Carteret, NJ – This week Mayor Reiman’s office received notification that the Borough will receive $1,000.00, an appropriation requested to help finance a field trip for the Carteret Specials. The grant was awarded by R.O.I.D. (Recreational Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities), a division of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. The endowment will enable local disabled youths to visit the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The Carteret Specials is a recreational organization that coordinates social, athletic, and educational activities in an effort to integrate Carteret’s disabled with each other and the community at large. For over thirty years the organization has met on a continual basis to take part in a variety of special events. Ranging from 40 to 60 participants, the Carteret Specials often meet weekly to take part in bowling, dinners, and crafts workshops among other activities. From localized events to the Special Olympics, the division of the local Office for the Disabled has been providing disabled individuals with enjoyable opportunities for individual and interpersonal growth.
Each year the Department of Community Affairs distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations that improve and enhance the lives of handicapped and disabled individuals. Across the state the R.O.I.D. division of the N.J.D.C.A. has supported municipal and volunteer organizations similar to the Carteret Specials, and has facilitated the establishment of new programs.
“Through this State sponsored initiative,” Mayor Reiman stated, “our disabled are offered recreational and educational opportunities that might not otherwise be available to them. In light of the large scale improvement projects taking place in Carteret, the value of these programmatic enhancements can often be overlooked. Programs like R.O.I.D. provide for direct quality-of-life improvements, and have contributed significantly to the successes of our Office for the Disabled. We are looking forward to an enriching experience for the Carteret Specials.”
The Carteret Specials’ trip to the Museum of Natural History will be scheduled for this summer.
