Our next event: A
benefit performance of Neil Simon's comedy,
"Rumors."
Thursday, September 16, 2010 at
8:00pm. The Barn Theatre in Montville, NJ.
Contact us for sponsor
opportunities:
mvtpec@aol.com.
Pathways'
2010
Include ME! Special Events
Pathways' Lead Mentors, 12 children ages 11-18,
have been working hard to encourage the
inclusion of children with disabilities at both
the local and state levels. Every year, Pathways
has a Walkathon and 5K Race to raise money for
better recreation programs and special education
learning environments in schools. This year, we
dedicated three events to increasing
awareness and promoting inclusion of children
with disabilities. A sponsorship book featuring
your business was distributed to all
participants, along with coupons, inserts, bags,
and many other opportunities to get patronage.
May 21:
Paint the Town Yellow!
Schools, families and businesses
throughout Montville Township and surrounding
areas showed support for inclusion by
purchasing and wearing these t-shirts on this
one special day to turn the future bright for
everyone. Click
here for photos.
May 22: “Include ME!” Walkathon
Over 260 people attended our walkathon at Montville
Township Community Park in yellow Include ME!
shirts! Biodegradable balloons were released into the air,
followed by games, activities, music, food and
festivities. Click
here for photos.
June 26: “Include ME!” 5K Race
312
runners took to the streets wearing our
“Include ME!” t-shirts.
About Pathways' Programs:
Mentor Program:
Children with disabilities face many obstacles,
but perhaps one of the most daunting is the
feeling of loneliness. If a
child is autistic and cannot speak, how do you
communicate or play with him or her? Pathways
for Exceptional Children developed a formal
two-hour Mentor Training Program designed to
help everyone understand how children with
disabilities are similar to ourselves, and the
concept of empathy, or “walking in another’s
shoes.” Our trained mentors donate their time to
work with children having special needs in
Recreation, Life Skills, and Home-Based Buddies
Programs. Mentors receive community service
hours while offering friendship, encouragement,
and a greater sense of belonging to these
children and their families.
Team Sports:
Athletics play a key role in a child’s
development. They teach children to follow
rules, take turns, win and lose, develop
discipline, compete, and advocate for
themselves. Participation in sports provides
opportunities to work together as a team,
develop camaraderie and feel a sense of
belonging. Businesses or individuals can sponsor
a team in the following Pathways programs for
children with special needs: Basketball,
Baseball, Rugby, Soccer, Lacrosse, Tennis, Pillo
Polo. There is a limit of two
sponsors per program — sponsor names will be
printed on the back of T-shirts.
Magic of Reading and
Writing:
Many children with disabilities, regardless of
their diagnoses, may encounter difficulty
reading. These are after-school programs for
children ages 5-11 that provide early intervention
and reinforcement of basic literacy skills needed as the foundation for success in the
future. They are designed to make reading and
writing fun and
keep the child’s motivation high. Mentors work
with the children as
reading and writing buddies. The program also
trains parents to work with their children at home.
Learning Through Life:
Children with special needs require
experientially-based learning. They need to
touch and feel something for it to come alive
and have meaning. Pathways developed the
successful Learning Through Life program
that integrates academics and life skills.
Children learn math through cooking and to
differentiate money by using coins as Bingo
chips. They get motivated
to read and write while making grocery lists,
shopping online for a vacation, or making
Talking Books on computers. This program makes
learning academics a creative process integrated
into daily life experiences that teach our
children to achieve greater independence for
life.
Project Win-Win
:
This program provides training in job
readiness, technology, and basic office skills
for children ages 12 and above with special
needs.
These young adults partner with mentors
16 and above who are trained and hired
as job coaches. Together they work as teams
under the direction of the class instructor and
are given actual work projects. When the children
with disabilities reach 16 and are ready to
enter a more formalized employment environment,
Pathways begins to transition them into
actual employment settings with their job
coaches.
For more
information about Pathways and program
sponsorships, please contact Melinda Jennis,
973-334-9240 or email
mvtpec@aol.com.
