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The Florida Grantor, Spring 2002

Second & Third Quarter Grant Awards Top $600,000

The Able Trust recently awarded $628,285 in grants to sixteen nonprofit agencies and seven individuals with disabilities in Florida for employment-related purposes during the second and third quarters of Fiscal Year 2002.

These agencies received funding for the following programs:

• Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida (Marion County) $40,000 to begin the Rural Partnerships project which will fund employment placement and provide transition services for students with disabilities living in rural areas;
• Florida International University (Dade County) $37,590 to begin Reading to Learn: A Study on Critical Reading Strategies for Learning Disabled Students, which will teach participants reading strategies and include follow-up of GPA's to track the students' progress;
• Independent Living Resource Center of Northeast Florida (Duval County) $52,555 to establish a full-time Director of Development and Career Placement to ensure continued funding for future programs;
• Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce (Duval County) $35,222 to expand a job information bank that connects Chamber-member employers to people with disabilities in search of employment;
• Mental Health Community Centers, Inc. (Sarasota County) $24,000 to hire a program specialist who will begin a program to provide jobs for adults with mental illness;
• Muscogee Nation of Florida (Escambia County) $15,000 to assess the Native American population in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and compile a central database of Native Americans with disabilities;
• New Life Outreach Center, Inc. (Leon County) $33,850 to begin a program designed to provide vocational rehabilitation services, social rehabilitation and other aspects of life management for adults with disabilities;
• Sunrise ARC of Lake County, Inc. (Lake County) $42,672 to hire a Transition Specialist who will work with individuals with disabilities to provide extensive on-the-job support to help clients maintain current jobs;
• The Watson Center (Pinellas County) $25,181 to establish a training lab that will provide a realistic office setting where participants can gain job readiness and job maintenance training, learn computer skills and foster independence;
• Tri-County Community Council, Inc. (Holmes County) $32,444 to hire a program coordinator for the Tri-County ABLE Connections project, which provides employment placement for persons with disabilities living in the rural areas;
• VSA Arts of Florida, Inc. (Statewide) $35,000 to support a statewide registry for artists and aspiring-artists with disabilities to assist these individuals in gaining meaningful employment;
• ARC Gateway, Inc. (Escambia County) $24,000 to provide follow along services in supported employment situations;
• Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Inc. (Dade County) $73,987 for a two year project to expand Project Job Link;
• North Florida Chapter National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Duval County) $20,000 to assist students with multiple sclerosis with job skills training, placement and advocacy;
• PMM Rehabilitation, Inc. (Hillsborough County) $25,000 to provide specialized job placements services for individuals with brain injuries; and
• Suncoast HealthCouncil, Inc. (Pinellas County) $50,689 to partially fund an employment program that will target adults with Cystic Fibrosis in need of employment placement.