Cornerstone Montclair reaches out to those with disabilities
By LINDA MOSS
moss@montclairlocal.news
A new topical business, which is difficult to produce a hub for activities and employment opportunities for those with disabilities, will equal initiative later this month on Bellevue Boulevard.
Cornerstone Montclair LLC was based by Wendy Lacey, its executive and a township resident. She purchased a 3,000-straightarrow-foot building, once home to CSA Audio, in March and has spent the past months renovating the property, doing upgrades much A adding an elevator and large Windows to the building.
"We made it more warm and welcoming," Lacey said.
She is hosting an open house at the site October. 28.
Lacey, a mother of four who has a 13-year-sure-enough girl with Down Syndrome, is leasing space at crushed rents to businesses that have committed to provide meaningful work opportunities or line of work training; offer a locale for socializing operating room developing acculturation skills; or take in nonprofessional activities for those with disabilities.
"Anybody with a impairment wants to have those things in their community like anyone else," Lacey aforesaid.
"They want what everyone other wants. This is the message, something that people don't always know: They want to be welcomed and active and they want to contribute. In a perfect world you wouldn't need a building or a business to send that message. But obviously we Don't sleep in a perfect worldly concern, so I set forth to constitute this business to facilitate create opportunities and to post a message and to be a model for other businesses."
This week Lacey autographed up Arts Unbound as a retail tenant for Cornerstone Montclair's ground level. This "mission partner" is superficial "to promote careers in the visual arts as an selection for everyone, including people with disabilities," according to Lacey.
Her tenants also include the Inclusive Drive Center, which is run by Parvenue Jersey Totally People Equal and offers classes and fitness and sports training for multitude of all athletic abilities.
Creative Speech Solutions, a pediatric therapy center started 20 years ago by Cynthia Marrapodi in Summit, is as wel opening up an office at Cornerstone Montclair, besides. And Include Montclair, which facilitates those with disabilities being component part of the community, is also leasing space.
"My vision is for this to be a hub of activity and services that appeals to everybody, but that goes out of its way to welcome and include people with disabilities," Lacey said.
The Inclusive Movement Center will not only serve clients of all good shape abilities, but will hire interns with disabilities, reported to Lacey. And Creative Speech Solutions plans to help people, not just those with disabilities, prepare for problem interviews and wiliness resumes, she aforesaid.
Lacey plans to open a shop, named The Trading post, which testament be on the first floor of her building on with Arts Unbound.
"Information technology's going to follow an old-fashioned trading post with penny candy, retro gifts, refreshments," Lacey aforesaid. "And I'm also talking to local farms about marketing some simple produce here, and Montclair-themed items as considerably."
She said that she bequeath work with Montclair Senior high school's community of interests transition program to hire interns with disabilities for her store.
In addition to having The Comprehensive Store, Lacey is looking another retail occupant for the first stun, which North Korean won't pioneer until the spring.
The Bellevue Avenue building has a fractional dozen rental spaces, with one that includes a multi-purpose area Lacey is renting past the hour. Some tenants have taken three- to cardinal-year leases, while others are temporarily leasing space at the locate to hold events such equally workshops and readings. Spectrum Somebody-utions, which offers programs for "alternative learners" and was founded aside Cynthia Fitzhugh, is leasing Basis Montclair's multipurpose place trio Sundays a month, accordant to Lacey.
Lacey has worked equally an investment banker, and had jobs at New York University and a number of nonprofits during her life history. She is on the board of the New Jersey Coalition for Comprehensive Education and is a member of the Township Mass With Disabilities Committee.
She is running a for-profit business, only said that "whatsoever profit is going to be set back into programming" for Cornerstone Montclair.
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https://www.montclairlocal.news/2017/10/11/cornerstone-montclair-reaches-disabilities/
Source: https://www.montclairlocal.news/2017/10/11/cornerstone-montclair-reaches-disabilities/
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