Norwalk Non-Profit Gets $20K Grant From Fairfield Co. Foundation

NORWALK, CT — A Norwalk-based not-for-profit that assists develop workers who suffer from intellectual and developmental disabilities is the recipient of a $20,000 grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation, the organization recently announced.

STAR, Inc., Lighting The Way, received the $20,000 grant from the foundation, which will further the local non-profit’s efforts in helping local residents who suffer from disabilities locate their first job through their My First Job program.

The initiative provides support to workers with disabilities and helps them get acclimated to the workforce, officials said. Research shows that only about 15 percent residents who suffer from intellectual and developmental disabilities are employed. STAR is Connecticut’s leading agency in helping these residents find work, the group said, and also offers coaching and job placement services to these residents.

“STAR is so pleased to receive this continued funding from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. This funding is a catalyst to our current job placement success and the future of our Jobs Program that is unique in Fairfield County,” STAR Executive Director Katie Banzhaf said in a news release. “We are extremely grateful for this generous support, especially as more and more of our participants are returning to work or seeking new employment after Covid-19.”

STAR assists recent high school graduates with IDD transition into the workforce which allows them to experience inclusion within their local communities.

Austin, 22, a New Canaan resident and STAR client, found his first job through the STAR My First Jobs Program. Because of the program, Austin said he is able to contribute to the cost of his own apartment in New Canaan and does things like writing his own rent checks, doing his own laundry and going grocery shopping and making his lunch each day.

His mother, Diane Ballarino-Star said that the positive environment her son has found by working with STAR has instilled confidence for Austin to take the next steps forward in his life.

“I’m happy to have a nice place to work and I like earning a paycheck,” Austin said in a news release.