She saw the health crisis no one talks about—then built a Jewish answer

Initiative combines Jewish values, nutrition to empower adults with special needs

By Kathleen Lees, Special to the Jewish Light

Published June 4, 2025

Dodi Taylor, the manager of Jewish community engagement at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, is all about health; she has a master’s degree in nutrition and even teaches yoga.

In addition to her role at the Federation, Taylor also works as the life enrichment coordinator at the Jewish Community Center, where she organizes events, along with programming and skill building opportunities for individuals with special needs.

“I love making healthy choices,” says Taylor, 33, a St. Louis native who attended Epstein Hebrew Academy and Block Yeshiva High School growing up. “But working in the world of individuals with special needs, I very quickly learned that there are high rates of obesity and poor nutrition-related diseases, illness and overall, a lack of awareness and education on how to make healthy choices.”

So, she decided to do something about it; she started the service program LabriYOUt, which helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through nutritional education and community building activities and skills.

Taylor launched LabriYOUt, which means “to health” in Hebrew, shortly after being chosen for a Catalyst Fellowship in 2024—a professional development initiative designed to inspire service through the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)

LabriYOUt’s first session was a cooking class on May 11 that focused on shmirat hanefesh v’haguf (self-care.)

“The whole purpose of it is to bring volunteers together to see value in giving back to the community, but from a Jewish values lens,” says Taylor.

Catalyst Fellows are part of a nine-month program that includes training from Repair the World educators and JFNA staff. In addition, participating communities can receive micro-grant funding of up to $7,000 to pilot a new volunteer and/or service initiative or grow an existing one.

LabriYOUt consists of a three-part series of programs that integrate Jewish values and provide hands-on learning opportunities to help participants take in how to make healthy, independent choices.

Taylor initially got the idea for the program while coordinating Sunday hangouts for individuals with special needs through the J and Federation; this typically included things like trips to the St. Louis Science Center or the St. Louis Art Museum. Later, she also included cooking classes, as well.

“I really noticed that it wasn’t just about an interest in food; it was more so an interest in the ability to make independent choices,” Taylor says. “Individuals who, oftentimes, on a daily basis are just handed a plate of food and expected that that’s what they’re going to eat experienced the joy and happiness of being able to be involved in their own decision-making processes.”

The first LabriYOUt session was a cooking class on May 11 that focused on shmirat hanefesh v’haguf (self-care.) The next session on June 15 will give each participant a $50 stipend to buy ingredients and learn about making health choices, focusing on the value of Kavod (dignity.) The last session on June 29 will involve volunteer gardening with Seed St. Louis, emphasizing the importance of kehilla (community.)

Potential LabriYOUt participants must be 18 years or older and have a diagnosed and documented intellectual or developmental disability, and any participants who require one-on-one support must attend with their caretaker. Each session is about two hours long, and you can sign up through the Federation’s website.