2022 Heroes Ball
Frequently Asked Questions 

During the Heroes Ball, we present awards that recognize the kindness and hard work of individuals and groups in our community. The Hero of the Year recognizes an individual for their efforts helping young children and/or JJS specifically to grow and thrive. Our Community Heroes of the Year looks at a team (company, community group, church), working together, to impact similar change.  At times, like when one of the of our community’s heroes has passed away, we celebrate their life and impact in the District of Columbia and at Jubilee JumpStart. 

 

This year, we are excited to honor: 

 

2022 Hero of the Year - Gail Arnall

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Gail Arnall is one of Jubilee JumpStart’s most steadfast, fearless, and kindest champions, part of our community since JubileJunpStart's founding. Gail is one of our original board members. She continues to be a champion for equitable, quality early care and education while expanding our community by connecting us with one amazing champion after another. 

 

Gail has served with and been blessed by the Church of the Saviour for 48 years and counting, specifically in the 8th Day faith community. Through friends like Gail, Church of Saviour helped launch Jubilee JumpStart and sustain us even in the lowest of moments.  

 

For more than a decade, Gail served as the Executive Director of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) in Arlington, VA, helping men and women returning home from prison. Working with OAR solidified her belief that investing in children and their families is key to helping them stay on a positive trajectory in life.

 

Gail’s career spanned from the FCC to her own marketing firm, from nonprofits to faith-based community building. Her entrepreneurial spirit, communications expertise, and her ability to connect caring, smart people have helped organizations like the Family Place, the Potter’s House, HER Resiliency Center, the Festival Center, and of course, Jubilee Jumpstart to thrive. While her title here has changed over the years, her heart has not. …And these are just a few of the many reasons Gail Arnall was selected as our 2022 Hero of the Year.

 

2022 Celebration of Life & Legacy - Diane Bernstein

 

Jubilee Jumpstart lost one of our dear friends in 2021, Diane Bernstein. Diane lived a fifty-year commitment to children’s issues and organizations. She worked at Children's National Medical Center, where she started many programs such as the Department of Child Life that creates positive experiences for families and promotes positive coping through play, self-expression, and child-centered medical preparation and education. She was an active philanthropist and brought her expertise to support programs serving the most vulnerable children in the region.   

 

One thing that connected her so closely to Jubilee JumpStart was her understanding and early championing of how childcare centers are at their best when they support parents and families while supporting the development of children. This way, every child receives the stable, loving care and learning they deserve at home and school.

 

Diane was a lifelong activist. Her activism sometimes got her into “good trouble”, like when she was arrested and jailed briefly in 2011 while protesting for DC voting rights. But above all, it was her love for all children that gave fire to her enormous spirit.

 

She served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children. In 1992, she co-founded DC Action for Children and created the DC Children's Health Care Coalition. In 1999, she was appointed by then-Mayor Anthony Williams to the Board of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, where she served as Vice Chair.

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She generously shared her wisdom, energy, resources, and courage to support and stand up for children and families throughout her life. We celebrate Diane by carrying forward that spirit to meet today's challenges and beyond.

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