Michelle
09-17-2006, 12:12 AM
Cafe to open at Children's Museum
Snug Harbor eatery to employ developmentally disabled adults from On Your Mark
Museum-going works up an appetite, especially among small fry. Starting next month, visitors to the Staten Island Children's Museum (http://www.disablednyc.com/links/links/Staten_Island_Children39s_Museum-636.html) at Snug Harbor in Livingston will be able to refuel at a brand-new cafe.
Of equal benefit, the cafe will provide employment for 15 developmentally disabled adults from the nonprofit agency On Your Mark (http://www.disablednyc.com/links/links/On_Your_Mark-630.html) of West Brighton.
The funding comprises a grant of $21,850 from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, through its Museums for America Program, and $101,433 of the Children's Museum's own funds.
The cafe will operate Wednesday through Sunday, and the adults also will work outside the building, learning groundskeeping skills.
"We are very, very excited about this opportunity," said Susan Sabarra, director of vocational services for On Your Mark. "It's another opportunity for our consumers to work, participate and give back to the community."
For the Children's Museum, the new cafe will fill a void.
"A lot of families spend the day here," explained MaryLee Montalvo, who serves on the Staten Island Children's Museum board of trustees. "Parents ... bring lunch with them, but it will be nice for them to be able to purchase something and eat out in a place that is very child-friendly."
Besides the cafe, the grant will provide funding for 15 special-education teen-agers to work at the museum to help with mailings, prepare for workshops, maintain exhibits and assist in the operations department.
It also will help fund various programs geared toward children with anxiety and attention disorders, including painting, sculpting, gardening and cooking with other young people.
Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), who was on hand at the museum yesterday, said, "This funding will allow the Staten Island Children's Museum to continue its long tradition of helping Staten Islanders with disabilities."
"The museum is tapping into the tremendous potential of the disabled community to improve services for its guests. They are providing a unique opportunity for these individuals to express themselves and learn important skills that will serve them well in the future."
Snug Harbor eatery to employ developmentally disabled adults from On Your Mark
Museum-going works up an appetite, especially among small fry. Starting next month, visitors to the Staten Island Children's Museum (http://www.disablednyc.com/links/links/Staten_Island_Children39s_Museum-636.html) at Snug Harbor in Livingston will be able to refuel at a brand-new cafe.
Of equal benefit, the cafe will provide employment for 15 developmentally disabled adults from the nonprofit agency On Your Mark (http://www.disablednyc.com/links/links/On_Your_Mark-630.html) of West Brighton.
The funding comprises a grant of $21,850 from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, through its Museums for America Program, and $101,433 of the Children's Museum's own funds.
The cafe will operate Wednesday through Sunday, and the adults also will work outside the building, learning groundskeeping skills.
"We are very, very excited about this opportunity," said Susan Sabarra, director of vocational services for On Your Mark. "It's another opportunity for our consumers to work, participate and give back to the community."
For the Children's Museum, the new cafe will fill a void.
"A lot of families spend the day here," explained MaryLee Montalvo, who serves on the Staten Island Children's Museum board of trustees. "Parents ... bring lunch with them, but it will be nice for them to be able to purchase something and eat out in a place that is very child-friendly."
Besides the cafe, the grant will provide funding for 15 special-education teen-agers to work at the museum to help with mailings, prepare for workshops, maintain exhibits and assist in the operations department.
It also will help fund various programs geared toward children with anxiety and attention disorders, including painting, sculpting, gardening and cooking with other young people.
Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), who was on hand at the museum yesterday, said, "This funding will allow the Staten Island Children's Museum to continue its long tradition of helping Staten Islanders with disabilities."
"The museum is tapping into the tremendous potential of the disabled community to improve services for its guests. They are providing a unique opportunity for these individuals to express themselves and learn important skills that will serve them well in the future."