2024 Haupert Humanitarian Award
John F. Ferry ’78, P’12
The Haupert Humanitarian Award recognizes an alum who has rendered outstanding service in the cause of human welfare. The recipient’s service to humanity has achieved standards "above and beyond" the expected duties and responsibilities of their career. In addition, the recipient has made a positive difference in the lives of others, in the community in which they live, or in the community at large.
John F. Ferry ’78, P’12 has spent much of his career ensuring the success of others. John, who goes by Jack, spent 20 years teaching high school and another 10 in business before he found his true calling, preparing individuals with intellectual disabilities for successful futures by helping them become more included across communities and providing them opportunities to support themselves and their families.
Jack graduated from Moravian with degrees in English and secondary education and began teaching at Northampton Area High School. After two decades in the classroom, he became the owner of Ferdinand and Forte in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, a wholesale distributor of snack foods. United Rehabilitation Services (URS), an organization committed to helping adults with intellectual disabilities secure jobs and interact with the community, was one of Jack’s customers. After a few deliveries to URS and conversations with URS clients, Jack’s purpose in life shifted, and he knew he wanted to work with adults with disabilities. “You never know where life is going to lead you,” says Jack. In 2000, Jack started as coordinator of community services at URS in Hazleton, where he helped clients secure and maintain employment and supervised their travel. He watched his clients learn, grow, and thrive using their skills to connect with others. Jack drew on his experience in performing with the Blackfriars theater group at Moravian to work with his clients to perform shows and musicals at performing arts centers. The shows were immediately successful, and Jack and his clients performed at Disney World twice and in Colorado for an audience of more than 10,000 people.
Jack was also very involved with Kiwanis, a global community dedicated to improving the lives of children. As a member of the Kiwanis club in Hazleton, Jack was committed to helping people with disabilities become a part of the Kiwanis community. He attended the Kiwanis International Convention in Colorado, where Jack and his clients advocated for the full inclusion of adults with disabilities into Kiwanis. Kiwanis later started the Aktion Club, a service club devoted to helping adults with disabilities develop initiative and leadership skills and serve their communities. Today, the Aktion Club has more than 10,000 members worldwide.
Jack and members of the Aktion Club adopted the only orphanage for children with disabilities in Bulgaria and raised money to purchase medication, food, and clothing for its children. In 2002 and 2003, Jack traveled to Bulgaria to deliver these items to the orphanage, as well as dozens of other orphanages Kiwanis had adopted.
In 2008, Jack helped start businesses for adults with disabilities who were clients at the Worcester County Developmental Center (WCDC) in Maryland. As the day program manager, he was responsible for securing community and facility-based jobs for clients and training them to maintain employment. Jack started businesses in commercial laundry, cleaning services, lawn maintenance, and catering and hired adults with disabilities so they could earn money to pay for food and rent and support their families.
“Many clients may not have been aware of what the dollar amount meant on their paychecks,” Jack says. “But they were acutely aware that it meant they worked and were like other workers in the community. Their smiles said it all.”
In 2013, Jack was named WCDC Executive Director, overseeing operations and day program assignments for 86 clients and 130 staff members. WCDC was named nonprofit of the year by local community organizations in 2017 and 2023.
Jack retired in 2023, but he still volunteers at WCDC. On the third Wednesday of each month, a birthday celebration is held for clients, and he always attends to show his support. According to Jack, the atmosphere and the people he met at Moravian taught him not only to improve himself but to improve the lives of others. He says he never had a grand plan, but everything sorted itself out. “The clients have taught me more every day than I’ve taught them in 30 years,” admits Jack.