Step By Step Receives Fall Grant

Step By Step Receives Luzerne Foundation Grant for HOPE Program

(Luzerne, PA) The Luzerne Foundation recently presented a grant to Step By Step to support the HOPE (Helping Others Prepare for Employment) Program, a program of the Vocational Division of the agency. The grant will enable Step By Step to provide their consumers with skills training in application completion, interviewing and workplace behavior. The HOPE program currently serves 93 individuals with disabilities.

Established in 1977, Step By Step, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation devoted to providing community support services to children and adults in Pennsylvania with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and autism. The agency recognizes the ability of people with intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and autism to live independently in their own home with responsive supports. The HOPE program prepares Step By Step consumers to enter the workforce by building self-esteem, greater self-reliance and independence.

“The Grants Committee saw the benefits of this program for the individuals involved,” noted Charles Barber, President /CEO of The Luzerne Foundation, “as well as the benefits to our community as a whole.”

Over 100 grant applications were received during The Luzerne Foundation’s Fall Grant cycle requesting over $475,000 in funding for programs and services valued at over $7.5 million.