About Us

Mission, Promise, Values | Our Namesake | Meet The Team | Join the Board

Our Mission

Jacob's Chance enriches lives by empowering individuals 5-40 years old with intellectual, developmental, physical, and/or complex disabilities through inclusive programs that promote personal development and positive relationships.

Our Promise

We are committed to diversity and inclusiveness in all aspects of our organization. We promise to create equity as we embrace cultural differences and promote cultural understanding.

Our Values

Inclusion

We are dedicated to educating our community about true inclusion by offering programming where youth, teens, and young adults with and without disabilities play, learn, and grow together.

Adaptability

We adapt the sport, program, or class to the ability of the participant to allow us to service individuals at any skill level.

Acceptance

Diversity

We promote diversity by seeking out underserved communities, developing trust and allowing everyone to participate regardless of their ability to pay our minimal registration fees.

Through celebrating our participants' achievements and uniqueness, we promote self confidence and acceptance.

Healthy Lifestyles

Collaboration

We believe that our constituents are best served when nonprofit organizations and businesses work together.

We help to battle common challenges for those with disabilities such as obesity, atrophy, isolation, and depression with education, fitness, movement, outdoor activities, skills for independence, and athletics.

Mark

Jacob's Chance Incident Report Form

Our Policies

We strive to serve and protect our participants and volunteers in all that we do.

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Who is Jacob?

Jacob was a bright and fun-loving

young man who lived life to the

fullest and loved playing sports.

Jacob passed away in 2002 due to

complications of his disabilities when he was only 11 years old, but Kate got to know Jacob's mom as Kate's sons played sports with Jacob's brother. All of the programs offered today are dedicated to Jacob and his infectious smile, which we see reflected in every individual we've served since becoming a nonprofit in 2013, and the years of Buddy Ball before that. These programs are Jacob's "chance" to live through the wonderful youth, teens, and adults we serve today.

Meet the Team

Staff

Kate Mardigian

Founder | Executive Director

Born in Charleston, WV and raised in Richmond, VA. Mom of two grown sons and Gigi to two amazing granddaughters. Enjoys hiking, live music, and ice cream cones.

Cat Papadopoulou

Program Manager

Cat was born in Athens, Greece and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a VCU School of Social Work alum. In her spare time you can find her reading, antiquing, and hanging out with her tuxedo cat named Percy. Cat hopes to travel and obtain her masters in counseling!

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Brooke Cable Hsieh

Program Director

Born and raised in Richmond, VA. University of Georgia grad and a board certified music therapist. Mom to a new baby girl and dog mom to one pittie pup. Enjoys rock climbing, trying new things, and all-you-can-eat buffets.

Sydney Griffin

Program Manager

Born over in Midlothian but a proud Richmond resident, Sydney graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology from VCU. In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends and family or cuddling with her many animals. Sydney hopes to return to college to get her Ph.D. to pursue research in psychology.