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The Florida Grantor, Fall 2001

President's Message

By Sharon Griffith, President

Fall is traditionally the busiest time of year for The Able Trust. Special events, strategic planning and an increase in grant activity usually fill our agenda well into the holiday months.

This year was even more challenging than in years past as a result of the September 11 tragedies. As did most organizations, The Able Trust pressed on with pride and patriotism, hosting an informative Symposium on Disabilities and a successful fund-raising Gala at Mar-a-Lago.

The grants department saw tremendous growth in these past few months thanks to a $500,000 funding opportunity from the OAOC/VRS and the State of Florida. As a result, The Able Trust awarded eleven grants to agencies across the state to develop new High School/High Tech (HS/HT) projects for youth with disabilities.

Topping off that excitement was the recent news of another HS/HT grant that will enable nearly 200 students to participate in field trips to NASA, state universities and other interesting locations throughout Florida. Approximately $200,000 was awarded to The Able Trust's HS/HT program through a cooperative partnership with Delaware North Parks (an existing BLN member) and Johnson Controls.

These type of opportunities continue to foster the success of our youth programs, enabling us to better prepare today's youth for tomorrow's workforce. We're also looking at ways to provide mentoring and job shadowing opportunities to our YLF delegates in the coming year, and look forward to developing more partnerships with our friends in the disability community to bring that to fruition.

We will be sure to keep you informed of all of our upcoming activities, particularly as we embark on our 10-year anniversary celebration in the 2002 year. In the meantime, we hope you and your families enjoy safe and happy holidays.