Recognizing Marilynn Schneider
on the 20th Anniversary of the WAE Center
- Sunday, November 10th, 2024
- 11am–2pm
- 760 Northfield Ave, West Orange, NJ 07052
The WAE Center at JSDD is known throughout the community and the State of NJ as a premier model program for engaging men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities in continuing education and creative endeavors with respectful appreciation for their talents. While other agencies have assumed elements of the WAE Center offerings in their day habilitation programs, the holistic philosophy of the Center continues to be uniquely JSDD’s.
This deliberate, well-conceived and executed approach was spearheaded from the very beginning by Marilynn Schneider. As a staunch advocate for the people we serve, her focus has always been on providing the resources and supports each individual would need to find those things in life that would fill them with joy and a sense of meaningful participation in the world.
In the 20+ years that Marilynn was affiliated with JSDD as a professional – first as Chaplain, then as Director of Residential Services and finally as Director of the WAE Center for 16 years – I have come to know her as someone who, herself, has had many and diverse life experiences. She has a special appreciation that each of those experiences is part of the journey that makes us all whole.
Marilynn’s personal mission was to assure that the people who resided in a JSDD home (and others) could have the same choices and access to opportunity available to anyone in the community. All obstacles along the way made her more determined to achieve her objective.
Marilynn retired in June of 2020. To say that she left her mark on JSDD does not nearly express how important she has been to the growth and reputation of this agency. The WAE Center is a legacy which we can all agree, will always be tied to Marilynn along with her tenacity and her dedication to “Finding the Spark Within” every person – members, their families and staff!
We are grateful for her unwavering commitment and support through the many challenges presented along the way. With an eye to the future, she assembled a team of professionals and provided them with the tools to continue with her voice inside their heads inspiring all to see the potential, appreciate the talent and never underestimate the ability of anyone to achieve extraordinary things.
Marilynn continues to have a profound impact as an active volunteer member of the Heidi Gallery Committee. This Committee’s purpose is to ensure that art and creative expression in many forms is available to all in a fully inclusive way. Heidi Gallery is an inclusive arts destination and a resource to the entire community. There is no one better equipped to participate in defining this work than Marilynn and we are thankful that her energy and passion has extended her involvement with the agency.
We are so pleased to be recognizing Marilynn’s extraordinary impact on this 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the WAE Center.
