Funds to be used to construct new student residential facility
Ridgely, MD – Benedictine has been awarded a Maryland Capital Grant of $1.5 million from Governor Hogan’s FY’23 Budget. These monies will be used to fund construction and engineering costs associated with building a new student residential facility on Benedictine’s school campus located in Ridgely, Maryland.
“Receiving this Maryland Capital Grant for Benedictine’s new student residential facility is crucial in our efforts to provide a homelike setting for a student population with significant sensory sensitivities that the current building, nearing the end of its useful life, does not accommodate,” stated Scott Evans, Benedictine Executive Director. “Securing the funds needed for this project will have a huge impact on the population we support.”
Benedictine’s student demographic has significantly changed since the existing residential space was built in the 1960s. Now, over 80% of the students supported are moderately to severely autistic. Each suite will be equipped with multiple recreational and sensory areas for the students to access along with an updated dining area and a state-of-the-art infirmary that will accommodate these students.
Benedictine is a nonprofit service provider, not a private school and no students’ families pay tuition. Most of the students come from school systems throughout Maryland, and it is only one of five organizations in the state offering residential and special education facilities for students with developmental disabilities and autism. Operating on a year-round basis, the Benedictine School offers highly individualized special education programs which meet the specific needs of each student.
The Maryland Eastern Shore Delegation was instrumental in helping Benedictine secure the Maryland Capital Grant. This included Senators Hershey and Eckardt, and Delegates Arentz, Jacobs, Ghrist and Western Shore Senators Guzzone and Zucker.
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~ Benedictine:
Benedictine is a non-sectarian nonprofit organization supporting more than 200 children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism achieve their greatest potential and highest level of independence. Benedictine’s year-round educational program is one of only 26 nationwide to earn a two-year accreditation from the National Commission for Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES). This program includes home-like living and learning options on the Ridgely, Maryland campus, for children ages 5 to 21 who come from Maryland and surrounding states. Benedictine’s Adult Services program offers employment and vocational services for transitional youth and adults, ages 22 to 70+, in the community and those who live in Benedictine’s group homes in Caroline, Talbot, and Anne Arundel Counties. Benedictine’s Easton Community Services & Training Center prepares the adults it serves to enter the workforce and collaborates with the Talbot County Public Schools to provide services to their students through the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) Program. Benedictine is one of the Eastern Shore’s largest employers with over 350 employees. For more information, visit www.benschool.org.