On April 14, students and their families, faculty and staff, Program Advisory Council members and community partners attended a celebration at the Doon campus to recognize the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation for its generous support of Conestoga’s Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) program.
The Conestoga community recognized the generous support of the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation at a celebration on April 14. Jim Hallman, chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, attended the event with other Foundation trustees and staff.
Launched in 2015, the two-year program provides individuals with developmental disabilities and other significant learning challenges with the opportunity to experience college life, enhance their academic and vocational skills, and achieve their potential. The program, which had 12 students in its first cohort, includes a number of core courses in topics such as numeracy, communications, job skills, life skills, computer skills, human relations, recreation and emergency response skills.
Community Services chair Goranka Vukelich said the development of the program was a journey of innovation and noted that funding from the Foundation has been instrumental in supporting program development, staffing and the repurposing of space. “Through the generous donation of the Hallman Foundation, we were able to create three state-of-the-art learning labs for life skills, adaptive technology and social skills. This is the only CICE program in the province to have this type of learning environment.”
During the celebration Jim Hallman, chair of the Board of Trustees for the Lyle S. Foundation, applauded the collaboration involved in developing and implementing the CICE program and said it was an ideal program for the Foundation to support. Established in 2003, the Foundation provides grants to organizations in the region that support health, education and children’s initiatives that inspire and grow individual and community potential.
Marlene Raasok, executive dean, Health & Life Sciences and Community Services, said the CICE program demonstrates Conestoga’s commitment to advancing healthy and inclusive communities and thanked parents, workforce partners and the Hallman Foundation.
For more information, visit the CICE program page