy, who has known her since she was a young girl. “Eleanor runs me all around town! She likes us to go to the movies. She’s even got me to exercise with her at SPIRIT Club. It’s a wonderful feeling having this full circle moment. It’s rewarding being the person that people I’ve known my whole life can now lean on.”

“Jazmine and I have a good time together,” says Eleanor. “I knew her when she was in elementary school, and it’s amazing to see her all grown up. I’m proud of her.”

The Green family involvement extends beyond this dynamic mother-daughter duo. In the early 2000s, Janeice’s mother Emmie Jean Coney provided volunteer interior design services for three Jubilee-owned homes. Eventually, both she and her sister Cheryl Gooden supported people at Jubilee. Not to be left out, Janeice’s sister Danean Levine has dedicated the last 11 years to supporting Foster Bennett and Marcello Tonino, and now also Mark Springuel. Danean is a steady influence through the ups and downs of life for the guys, including an unexpected move to a new home.

Janeice reflects with pride on her Jubilee career and family as she prepared to celebrate 24 years at Jubilee this December. “Knowing I’ve helped people grow into the best version of themselves is my biggest accomplishment here.”

Just recently, a woman supported by Janeice’s team accomplished a bucket list trip to Niagara Falls. She didn’t think it would ever be more than a dream, but Janeice and her team of direct support professionals helped her make it a reality. A young man living in his own apartment was too afraid of the stove to cook for himself. Janeice’s team brainstormed a solution. Now he’s proud to cook burgers on his electric grill.

Jazmine chimes in with pride to say that her mom’s biggest accomplishment is not the awards and promotions she’s received, it’s the community she’s created at Jubilee.