March 02, 2020 - DCA Awards $585,000 in Recreational Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities Grants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 02, 2020
Local Governments Receive Grants to Support Ongoing Recreational Programs and Special Events for People with Disabilities
Trenton, N.J. – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced the award of $585,000 in grants to three counties and 30 municipalities through the Recreational Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities (ROID) program. ROID grants help local governments offer activities specifically designed for individuals with disabilities so they can fully participate in municipal and county recreation programs. The grants also assist local governments in meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Programs supported through the ROID grants include athletics, performing arts, after-school programs, and other activities such as visual arts, storytelling, and cooking classes. The activities emphasize positive reinforcement, social interaction, and community awareness.
“We congratulate this year’s grant recipients. The local staff who develop and manage these activities are truly making a difference in people’s lives,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. “These grants are our way of contributing to this enriching work.”
Created in 1978, the ROID program offers two grants to assist municipalities and counties in delivering both short-term special events and comprehensive recreational services for individuals with disabilities. The Comprehensive Grant supports continuous, integrated recreation and leisure service programs, and the Special Event Grant funds short-term events, which fulfill a specific community need. Each grant requires a 20 percent funding match from the local government.
The FY2020 ROID grant recipients and projects include the following:
|
Grant Recipient |
Project Description |
Award Amount |
|
Barnegat Township |
Provides inclusive recreation opportunities for people with disabilities in the Barnegat area. |
$20,000 |
|
Bayonne City |
Expands the Ability Program, an integrated and inclusive after-school and summer recreational program for Bayonne’s teen and adult residents with developmental disabilities. |
$20,000 |
|
Bloomfield Township |
Expands the special needs program to include a summer vocational education program and provides funds to continue regular programming and hire paraprofessionals for the VEST program. |
$20,000 |
|
Dumont Borough |
Provides an additional bus for the Senior Center trip to the Resorts World Casino in New York to increase the capacity to take more seniors with disabilities. |
$1,000 |
|
East Brunswick Township |
Provides children with special needs with an inclusive recreational camp program that includes science projects, dancing, arts and crafts, nature/educational programs, games and social activities. |
$20,000 |
|
Eatontown Borough |
Provides continued funding for an inclusive, community-based program that focuses on the development and mastery of leisure skills and fosters an appreciation of the performing and visual arts. |
$20,000 |
|
Fanwood Borough |
Grows inclusive programming around the teen social night program for individuals with disabilities. |
$10,000 |
|
Garfield City |
Unites individuals through gardening activities, stewardship, healthy eating, and professional skill development. |
$20,000 |
|
Hudson County |
Unites individuals through artistic expression, wellness activities, dance, yoga, and social skill development. |
$22,500 |
|
Jackson Township |
Provides inclusive recreational sports and leisure activities and related experiences that aid individuals with disabilities in their mobility, socialization, independence, employment, and community integration. |
$15,000 |
|
Jersey City |
Provides inclusive recreational opportunities for youth with disabilities to learn various sports during the year. |
$19,920 |
|
Keyport Borough |
Helps ensure inclusive recreational opportunities are available for individuals living with disabilities. |
$1,000 |
|
Linden City |
Provides recreational activities for Linden's disabled population. |
$19,120 |
|
Livingston Township |
Provides various recreational activities for individuals with disabilities in Livingston and the surrounding areas. |
$18,825 |
|
Lyndhurst Township |
Provides integrated recreation, art, leisure, and socialization programs for individuals with disabilities residing in Lyndhurst and surrounding communities. |
$12,000 |
|
Montville Township |
Provides services for children of all abilities coming from Morris, Essex, and Bergen counties. |
$35,000 |
|
Mount Holly Township |
Offers youth with disabilities the necessary support to participate in the township's popular summer recreation program. |
$10,000 |
|
North Bergen Township |
Provides new, continuing, and expanded local recreation components in North Bergen that integrate disabled and non-disabled individuals between the ages of 14 and 65. |
$7,591 |
|
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township |
Ensures individuals living with disabilities in the Township have access to inclusive recreational opportunities. |
$20,000 |
|
Passaic County |
Unites individuals through the main tenants of golf by expanding program capacity to host more participants regardless of their income or level of ability. |
$28,400 |
|
Plainfield City |
Provides swimming lessons for children with autism, which will encourage healthy lifestyles and provide a sense of achievement. |
$10,000 |
|
Rahway City |
Provides recreational opportunities for special needs children by making the annual Playtime in the Park a fully inclusive program. Provides funds to assist in hiring special education teachers to serve as counselors for the program. |
$20,000 |
|
Ramsey Borough |
Enhances existing programs for soccer, basketball, baseball, and track along with supporting ‘Ramsey is for Everyone (RIFE)’ programs. Supports new programs such as a fitness programs, karate, and yoga. |
$20,000 |
|
Red Bank Borough |
Offers two field trips to children with disabilities under a buddy system. Provide funds for the admission and transportation of all participants. |
$1,000 |
|
Ridgewood Village |
Coordinates a weekly nutrition education and basic lifestyles skills program for young adults with disabilities as well as continue to provide after-school programs focused on nutrition, culinary, and gardening skills for children with disabilities |
$20,000 |
|
Roxbury Township |
Provides inclusionary recreational programming for youth with disabilities in the Roxbury area. |
$19,016 |
|
Rutherford Borough |
Provides new and expanded integrated recreational opportunities for the residents of Rutherford. |
$20,000 |
|
Secaucus Township |
Offers youth with disabilities the necessary support to participate in the township’s popular summer recreational programming. This includes the six-week summer camp program as well as the weekly arts and crafts program and “Game-On” sports programs. |
$20,000 |
|
Summit City |
Provides recreation programs for individuals with disabilities in the Summit and nearby local area, primarily Clark, Plainfield, Springfield, Westfield, Madison, Cranford, New Providence, Berkeley Heights, Maplewood, Millburn, Union and South Orange. |
$19,628 |
|
Trenton City |
Implements after-school programming for children with disabilities who reside in the city. Provides funds to hire special needs aides. |
$20,000 |
|
Union County |
Implements a summer camp expansion to serve adults between the ages of 22-36 and supports the continuation of the county’s inclusive recreational summer camps and social events. |
$35,000 |
|
Union Township |
Provides for an inclusive after-school recreational program at Hannah Caldwell School in the township. |
$20,000 |
|
West New York Town |
Provides new and expanded inclusive programming for youth with disabilities. |
$20,000 |
|
33 Approved Applications Total: $ 585,000 |
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The ROID program is administered by the DCA Division of Housing and Community Resources. The mission of the Division is to strengthen and revitalize communities through the delivery of affordable housing, supportive services, and financial and technical assistance to local governments and community-based organizations. The Division’s Office of Recreation is focused on expanding and developing recreational programs on a statewide and local basis and disseminating information to governmental and other agencies engaged in fostering recreational programs.
For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media:
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CONTACT:
DCA:
Tammori Petty
Gina Trish
Lisa Ryan
(609) 292-6055
