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The Florida Grantor, Spring 2006

Second and Third Quarter Grant Awards Total Over $640,000

The Able Trust awarded grants to 16 agencies and one individual totaling $645,225 during the second and third quarters for Fiscal Year 2006. These grants will be used to develop or expand programs geared toward employing people with disabilities. Second quarter grant awards are as follows:

Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc., (Statewide), $27,206 to support the 2006 Partners in Transition Summit;

Grove House Supportive Services, (Duval County), $40,450 to provide individuals with brain and spinal cord injuries the support to obtain and retain employment;

Can Grow, Inc., (Jackson, Holmes and Washington Counties), $35,000 to allow for the expansion and continuation of the I Can Grow program that provides individuals with disabilities experience and workplace skills in an agricultural setting;

Lighthouse Central Florida, (Orange County), $35,000 to develop a job club and provide job readiness and job placement services for individuals with disabilities;

Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County, Inc., (Palm Beach County), $25,000 to assist in providing mentorship positions for consumers with mental health disabilities to learn workplace skills and behavior;

Northwest Behavioral Health Services, (Duval County), $36,000 to hire an Employment Specialist to provide job placement services for individuals with mental health and/or substance abuse disabilities;

Sertoma Speech and Hearing Foundation, (Pasco County), $25,600 to provide young adults with hearing impairments with information and skills to overcome workplace barriers and gain employment;

St. Lucie County School District, (St. Lucie County), $32,707 to provide employment and advocacy training and experience to students with disabilities ages 18-22 in the St. Lucie School District;

Tallahassee Community College Foundation, (Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla Counties), $42,813 to create a Multisensorial Study Strategies Tool Kit for tutors who will work with students with Dyslexia/Learning Disabilities to enhance their educational and future employment experiences; and

The Center for Independence, Inc., (Pasco County), $31,940 to hire a follow-along Job Coach to help stabilize existing employment positions of individuals with disabilities in Eastern Pasco County.

Third quarter grant awards are as follows:

ARC Palm Beach County, (Palm Beach County), $39,875 to expand the vocational assessment, training and job preparation program that prepares people with disabilities to secure competitive employment;

Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida, (Alachua County), $37,374 to start a Supported Employment Program that will provide opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to gain competitive employment within the community;

Central Florida Deaf Services, Inc., (Polk County), $33,057 to provide a specialized career and education program for employment-age students who are deaf or hard of hearing;

Hillsborough Association for Retarded Citizens, (Hillsborough County), $75,000 to allow for additional employment assistance for individuals in supported employment who need long-term aid after state funding has stopped;

MACTown, Inc., (Miami-Dade County), $70,000 over a two year period, to start a franchise fast food restaurant that will provide employment skills training and placement for individuals with disabilities in the Little Haiti area; and

WORC/ United Cerebral Palsy of East Central Florida, (Volusia County), $51,345 to begin a Transitional Employment Services program to improve the level of education and training of individuals with developmental disabilities to result in community-based job placements.