This is RAISE
EVERYONE – Including You – Belongs Here
The RAISE Mission
RAISE is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce through paid work and social skills training for adults with disabilities.
RAISE Cannot Succeed Without Your Help
About RAISE
RAISE is a work and social skills training program for adults with disabilities who are seeking employment and face challenges finding work.
A program of Shalom Orlando and the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, RAISE collaborates with 18 partnering locations and engages 1:1 volunteer job coaches to provide paid employment at each site. In addition, RAISE offers guidance to help participants transition to jobs in the community.
RAISE is a Place to Belong and Become
By providing a nine-month, part-time work experience through partnering locations of Shalom Orlando, RAISE offers each participant the self-worth that comes from earning a paycheck, the satisfaction of being a participating member of society, an accepting work environment, the self-respect that comes with productivity, the dignity of having a job, a feeling of contribution, and the social benefit of interfacing with our community in a safe and compassionate setting.
During the program, job skills are modeled, shaped, and refined. RAISE builds self-esteem, fosters independence at home and in the workplace, educates and inspires participants and their families to set new goals, supports and encourages social growth, and creates awareness of services and opportunities available in the community.
Ways to Get Started…
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Apply for RAISE Employment
Begin your journey with RAISE by completing an application today!
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Questions? Get in Touch with us!
We are happy to provide you with more information about RAISE.
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Apply to become a RAISE Job Coach
We are always seeking Volunteer Job Coaches. Click above to find out more.
The Story of RAISE
RAISE honors the life and legacy of founder Loren London’s brother Barry, the inspiration for creating RAISE. Like many others within our community, Barry faced employment and social challenges on a daily basis.
May his beautiful memory and accomplishments lead us to be involved in Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), as RAISE builds inclusion and helps to make our community a better place.
Who We Are
The Heart of Inclusion Since 2012
The RAISE mission is guided by traditional Jewish values of Repairing the World and Acts of Loving Kindness, by promoting inclusion and taking into account the overall well-being of adults with disabilities.
For every person with a disability who has a job, there are four more who would like to go to work. RAISE helps prepare our employees for employment in the community.
Channel 6 news segment of RAISE welcoming new employees and their families at its annual Meet and Greet event.
Channel 6 news highlights RAISE employees in the workplace.
Watch as RAISE Employees at Shalom Orlando knead, braid, and bake delicious challah bread. Every loaf sold supports the RAISE program in our community. Click here to preorder your challah.
RAISE was featured as a Community Champion on WESH 2 News. The video above features RAISE employees, Job Coaches and Leadership Team members.
Partnering Locations Providing RAISE Work Opportunities:
In The News
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RAISE Them Up!
J Life Magazine – Winter 2023 -
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RAISE Meet and Greet
J Life Magazine – Winter 2023 -
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RAISE Continues to RISE
J Life – Spring 2022 -
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They Deserve a RAISE
J Life Magazine – Fall 2023
RAISE relies on community support to create more opportunities for adults with disabilities throughout our community. Your generous, tax-deductible donation provides hope for these individuals and their families. Contact us to learn more.
The RAISE Advisory Team
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Loren London, RAISE’s Founder and Director of Strategy & Development, began her career as a critical care nurse and legal nurse consultant. After 20 years in the healthcare arena, she shifted her focus to planning Jewish educational, philanthropic, and musical events nationwide. These diverse leadership experiences, coupled with her passion for inclusion, prepared Loren to build her 2012 vision of RAISE into a successful program impacting Central Florida and beyond.xt goes here
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Rachel holds both a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Special Education from Penn State University. She has over 30 years of experience in helping children and adults with disabilities reach their full potential. In addition to teaching at Seminole State College for 20 years, she has been a social skills coach in Central Florida for over 15 years. Now as the RAISE Inclusion Director at Shalom Orlando, Rachel brings both her professional background and her leadership and organization skills to RAISE to help neurodiverse adults gain the skills and confidence needed for employment in our community.
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Carol is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is the Director of Social Bridges®. She holds a Master's degree in Social Work and a Bachelor's degree in Education/Drama Therapy.
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Ken has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Master's degree in Learning Disabilities, and a Doctorate in Education, specializing in Special Education with state certifications in Specific Learning Disabilities and Administration and Supervision. He is the former Director of Exceptional Student Education in Orange County, 1991-2011.
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Sandra is a former Special Education teacher and Program Coordinator at UCF and in Orange County Public Schools. She holds a Master's degree in Special Education and a Bachelor's degree in K-12 Library Media Science. She has a certificate in Special Education Meditation from the Justice Center of Atlanta.
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Amy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She holds a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She has extensive experience working with individuals dealing with mental health issues. She currently writes social skills and employability training curriculum targeting adults and teens with Down Syndrome.
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Bill has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in special eduation from Cleveland State University. He spent 36 years teaching in Cleveland Heights-University Heights and Seminole County Public Schools prior to his retirement in 2016. His teaching career was spent working with special-needs children in elementary and middle schools.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
We are especially grateful to the generous and inspiring individuals, businesses, and foundations who support us. Thanks to their outstanding partnership, we are able to build confidence, promote independence, teach employability skills to adults with disabilities and provide guidance and support to their families.