New Building for the Keshet Coe-Worker Program

Once upon a time, it was a grey and grungy warehouse home to spiders and their webs.

Justin Coe helps affix mezuzah to the new Keshet Coe Worker Transition site as mother Shari Coe and grandmother Lorraine Skolnick look on

Today, do not be fooled by the high-end furniture and accessories.  Keshet’s CEO, Abbie Weisberg is no spendthrift when it comes to donor money.  Instead, she coordinated the project with a network of friends, families, donors, parents of participants and more who came together  to realize Keshet’s Coe-Worker Transition Program goal of turning the industrial space into a viable work environment for its young adults with disabilities.

With the help of Shari and Mark Coe along with a wide variety of companies  giving back to the community (including Designs for Dignity and Mosaic Construction), the fashionable, design masterpiece on St. Louis Street is the professional work space for  young adults with disabilities participating in Keshet’s Coe- Worker Transition Program.  The program teaches life skills that allow the participants to hold jobs and engage socially with their peers.  Inspired by their son, the Coe’s have dedicated their life to helping Keshet become the premiere resource for individuals with learning challenges.

Through the vision of Abbie Weisberg, CEO and Chief Executive Officer (recently chosen as one of ten “Women to Watch 2011” by Jewish Women International), the Coe-Worker  Transition Program was created in order to bridge the gap year for their participants who had completed Keshet’s high school program but were not yet old enough for Sidney and Lisa Glenner GADOL Program ,  Keshet’s young adult program.

The new facility is located in Skokie only a few feet away from GADOL, Keshet’s young adult vocational program in the Wi-Fi Building.  The center’s grand opening brought donors and designers together for a celebratory mezuzah ceremony.

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Keshet is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing independence, optimizing personal potential, supporting Jewish religious growth and encouraging community integration for individuals with developmental disabilities. For more information please contact Susan Levin-Abir, Director of  Strategic Development at 847-205-1234.