Life

$50,000 grant will help St. Gerard expand capacity

Rhonda Becker teaches a child at the Grotton School in April 2013.

By Bill Moss, Published: January 17, 2014

St. Gerard House has been awarded a grant for $50,000 by the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation to provide salary support for clinical staff as well as general operations.

St. Gerard House will use the grant to expand its capacity to provide timely, comprehensive developmental milestone evaluations for 100 underserved children (ages birth-to-five) with developmental disabilities, the nonprofit organization said in a news release. The assessments are meant to be used to jumpstart efforts to determine the best course of action for the child.
Funding will support SGH's Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) by providing compensation for key VB-MAPP program managers. SGH will use grant funds to offer workshops to teach school personnel, agency professionals, doctors and community therapists how to interpret and utilize student VB-MAPP data to promote best outcomes for children on the spectrum.
St. Gerard House is a resource center for those involved with the treatment and care of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Its Grotto School provides one-on-one ABA therapy for children ages 2½ to 7 who have been diagnosed with autism. Caroline Long, mother of two children with ASD, is founder and executive director, Rachael Cushing Cook, BCBA, LPA, is clinical director and Kelly Burgin presides over the SGH Board of Directors.