Many Board of Selectwomen meetings are mundane.
Agendas include approvals of minutes and contracts, and actions as the Local Traffic and Water Pollution Control Authorities.
This morning was more personal. The selectwomen approved 3 donations. They’ll be directed 3 ways: to teenagers with ADHD, adults with disabilities, and senior citizens.
The largest was $103,000. An anonymous gift honors Max Harper, the Staples High School senior who died last fall.
Max Harper
The Department of Human Services will help town officials create a scholarship program for the “Live Life to the Max” fund, created in his memory.
The goal is to increase access to specialized support for boys ages 15-18 with ADHD/ADD, build self-efficacy skills, add support networks, and explore long-term academic and career paths that build on their strengths.
Scholarship participants will receive hands-on organizational coaching and mentoring, with resources for parents to support their ADHD children.
Boys are 3 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD. Challenges include academic struggles with organization and focus, and social issues with trouble reading social cues and emotional regulation. Many youngsters with ADHD also have low self-esteem.
The $103,000 funds will provide scholarships for income-eligible Westport families to receive mentorship, weekly planning meetings, and parent coaching and feedback from an experienced provider who specializes in working with young men.
The selectwomen also accepted a $10,000 Ruegg Grant from the Westport Woman’s Club, for Club203. The previously unfunded organization — a social group for adults with disabilities — is run entirely by volunteers, in partnership with Human Services and Westport’s Commission on People with Disabilities.
The grant will allow the quickly growing Club203 to continue offering affordable, inclusive and social-emotional educational opportunities for families facing disability challenges.
So far, the town has covered insurance liability and administrative support. Local organizations donate event space, and many businesses volunteer their time, and provide food and materials.
As Club203 outgrows smaller venues, the WWC grant will help them keep membership fees low, explore larger venues, and increease frequency.
Another $10,000 grant comes from the Walsh Family Foundation, to the Senior Center. It will enable even more affordable social, recreational and educational programs and services at the very popular Imperial Avenue site.
