The Calais School is happy to announce the addition of a new school bus for students in SLE community internships. Each year, The Calais School partners with an increasing number of local businesses, including ShopRite of Greater Morristown, the Parsippany-Troy Hills Library, and CareOne in Whippany, NJ. These work experiences encourage students not only to obtain employment but to thrive, advocate for themselves, and participate in the community.

The SLE program helps students with special needs cultivate the critical thinking, social, and problem-solving skills needed to be successful as adults. The bus will also be used for SLE field trips designed to help students learn life and leisure skills and to transport students to classes at County College of Morris in Randolph, NJ.

This purchase has been more than a year in the making. After a major donation from Calais Foundation founder and President Emeritus Charles McClafferty and Vice President Emerita Beverly McClafferty, donors at the Foundation’s 2015 Passport to Excellence gala donated another $7,200. In November 2016, The Provident Bank Foundation presented The Calais School with an $8,450 Major Grant check for a school bus. Jane Kurek, Executive Director of The Provident Bank Foundation, stated,

Providing the students the opportunity to experience community-based internships will enable them to thrive and become successful adults.

SLE places high school students with special needs in community-based internships. SLE Coordinator Lisa Vallo shared, “A Calais School bus allows us to expand the number of community-based internships available to our students. We are so happy….”

 

About The Provident Bank Foundation

The Provident Bank Foundation was established in 2003 by Provident Bank to enhance the quality of life in the region through support of not-for-profit groups, institutions, schools and other 501(c)(3) organizations that provide services in communities served by the Bank. Since inception, the Foundation has granted more than $21million to not-for-profit organizations and institutions working toward stronger communities. For more information about The Provident Bank Foundation, visit http://www.ProvidentNJFoundation.org or call (862) 260-3990.

 

More information on The Calais Foundation, a non­profit with a mission to empower children with serious learning and behavioral problems so they can overcome their challenges and be responsible, productive and reach their fullest potential, can be found at www.calaisfoundation.org.