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PARC Receives Over $50,000 in Grants to Support Numerous Programs
With a legacy of 54 years providing exceptional services and extensive programs which offer new and exciting initiatives to participants and family members, PARC, more than ever, is attracting the financial attention and support of funders locally and nationally.
Over the past few months, PARC received notices from The Thomas & Agnes Carvel Foundation, Gannett Foundation, Entergy Charitable Foundation, Provident Bank Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Senator Vincent Leibell and Assemblyman Greg Ball of grant awards totally more than $50,000. The grant funds will be used to support PARC's adult education program, Mahopac-based preschool, and the new Autism Resource Center.
Recognized as a 501 c (3) in 1954, PARC provides programming and advocacy for over 650 children and adults with developmental disabilities within Putnam County and in southern Dutchess and northern Westchester counties.
The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation awarded its third grant to PARC since 2006, $10,000 to support PARC's new initiative, the Autism Resource Center. The center is a multitiered approach to offer the best and most valuable autism information to parents and caregivers in the region. The first phase of the center, a comprehensive, one-stop autism website, www. Autism ResourceCenter.info, launched in March 2008. Over the next year, the center will expand to host support groups and information meetings on autism at Mahopac Public Library and increase the library's current collection of media related to autism care and support.
The Gannett Foundation and Provident Bank Foundation awarded $10,000 and $5,000, respectively, to the Autism Resource Center, to help purchase 100 additional volumes and media, all related to Autism Spectrum Disorders, that will be housed at the Mahopac Public Library. PARC hopes to open the collection to the public in October 2008.
New York State Senator Vincent Leibell and New York State Assemblyman Greg Ball were successful in securing grants totally $13,000 to support PARC's Preschool for children with autism and special needs based in Mahopac. The preschool recently graduated 18 children into local school district kindergarten programs and will serve nearly 70 young people this year.
Entergy Charitable Foundation, which in recent years supported PARC's preschool and respite programs, awarded PARC $4,000 for its Brewster Adult Education Program. The funds will be used to offset the costs for PARC participants to attend Brewster Adult Education classes, including "Market Math," "Everyday Spanish," "Spelling Can Be Fun," and "Introduction to Computers." The grant will be used toward tuition, to help as many as 100 students attend classes throughout 2008 and 2009.
For more information about any of PARC's programs, please call 845-278-PARC or log onto their website, www.PutnamARC.org.
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