MONTVILLE PEC

About Us

Board of Trustees:

Chairs: Peter Kearns, Jim Bush

Members: Morton Bunis, Melinda Jennis, Albert Van Riper III, Eileen Forman Ludden,
Wendy Dratler

Officers:

President: Melinda Jennis

Vice Presidents:

Chief Financial Officer: Kim Kanaley
Marketing: Ellen Oxild
Recreation & Mentoring: Tracey Hanna

Education & Employment: Kyra Burdick

Treasurer: Carol Palma
Secretary: Karen Juliano

In February 2006, Pathways for Exceptional Children, to incorporate our substantial growth and development, became a statewide organization in New Jersey. Pathways will remain devoted at the grassroots level to our local community, but has also made it a priority to educate and train other communities throughout the state about our philosophy and how to model our successes, which have been recognized by many as the spirit of reform and acceptance that can transform the word "disability" into "possibility." Click here for a Pathways brochure.

History and Background

Pathways for Exceptional Children was founded in January 2002. It is an organization devoted to advocating for educational and social reform for children with disabilities, providing parent and family support services and education, developing recreation and life skills programs for children with special needs, and providing community service opportunities through mentoring programs. The history of the organization includes the following accomplishments:

Initiated integrated recreational programs that have grown since 2003 from zero to 35 programs implemented throughout the year, serving approximately 350 children with special needs ages 3-21 throughout Northern New Jersey.

Developed a formalized mentor training program that has expanded from 14 to more than 1,000 mentors ages 8 and up since January 2003 in Montville Township. This program has resulted in thousands of community service hours earned by volunteers who have donated their time to mentor children with special needs through Pathways Home-Based Buddies program, recreational programs, and life skills and community activities. Pathways has expanded this program to a statewide level, training 2,500 additional mentors in other communities throughout New Jersey.

Led fund raising and grant writing efforts that produced over $350,000.00 that has been invested in helping children with disabilities acquire skills and/or participate in programs that will improve academic achievement, employability, and overall quality of life. Pathways wrote the New Jersey Department of Education grant designed to improve inclusive in-district programs for children with special needs. The Montville Township School District received this grant from the state for $350,000 on May 15, 2007.

Pathways for Exceptional Children has expanded its outreach at a grassroots level to communities outside of Montville Township by providing training classes and consulting services throughout New Jersey to help them duplicate the programs established here. We currently have a satellite in Summit, NJ and are working on projects to bring children from diverse communities together to work on social change to improve tolerance of diversity.

Awards and Recognition

Pathways for Exceptional Children was named Organization of the Year for 2007 by the Montville Township Chamber of Commerce. Melinda Jennis, President of Pathways, (center) accepted the award on March 1, 2008. We would like to express our appreciation to the Chamber of Commerce, the Township Committee and the State of New Jersey General Assembly for recognizing Pathways' efforts and achievements toward helping all children, both with and without special needs, to reach success.

Melinda Jennis, President of Pathways, received the 2007 “Distinguished Community Service Award” from the Arc of Morris County on May 17, 2007. The Arc is dedicated to the care, support and advancement of people with mental retardation and their families. Melinda was recognized as an individual who has given countless hours of community service helping children with special need and their families in Montville Township and throughout the state of New Jersey.

The Daily Record recognized Pathways as one of the “10 Most Inspirational Stories” in Morris County for 2006. Pathways has become an inspiration by helping people focus not on differences, but rather on similarities, tolerance and acceptance of diversity.

Pathways for Exceptional Children received the "Outstanding Volunteer Community Service Award," presented in 2005 by the Volunteers of Morris County, Incorporated, "in recognition of our time and efforts for the betterment of our community through volunteer service."