by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Last year, Shari Weitzner, executive director of Grove House, was researching different mentoring programs when she discovered an application for the Johnson & Johnson / Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregivers Program grant competition.
Three months later she was told she would be receiving a $25,000 check.
“It’s wonderful and it’s really the first time we’ve been recognized like this and awarded a grant of this size,” said Weitzner.
Grove House’s services are exclusive to Jacksonville. They work to educate and integrate developmentally challenged adults into the community.
“With that money we were able to develop a new program that has been immensely successful for us,” said Weitzner.
That program, she said, is unlike most across the country.
“What we’ve done is pair high school students with disabilities with adults who have similar disabilities,” said Weitzner. “That’s unlike a lot of the other programs out there and we think it helped set us apart from the other applicants who were up for this grant.
“We think it’s another positive step in teaching these individuals how to interact with the community and lead more productive and independent lives. It’s also made a significant impact to their families.”
And though Weitzner and Grove House board member Branch Davis will fly to New Jersey next week to formally accept the grant, she said there are more challenges ahead.
“The thing about these types of grants is that they only help you get programs started, but after that it’s up to you to find the funding to continue them,” she said. “That’s what we’re concentrating on now.”
Grove House was founded by Weitzner in 1993. The goal at that time was to provide safe housing for less than a dozen developmentally challenged adults. Since then, they have grown 1,500 percent, developing and implementing several programs for the disabled throughout Duval County.
“And we like to think we do more than just help these people,” said Davis. “We give them the opportunity to contribute.”