Young Adults With Disabilities to Spend 'Saturdays' With Friends

The following was submitted by the Department for Persons With Disabilities.

The Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD) is pleased to announce the return of it's exciting and popular program, Saturdays at the Center (SATC).  DPD is a Catholic Charities agency in the Diocese of Paterson.  DPD provides residential, vocational, recreational and spiritual support for adults with developmental disabilities and their families throughout northern, NJ.  They provide care for 75 adults in 11 residential programs throughout Morris, Sussex and Passaic County. 

The SATC project is designed specifically for young adults with developmental disabilities, residing in the community, who are interested in weekend socialization and recreational activities with their peers.  Education about group home living will also be part of the curriculum.  Respite time for caregivers will be provided as the program is well supervised by experienced staff and volunteers. SATC will meet at the Gruenert Center on Rt.15 in Lake Hopatcong from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. and will run for 12 weeks.  DPD is seeking interested individuals and volunteers for a fall start-up date of September 21, 2013.

“The Saturdays At The Center program is one of the best experiences that Tommy has had in a long time. Every week, he looked forward to seeing his new friends and was eager to participate in the exciting activity that the wonderfully caring staff had planned for the day," said the Moran family. "At the SATC program, he has had many opportunities to learn new skills while creating lasting friendships with other participants. Whether he was learning ceramics or cooking new recipes, he left every session with a smile on his face and counted the days until he could return again. He truly cannot wait for the fall session to start."