ALLENTOWN, PA—On Thursday, April 30, 2015, the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) will present its second annual School 2 Life (S2L) gala to benefit young adults with disabilities. This year’s theme is “Seize the Day” and will feature musical performances based on the Broadway and Hollywood hit “Newsies”. Held at Lehigh County Community College in Schnecksville, the event will honor and benefit the young adults with disabilities enrolled in the organization’s S2L program which aims to empower young adults with disabilities to meet their independent living, employment, advocacy and/or leadership goals. Doors will open to the public at 6:30 pm.
Local high school students and other young performers from throughout the Lehigh Valley will sing songs from acclaimed Broadway musicals, and young adults from the S2L Group will end the event in dramatic fashion by singing “Seize the Day.” In addition to the live musical performances, the gala will include a basket raffle. Raffle tickets are $5 for 12 tickets. Prizes include tickets to shows at local theatre venues such as The Civic Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and the Pines Dinner Theatre. Additional prizes include donations from the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, Crayola, the Morning Call, the Spa at McCann, the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Plaza, and many more.
The gala is being sponsored by Wells Fargo Community Relations Group, Wells Fargo Investment Advisors, and McDermott Investment Advisors, LLC. Other sponsors include Highmark, Inc., The Jeremy Carroll Foundation, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Carol Walck & Associates, and the Frederick H. Bedford, Jr. & Margaret S. Bedford Charitable Foundation. For a complete list of sponsors, please visit www.lvcil.org/s2l-gala.
In its 25 year history, LVCIL has encountered many young adults with disabilities who have graduated without the necessary supports or skills to find a job, live independently, or be self-sufficient. In 2009, the organization started the S2L program to support young adults with their transition from high school to the “real world” and teach them essential life and job skills. Since its inception, S2L has helped hundreds of young adults prepare for their transition to adult life, and the program has been hailed as a best practice in transition service provision for youth with disabilities across the state and nation. The gala will help to reduce program costs so that many more young adults can take part in S2L.
Tickets for the “Seize the Day” Gala are $10 advance sales, $12 at the door. Additional information on the gala can be found at www.lvcil.org/s2l-gala. For questions or more information on the gala, LVCIL or the S2L program, please contact Greg Bott, LVCIL Director of Development, at 610-770-9781 ext. 120 or email gregbott@lvcil.org.
About Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL)
The Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) empowers persons with all types of disabilities to achieve independence and live their dreams. As one of eighteen Centers for Independent Living in Pennsylvania, LVCIL provides four core services to its consumers: Information and Referral, Peer Support, Advocacy, and Independent Living Skills Education. The organization also provides specialized housing search and support services, a 24-hour sign language interpreter referral service, youth transition services, job coaching and employment services, ADA accessibility site surveys, trainings and other disability education programs. LVCIL also hosts several community and support groups for people with disabilities. LVICL is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Allentown, PA.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 20, 2015
Greg Bott, Director of Development
610-770-9781 ext. 120
gregbott@lvcil.org
