Make Inclusion Part of Your Culture

Could You Be Our Next City?

It’s Time For Your City To RAISE!

Now in its 8th year, RAISE is a work and social skills training program for adults with disabilities that is offered by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. RAISE collaborates with partnering agencies that provide participants with weekly job opportunities.

Partner with RAISE in your city to help spread positive change!

Bring RAISE to Your City

RAISE, AS A PROGRAM OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER ORLANDO WAS RECOGNIZED AS A TOP RATED GREAT NONPROFIT OF 2025, AND EARNED PLATINUM LEVEL RECOGNITION BY GUIDESTAR FOR INCLUSION, TRANSPARENCY, AND EXCELLENCE.

What is RAISE?

RAISE is a work & social skills training program for adults with disabilities who are seeking employment and face challenges finding work. RAISE collaborates with partnering agencies and provides paid employment at each location with 1:1 volunteer job coach support and guidance in transitioning to community integrated employment.

What is RAISE on the Road?

The RAISE on the Road mission is to replicate the RAISE model and expand inclusion by offering the program to other communities. The RAISE work and social skills model is initially taught in a 2 day seminar with professional support provided during the first year of implementation.

What is the impact RAISE can have in your community?

Our program has a 94% success rate in helping our graduates measurably move forward in their lives.

The underserved disabled population faces multiple obstacles to employment, including access to job opportunities with accommodations, access to transportation, interviewing challenges, and employer myths and biases.
By teaching employability skills, building confidence, and promoting independence, RAISE aims to break down these barriers to employment and promote economic mobility and security for people with disabilities. When RAISE participants have access to employment, they experience
improved quality of life, the satisfaction of receiving a paycheck, increased self-confidence and self-esteem, an expanded social network, improved mental health, personal pride, a sense of community, the social capital of being an employed person, and the sense of being a valued member of a team.

Become a RAISE on the Road (ROTR) Pilot Site

We are offering your community the chance to participate as a pilot. The selected RAISE on the Road pilot site will receive a training package and program manuals that will teach all aspects of operating RAISE, valued at $35,000, for no fee. The RAISE on the Road mission is to replicate the RAISE model and expand inclusion by offering the program to other communities.

Request More Information

Pilot Sites receive at no cost: the RAISE on the Road 2 day seminar, 10 hours of director consultation time, one printed set of program manuals (Operational and Social Skills Curriculum), marketing materials, and legal templates.
Click here to complete the Pilot Site information form and we will be in touch.

Frequently Asked Questions…

The RAISE operational budget will vary depending on your state’s minimum wage, the number of employees in the program each year, and the salary for a RAISE Director.
The number of agency positions depends on the number of employees. Each employee works at two different positions weekly. (Eg. For 5 participants, 10 agency positions are required). Two different employees can work in the same position on different days.
For example, if there is a position, one RAISE employee may do that job one day a week and another RAISE employee may have the same job on a different day of the week
RAISE provides a sampling of task lists for a variety of agency positions including fitness center, preschool, clerical work, receptionist, food pantry, dining room, student center, day school library, and art room.
The salary for a RAISE Director is $30-$50/hour for working approximately 25 hours a week and will vary depending on your location.
Description text goes hereYes, an annual licensing fee of $5,000 starts in year 2 of the program.
- Since RAISE applicants are hired as employees of the sponsoring agency, the sponsoring agency’s liability coverage is used for RAISE employees.
- RAISE is structured so that the agency/organization operating and managing RAISE is the employer.
- As the employer, the agency/organization provides liability coverage including worker’s compensation for each RAISE employee.
- Templates for this legal agreement between the agency/organization and partnering work sites in the community are included in the RAISE manual.
- Synagogues
- Jewish Family Services
- Jewish Day School
- Jewish Community Center
- Jewish Federation
- Jewish preschool
- Jewish senior living facility
- Jewish publications
- Hillel
- Personal referrals
- In house marketing (ex. e-communication, bulletins, lobby poster)
- Professional referrals from VR, local specialized schools, and therapists
- Internet search
- Synagogue bulletins
- Local Jewish press
- Social Media
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal-state program that helps people with disabilities get or keep a job. RAISE requires each employee to have an active file with VR since VR does job placement and its services dovetail with the pre-employment training that RAISE provides.
Since RAISE is not a job placement center, RAISE and VR work together to guide our employees in the job search process in the community. This collaboration is for the benefit of each RAISE employee and allows RAISE and VR services to focus on what they each do best.
RAISE recommends background checks for all employees and job coaches to ensure a safe working environment for everyone.
The ROTR director will travel to the selected site for the 2 day seminar to teach all components of the RAISE program and provide ongoing consultation thereafter. The
ROTR director will also be available to visit the site as needed to support program implementation.
Collecting and analyzing metrics and testimonials since the inception of RAISE, our data demonstrates how we are serving a marginalized population and significantly improving the trajectory of their lives. The RAISE impact extends far beyond an employees’ time in RAISE as we continue to interface with alumni and families who have remained an integral part of our ongoing metrics.
The RAISE Director manages the daily operations including overseeing the application process, employee placement and progress monitoring, training and supervising job coaches, teaching the social skills curriculum, and creating agency positions.
Ideally, the RAISE Director is a professional knowledgeable in working with people with disabilities and has experience in social skills training and resources within the community to provide referrals as needed.
Administrative assistance includes marketing support, accounting, and payroll.
The responsibilities can be performed by a single RAISE Director or can be shared with another staff member. Operating RAISE requires approximately 25 hours per week.

How did RAISE on the Road begin?

Several years ago, after RAISE received inquiries from other communities, it became apparent that there were other Jewish agencies in search of programs that supported inclusion and people with disabilities. With years of successful metrics and experience, RAISE recognized that the model could be replicated, and we embarked on writing and then copyrighting the requisite curriculum and ‘how to’ manuals.

Meet the RAISE Team

Who are the RAISE Employees?

Adults with special needs who have a desire to work. For the purposes of the RAISE program, an adult with special needs is someone who: faces physical, medical, psychological, or educational challenges and with appropriate training and support, may be able to find employment opportunities in the community.

RAISE employees must:

Be at least 18 years of age and not currently enrolled in school
Be unemployed and have a flexible schedule
Have transportation 3 days a week
Have a family liaison willing to be actively involved throughout the duration of the program
Be willing and eligible to work with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Who are the RAISE volunteer job coaches and how many are needed?

RAISE ignites volunteerism opportunities in the community. The RAISE program model involves volunteers who serve as 1:1 job coaches. RAISE employees work 2 days a week (3 hours a day); therefore each RAISE employee will require 2 different job coaches. (The number of job coaches depends on the number of employees.)

Job coaches are not required to have previous experience in working with persons with disabilities. Job coaches must attend a job coach orientation and be willing to commit to a 3 hour per week time slot.