On February 4th, the Polus Center hosted the announcement ceremony of a new $850,000 grant at our office in Athol. Through the Commonwealth Corporation with the help of the Healey-Driscoll administration, five organizations received funding for training and employing 119 young adults with disabilities.
The Polus Center is among the awardees, receiving $199,991 for our Retail Skills for Young Adults with Disabilities program. This will allow us to provide opportunities for 24 young adults with disabilities to receive hands-on training and job placement in the retail and grocery industries.
Executive Director Dr. Theresa Kane says about the opportunity,
We appreciate having the ability to provide training for young adults with disabilities to help them obtain their first jobs in a grocery or retail setting, and to support our employer partners in finding the talent they need to strengthen their workforce. We believe this strong foundation of workplace skill development and job search support will carry them through the rest of their careers.
The Healey-Driscoll grant also provides funding for Community Work Services (CWS), Employment Options Inc, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District, and Partners for Youth with Disabilities Inc.
We are grateful to the Commonwealth Corporation for their generosity!