Funds to be used to construct new student residential facility
(Ridgely, MD – January 25, 2023) – Benedictine has been awarded a Maryland Capital Grant of $1.5 million from Governor Hogan’s FY’23 Budget. These monies will be used to fund construction and engineering costs associated with building a new student residential facility on Benedictine’s school campus located in Ridgely, Maryland.
“Receiving this Maryland Capital Grant for Benedictine’s new student residential facility is crucial in our efforts to provide a homelike setting for a student population with significant sensory sensitivities that the current building, nearing the end of its useful life, does not accommodate,” stated Scott Evans, Benedictine Executive Director. “Securing the funds needed for this project will have a huge impact on the population we support.”
Benedictine’s student demographic has significantly changed since the existing residential space was built in the 1960s. Now, over 80% of the students supported are moderately to severely autistic. Each suite will be equipped with multiple recreational and sensory areas for the students to access along with an updated dining area and a state-of-the-art infirmary that will accommodate these students.
Benedictine is a nonprofit service provider, not a private school and no students’ families pay tuition. Most of the students come from school systems throughout Maryland, and it is only one of five organizations in the state offering residential and special education facilities for students with developmental disabilities and autism. Operating on a year-round basis, the Benedictine School offers highly individualized special education programs which meet the specific needs of each student.
The Maryland Eastern Shore Delegation was instrumental in helping Benedictine secure the Maryland Capital Grant. This included Senators Hershey and Eckardt, and Delegates Arentz, Jacobs, Ghrist and Western Shore Senators Guzzone and Zucker.
