$25,000 donation will help expand the Adult Achievement Center and offer a new facility for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Oak Ridge, N.J. – September 7, 2023 – Lakeland Bank is pleased to announce it recently awarded a $25,000 Community Impact Grant to New Concepts for Living (NCFL) to help expand their Adult Achievement Center (Day Program) at its planned new state-of-the-art facility in Paramus, N.J. The Bank financed a lending facility in 2022 to purchase the property for this project.
“It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience to partner with New Concepts for living on their Achievement Center development, with both financing and now this grant,” said Ron Krauskopf, First Senior Vice President, Group Leader – Specialty Lending Teams at Lakeland Bank. “The passion they bring to the clients and families they serve is unrivaled. They are a best-in-class organization and Lakeland Bank is proud to support them.”
New Concepts for Living’s mission is to care for special need individuals and provide much needed respite for their guardians. Grants of this nature support services that adults with special needs depend on including dedicated programs for medically fragile, behavioral, and non-behavioral individuals which will be part of the new Adult Achievement Center. Each specialized program will offer a variety of recreation, socialization, and prevocational training. “In addition to construction costs, support from generous partners like Lakeland Bank helps provide services that offer a more hopeful future for those we serve and their families,” said NCFL’s Assistant Development Director, Marisa Guastella. “We are grateful to Lakeland Bank for their generosity and partnership.”
“It brings me great joy to see our guardians free from worry when they realize how we care for their loved ones. I am humbled by how far we have come and remain steadfast and focused on where we are heading,” said Steve Setteducati, NCFL’s CEO.
Lakeland team members present check to New Concepts for Living. Pictured left to right: Gus Loukas, Chief Financial Officer of NCFL, John Rath of Lakeland Bank, Steve Setteducati, Chief Executive Officer of NCFL, Calvin Pascall of Lakeland Bank, Marisa Guastella, Assistant Director of Development and Fundraising of NCFL and Ron Krauskopf of Lakeland Bank.
About Lakeland Bank
Lakeland Bank is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:LBAI), which has over $10 billion in total assets. With an extensive branch network and commercial lending centers throughout New Jersey and Highland Mills, N.Y., the Bank has been offering business and retail banking products and services for over 50 years. Business services include commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, loans for healthcare services, asset-based lending, equipment financing, small business loans and lines, and cash management services. Consumer services include online and mobile banking, home equity loans and lines, mortgage options and wealth management solutions. Lakeland is proud to be recognized as a Best-In-State Bank by Forbes and Statista for the fifth consecutive year, named a Best Bank To Work For by American Banker and Best Companies Group, rated a 5-Star Bank by Bauer Financial and named one of New Jersey’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies by NJBIZ. Visit LakelandBank.com for more information.
About New Concepts for Living
New Concepts for Living (NCFL) was founded in 1981 by a group of parents whose children had intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). As their children aged, these parents realized the lack of programs for adults challenged with these special needs. NCFL not only cares for individuals with IDD but enriches their lives.
Our Community Residence Program opened in 1985 and the Achievement Center Day Program welcomed its first participants in 1999. Since then, NCFL's continued growth spanned Northern NJ including custom built homes for the medically fragile. NCFL’s programs are complete with socialization, skills training, community inclusion, and direct support that includes nurses and behavioral therapists onsite and on call 24/7.