Bancroft NeuroRehab was awarded a grant through the Wawa Foundation to enhance its vocational programs. Through this grant, Bancroft NeuroRehab was able to connect individuals back to the workplace, to their community through volunteering, and through educational group sessions with their peers.
The money from the grant allowed Bancroft NeuroRehab to employ Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTA’s) to work with those we support and purchase technology and other materials giving them the ability to assess individuals, provide one-on-one job skills training, and offer group educational programs. Most importantly, it allowed clinical staff time to develop partnerships with community connections – all leading to individuals returning to work or volunteering.
A total of 47 individuals were able engage in resume writing, job development, and interviewing skills. Six of those in the program were placed at jobs such as Shop-Rite, Royal Farms, Apex Construction, Princeton-Penn Medical Center, and a local garden center.
This grant opportunity provided more than just opportunity, it provided hope. Not only did one of the participants volunteer at the animal shelter, but when he brought home the supplies to make toys for the animals, it inspired the rest of the house to begin volunteering as well. The animal shelter was so moved by this story that they provided tee shirts for the entire house to wear and enough supplies so everyone could volunteer together.
For Matthew Collura a long-awaited opportunity to use his writing skills was realized. He was supported by a trained clinician which led to him first writing articles for our internal Newsletter to writing an article for NJ multimedia publications.
