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FACE Awarded $10,000 Verizon Foundation Grant
Tampa, Florida (April 16, 2010) – The Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE), a Hillsborough County public charter school managed by Quest Inc. that specializes in educational programs for children with autism, was the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation. The award will support professional development for educators and administrators at the school.
Specialized schools like FACE for children with autism spectrum disorders focus on teaching academic, social and behavioral skills through a structured environment, small class sizes, intensive student-teacher ratios and individualized programs that cater to each child’s unique needs. FACE is an industry leader in the greater Tampa area, coupling its quality education program with the evidence-based principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy.
But in educating a population that is rapidly growing – the latest estimates predict as many as 1 in 91 US children are now impacted by autism – where there is no known single cause and no cure, continuing education is vital.
The Verizon Foundation funding will help to keep FACE current in the field of education for students with autism, where developments in effective methodologies are still being discovered. Teachers, behavior analysts and other key staff at the school will attend professional training sessions dedicated to further improving their teaching strategies.
“Verizon is pleased to support the continued professional development for educators at FACE. We are committed to supporting teachers being as effective as possible in their classrooms,” commented Julie Smith, vice president of external affairs at Verizon.
The grant announcement coincides with Autism Awareness Month, held annually in April. In celebration of this month-long awareness campaign, a check presentation ceremony with the Verizon Foundation will be hosted at FACE, located at 6400 E. Chelsea St. in Tampa, on April 23 from 9-9:30 a.m. For more information, please contact FACE at 813.621.3223.
About Quest, Inc.:
Quest helps people with disabilities achieve their dreams of going to school, having a job, living on their own, and experiencing summer camp. As Central Florida’s largest provider of these services, Quest makes a difference in the lives of more than 1,000 people each day and has been part of our community for nearly 50 years. For more information about Quest, visit www.questinc.org.
About FACE:
The Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE) is managed by Quest, Inc., and offers successful educational programs for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. As a public charter school that serves students with moderate to severe autism in pre-K through 12th grade and beyond, FACE provides a comprehensive academic environment to address the unmet needs of the growing number of children in Florida with developmental disabilities. Located at 6400 E. Chelsea St. in Tampa, the school is available to families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties. For more information, please call Tom Porter, director of Quest schools, at 813.621.3223, or visit www.faceprogram.org.
About Verizon Foundation:
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational Web site, Verizon Thinkfinity (www.thinkfinity.org), and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2009, the Verizon Foundation awarded $67.9 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $26.1 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 5 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.
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