50th Anniversary Stories
Jubilee Support Alliance: An Early Partnership Between the Business Community and Jubilee
Myra Peabody Gossens is the President of MPG Advisors. She served as President of Ruder Finn and Founder and President of Peabody Fitzpatrick. She co-founded the Jubilee Support Alliance and served as Chair of Jubilee Housing’s Board of Directors from 2006-2018. She remains a steadfast champion and advocate for Jubilee Housing and the entire Jubilee community.
The Jubilee Support Foundation was founded in 1982 by Knox Banner and Myra Peabody Gossens, two prominent Washington DC business leaders. Participation in the Foundation was at an all-time high in the mid-1980s as the business community embraced Jubilee Housing and its mission to provide deeply affordable housing and onsite and nearby services to build compassionate communities. The Jubilee Support Foundation later became the Jubilee Support Alliance (JSA), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Annual events, including the Wine Tasting, Jubilee Garage Sale Gala, and the Jubilee Workday, were created to bring people together to raise awareness and significant money to help cover Jubilee Housing’s operating expenses. These events were planned and executed by large committees of business leaders, from the very experienced to those just beginning their careers in the Washington area. Companies representing a wide range of industries and sectors were faithful contributors both financially and with their time and expertise. JSA, which raised millions over the years, continued until the early 2000s when the organization was incorporated into Jubilee Housing as the Advisory Council.
Myra sat down with us to tell us the story of how JSA was formed and the importance of partnering with the business community.
Give us a sense of the spirit of the time.
“The Jubilee Support Alliance emerged and began reaching out to the business community during a complicated moment in Washington and in our nation,” Myra said. “Reagan’s ‘trickle down’ economics policy was in full swing, and, with lowered taxes and policies favoring the business world, business in Washington was ready to boom. Real estate moguls — plus the accompanying bankers and lawyers — were seen as pillars of the Washington business community.
“In the local communities, however, obstacles and stressors were piling up. Joblessness was rampant, the homeless population was increasing, and people with mental health issues were being thrown out of care institutions. And AIDS hit the poorer communities hard. While there was a real estate boom in certain areas of DC, poor families were pushed further into diminished neighborhoods, and the lack of quality education and access to healthcare became markers of a widening gap.”
Why were you moved to be a long-time champion of Jubilee Housing?
“As a business owner, I was growing my company in size, profitability, visibility, and impact. It was a heady time to be a woman in business as we were seen at last as key elements of the economy and the business world. But personally, that was not enough to satisfy my soul,” Myra responded. “I was raised with the idea that we are not put on this earth for ourselves alone.
“In Jubilee Housing and Church of the Saviour, I found a group of people committed to communities, families, and individuals and a spiritually led culture of being, acting, and doing with community. My experience working in cities across the country taught me that building partnerships among community, business, and government worked miracles. I was looking for that approach, that commonality, in DC. When we began JSA, I found many other business leaders who felt like I did.”
“The commitment to finding mutuality and the importance of connecting at a human and spiritual level is what continues to compel my participation. My life and my children’s lives have been enriched with deep friendships and the knowledge that we are part of a powerful, ongoing mutual community of support.”
Why do you think others were motivated to be involved?
“Washington DC in the 80s had a reputation as a city and region without a philanthropic heart or committed donors who funded the arts, social services, education, etc. We discovered that was a myth. Our region was — and still is — replete with men and women in business who care, give, and act. Yes, some do this for visibility and business development. But many were and are driven because they care.
“Jubilee Housing has never been the board you sit on or the gala you chair because it gives you a notch up in society or power in the business world. Business leaders were drawn to JSA and are still committed to Jubilee Housing because they can make a difference in the community and in people’s lives.”
Why is the business community important to Jubilee Housing?
“I love this question because it illustrates the vibrant, rich partnership Jubilee Housing has with the business community. From the beginning, JSA worked to bring in people who had different gifts to offer. This current business world still supports Jubilee Housing with direct giving, volunteers who serve alongside staff and residents at community events, college scholarships, networking to enlarge the circle, and visibility and outreach.
“Most importantly, however, the circle provides technical advice in regulatory and zoning issues, housing deals, financing arrangements, policy impact, government affairs as well as connections and the opening of doors. Jim [Knight, President and CEO of Jubilee Housing] has a whole team of people — most of whom connected with Jubilee Housing through JSA — who he calls on for advice, counsel, and action. This network is an extraordinary legacy of companies that opted to stay at the table through generations of leadership changes.”