North Dakota Developmental Grants

NEWS from the North Dakota Department of Human Services

600 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck ND 58505-0250



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 23, 2008



Contacts: Andrea Peña, Executive Director of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, 701-328-4847, or Heather Steffl, Public Information Officer, N.D. Dept. of Human Services, 701-328-4933



State Council on Developmental Disabilities awards grants to local organizations



BISMARCK, N.D. - The North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities has awarded 11 grants totaling over $363,000 to organizations throughout the state who serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Grant funds are intended to support employment, education, early intervention, and community supports for persons with developmental disabilities, as well as quality assurance efforts.



“Council grants benefit consumers of services, their families, and providers throughout the state, and also financially assist nonprofit advocacy organizations who help meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities,” said Andrea Peña, the Council’s Executive Director.



Organizations receiving funding for the 2009-2010 project period include: Family Voices of ND, an information and advocacy organization based in Edgeley, N.D.; Open Door Center, Valley City, N.D.; Missouri Valley Family YMCA, Bismarck, N.D.; Pride, Inc., Bismarck, N.D.; North Dakota Centers for Persons with Disabilities, Minot, N.D.; North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project, Bismarck, N.D.; Arc of Bismarck, N.D.; ND Disabilities Advocacy Consortium, Bismarck, N.D.; and L.I.S.T.E.N. Inc., of Grand Forks, N.D.



Council Chairperson Mary Simonson said the grants provide important resources to operate programs that otherwise may not exist such as after-school programming for adolescents with developmental disabilities, advocacy training for individuals with disabilities and their family members, transitional employment programs, disaster preparedness planning, and more.



The Council advocates for policy changes that promote choice, independence, productivity and inclusion for North Dakotans with developmental disabilities, and supports projects and activities that maximize opportunities in these areas for consumers and families. For information about the council, visit the Governor’s Web site at http://governor.nd.gov/boards/ or contact Andrea Peña at 701-328-4847 or apena@nd.gov.

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