Children and youth with developmental and intellectual disabilities will be learning in a new digital classroom with cutting-edge interactive sensory technology in Mount Holly by spring 2016, thanks in part to two grants to Legacy Treatment Services (LTS), from the Investors Bank Foundation and the Roma Bank Community Foundation. The grants will be used to support the collaborative classroom...
Children and youth with developmental and intellectual disabilities will be learning in a new digital classroom with cutting-edge interactive sensory technology in Mount Holly by spring 2016, thanks in part to two grants to Legacy Treatment Services (LTS), from the Investors Bank Foundation and the Roma Bank Community Foundation. The grants will be used to support the collaborative classroom environments at the Mount Holly campus, run by LTS.
"We are incredibly grateful to Investors Bank Foundation and Roma Bank Community Foundation for their generous contributions to Legacy Treatment Services," said Roy Leitstein, CEO of Legacy Treatment Services. "These funds will help create bright futures for our children through the expansion of technology in the classroom."
According to Leitstein, many of the children that are part of LTS have cognitive impairment and have suffered from abuse and/or trauma.
As a child, Leitstein himself was under the protection of the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), now known as the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P). He went on to serve in the 101st Airborne Division and now, as CEO of LTS, wants to serve one million children before he retires.
LTS applied for the grants from the Investors Bank Foundation, which supports non-profit organizations that enrich the diverse communities served by Investors Bank; Roma Bank became part of Investors Bank in December 2013. LTS received a $5,000 grant from Roma Bank and a $2,500 grant from Investors Bank.
The students' learning experience at the Mary A. Dobbins School will be enhanced through kidney-shaped desks, which already are in place, allowing for a maximum of three students per instructor and smaller class sizes. The funds will be used to give all students a digital means of learning that they can easily take home and use, such as iPads. Teachers also will have digital equipment to streamline the learning process.
LTS still is fundraising for its digital classrooms, as the organization hopes to spread the model. LTS operates in 14 counties.
Investors Bank is a full-service community bank that has been serving customers since 1926. Investors Bank branches in Gloucester County include Pitman, Williamstown, Glassboro and Washington Township.