2016 WAS a year of craziness . The United Kingdom surprised us all by leaving the EU in the dramatic Brexit move . Donald Trump was elected as the 45th president of the United States , and Leicester City won the Premier League . It was a year where things were turned on their heads . The unexpected did occur . The odds were defied . In the Johannesburg Jewish community , the unexpected things that took place on the corner of Long Avenue and George Avenue , in Glenhazel , proved that sometimes when we defy these odds and unexpected things do occur , it can be quite wondrous .
ARCADIA
ARCADIA COMES HOME FINDING HOPE AND INSPIRATION BY TRANSFORMING A BUILDING INTO A HOME . RONIT CHAYA JANET
and His loving-kindness throughout the greater community .
It can be said that stability is paramount – whether emotional or physical . One needs solid ground to build anything . And the strong foundations that the Chevrah Kadisha needed to begin this project were its major donors . This particular project creeped its way into the heart and soul of Monty Koppel , a successful businessman currently living in London . For this man and his family , Arcadia was not just the name of an organisation to assist financially – it was the very source of his life story , as Monty and his siblings grew up in the old Arcadia building after they lost their mother and family life became challenging .
2016 WAS a year of craziness . The United Kingdom surprised us all by leaving the EU in the dramatic Brexit move . Donald Trump was elected as the 45th president of the United States , and Leicester City won the Premier League . It was a year where things were turned on their heads . The unexpected did occur . The odds were defied . In the Johannesburg Jewish community , the unexpected things that took place on the corner of Long Avenue and George Avenue , in Glenhazel , proved that sometimes when we defy these odds and unexpected things do occur , it can be quite wondrous .
It all began with the dream of husband and wife Mark and Stacey Uria , who wanted to refurbish the current Arcadia home , which houses a number of children who , for various reasons , are not able to live with their parents and need the extra care and concern . They decided that the current home needed a touch-up , some work . Together with group CEOs Saul Tomson and Michael Sieff , they started brainstorming and working on projects to defy the odds and take this physical building , which houses a number of children from the community , and make it something different .
What they didn ’ t realise was that they were actually imbuing these physical walls with a soul , a neshama , that reached out and spread the spark of Hashem
Arcadia was originally founded in 1903 , and has been servicing the community for over 100 years . Monty was one of the children to pass through the Arcadia doors . Life has since blessed him and he decided this was the perfect place to show his hakarat hatov – his gratitude – and give back .
So , with the funding for the shell of the house , the project took its next step . They employed young architect Mark Falconer from KFPA ( Krige Falconer partnership architects ), who worked tirelessly with the Chev team , specifically Adina Menhard , Arcadia general manager , to create a space that was “ purpose built ”, as Tomson calls it .
Falconer wanted all the kids to feel at home . So his team focused their designs and energy with an incredible sensitivity to the various decisions they made . They aimed to provide space and privacy where needed , and appropriate supervision where required . This applied to the residential area , where there are a number of children and teenagers who reside permanently . The design has moved away from institutional dorm rooms into pod-like areas , with individual spaces and areas of privacy and expression , encouraging the home-like environment .
The Arcadia model has developed over the years , with the introduction of daycare facilities – a place for young people to come after school while their parents work a full day and often these families need the additional support and attention in the afternoon hours . From young toddlers who need an
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