LCSC program earns $940K in federal funds over five years

Lewis-Clark State College announced Monday that it was awarded $940,000 worth of federal grant funding for its program that teaches skills to students with disabilities in the 18-to-21-year-old age range.

The grant funding over five years comes from the U.S. Department of Education and will support the Students and Professionals Accessing Resources in the Community program, according to an LCSC news release.

The SPARC program is a partnership between LCSC and the Lewiston School District and teaches students with disabilities skills such as “independence, employment, success and happiness,” according to the news release. Students attend an academic and functional program each morning; spend their afternoons at worksites; and get access to LCSC’s gym, library, clubs and other campus activities.

LCSC assistant professor Heather Welsh-Griffon worked with counterparts at Boise State and the University of Idaho to acquire the funding, and the three schools will receive a total of $7.8 million in federal funding, according to the news release.

LCSC will use the funding to hire a new employment coordinator and purchasing supplies such as computers, according to the news release.