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May 2025

Andrea Tovar
In What´s New

JARC Launches the JD Lipa Fund to Support Veterans in Manufacturing Training

At Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC), we believe in the power of people, those we serve and those who help us serve better. This June, we are proud to announce the launch of the JD Lipa Fund, a new initiative dedicated to supporting veterans enrolled in our Careers in Manufacturing Programs (CMP).

This special fund honors the memory and legacy of our beloved colleague and friend, JD Lipa, whose unwavering dedication to JARC’s mission helped shape our training programs and strengthen our commitment to equity and community.

Jorge started in the military in 2014, and after three years of service, he was ready to get back home and find a new job. Jorge mentioned that his favorite part of the Welding program was having a schedule. He said that the lack of structure was something that affected him when he was back from military service, but JARC really helped him get back to being goal-oriented. 

Celebrating JD’s Legacy with Purpose

Since JD’s passing, we’ve taken time to grieve and reflect on just how much he meant to the JARC family. From his early days as an industry partner in 2002 to becoming JARC’s Director of Manufacturing Operations in 2016, JD was a driving force behind our growth, ensuring our programs remained industry-relevant, employer-driven, and deeply rooted in real-world impact.

He mentored staff, elevated our instructors, and held all of us to a higher standard, always leading by example with sincerity, tough love, and a vision for what our students and team could become.

Now, through the JD Lipa Fund, that spirit of mentorship and service lives on.

Supporting Veterans in Manufacturing

The JD Lipa Fund was approved by the JARC, Associate and JADC Boards and is designed to:

  • Provide targeted support for veterans participating in JARC’s Careers in Manufacturing Programs

  • Help us expand and improve our outreach to the veteran community

  • Offer friends and colleagues an opportunity to donate in JD’s memory to help create a lasting impact

JD’s family has shared how much he valued JARC—and how meaningful it is that this fund will help fellow veterans gain skills, stability, and opportunity through the programs he helped build.

While the launch of the JD Lipa Fund will not be a public event, we will gather on Wednesday, June 18 at JARC’s Ravenswood Training Center for an intimate celebration with JD’s family, colleagues, and friends.

This is a moment of reflection and appreciation, celebrating JD’s role not just in JARC’s story, but in the lives and futures of so many people who walked through our doors.

The JD Lipa Fund is just the beginning. As we look toward Veterans Day and Memorial Day, we plan to elevate this initiative with deeper storytelling, community partnerships, and awareness campaigns. It’s our way of ensuring JD’s legacy continues to inspire others and expand access to manufacturing careers for those who’ve served our country.

How You Can Support the JD Lipa Fund

If you’d like to honor JD’s legacy, we welcome contributions of any size to the JD Lipa Fund. Your donation will go directly toward supporting veterans in our training programs and ensuring JARC remains a place of opportunity, dignity, and transformation.

To learn more or donate, visit https://jarctraining.org/donation/ and select “JD Lipa Fund”.

Let’s continue the work JD believed in, with the same heart, integrity, and drive that defined his life.

Andrea Tovar
In Events, What´s New

Press Release: JARC Joins Aspire Center as Anchor Tenant

On June 19th, 2025, JARC will relocate its headquarters to the new Aspire Center in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, a move that will significantly enhance its impact on the community. The Aspire Center is a joint effort by the Westside Health Authority and Austin Coming Together, to convert a vacant building which formerly housed an elementary school (Emmett Public School, at 5500 W. Madison), into a hub of organizations dedicated to education, health, and community development. 

Darnell Shields, executive director of Austin Coming Together and board member at JARC, expressed his excitement about the new Aspire Center, saying, “This is sending a message to our community to let them know that they are valuable, and their lives do mean something, and they can be whatever it is they aspire to become.”

”“In essence, the Aspire Center, with JARC’s involvement, is intended to be a hub that provides Austin residents with the tools and support they need to thrive, contributing to a more prosperous and equitable community,” he explained.

Adonis SummervilleJARC’s Director of Advanced Manufacturing

In keeping with the organization’s mission of ensuring working people do not live in poverty, JARC has been focusing on Chicago’s West Side – an area with a high rate of poverty and unemployment – for over a decade. In fact, 20% of JARC’s trainees have come to us from the West Side. In the new space, JARC will be able to expand program offerings, invest in the most up-to-date equipment and enroll more students. Volunteers, staff, and trainees have expressed excitement and optimism regarding the move. Many come with a wealth of understanding of why JARC’s presence will be important for the community. 

As of 2022, 27.5% of Austin residents lived in poverty, and 10.7% lived in extreme poverty. 

While manufacturing jobs represent the largest employment sector in Chicago, only 6% of Austin residents work in that sector. Adonis Summerville, Director of Advanced Manufacturing, grew up in the Austin neighborhood. 

The new location at the Aspire Center will offer Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and Manufacturing Bridge programs. There are also plans to potentially offer a new robotics program. With 7,040 square feet of manufacturing, classroom, and office space, JARC will be able to better serve the West Side by offering more opportunities to more individuals hoping to establish careers in the manufacturing industry. 

 

Contact: Andrea Tovar, Director of Marketing & Communications – JARC

Phone: (773) 751-7120

Email: andreat@jane-addams.org

Emily Doherty, Vice President of client services at JARC, expressed her optimism for the potential impact the organization’s presence would have on the Austin neighborhood for generations to come. “Workforce development doesn’t just result in employment,” she said. “It results in homeownership, higher education for future generations, and lifting families out of poverty.” Emily and the rest of the team at JARC look forward to the Aspire Center’s grand opening. For more information, follow JARC on social media @jarctraining, and consider donating to our efforts at https://jarctraining.org/donation/.

RSVP Required for the Grand Opening: http://bit.ly/3ZiCzq5