Devereux Pocono Receives $3,000 from NBT Bank

Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Pocono, a nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider with locations throughout northeast Pennsylvania, recently received $3,000 from NBT Bank through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program.

This funding will support Devereux Poconos’ “Transition to Work Program” for individuals with intellectual and behavioral differences. The Transition to Work Program offers a classroom academic experience that complements a supportive employment experience. Designed for high school students who have graduated, or who are preparing to graduate, the program provides youth with the opportunity to obtain hands-on training and experience in a pre-employment experience.

“NBT Bank has been a generous and longtime supporter of our Transition to Work Program through EITC contributions and we are incredibly grateful for their assistance,” said Devereux Pocono Executive Director Tina Skoda. “As a result of the program, teachers notice remarkable improvements in students’ participation and comprehension skills, as they experience first-hand how information taught in the classroom is vital in the real world. In addition, this reinforced learning bolsters self-esteem and provides self-confidence our students need to succeed in both academic and work environments.”

“NBT Bank is proud to support the Transition to Work Program at Devereux and play a role in helping to provide this supportive employment experience as a part of our ongoing commitment to our communities,” said NBT Bank Retail Market Manager Mary Ellen Bentler.

The Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program allows businesses that pay certain business-related taxes to the Commonwealth the opportunity to earn a state tax credit of up to 90 percent when they make a donation to a “scholarship organization” or an “educational improvement organization” – a special category under the state tax code. Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health has been a long-term approved Educational Improvement Organization. Funds received under these programs specifically support Devereux’s transition to work programs.

About Devereux Pocono

Devereux Pocono provides a wide array of programs and services to children, adolescents and adults – ages two through life span – with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and emotional and/or behavioral differences. Located throughout northeast Pennsylvania, Devereux Pocono is dedicated to empowering individuals to discover their innate strengths, talents and potential to live meaningful and productive lives. www.devereuxpocono.org

About Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health

Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations providing services, insight and leadership in the evolving field of behavioral healthcare. Founded in 1912 by Helena Devereux, the organization operates a comprehensive national network of clinical, therapeutic, educational, and employment programs and services that positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of children, adults and their families every year. Focused on clinical advances emerging from a new understanding of the brain, its unique approach combines evidence-based interventions with compassionate family engagement. With nearly 7,000 employees working in programs across the nation, it is a recognized partner for families, schools and communities, serving many of our country’s most vulnerable populations in the areas of autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, specialty mental health, and child welfare. Programs are offered in hospital, residential, community and school-based settings. They include: Assessments; Interventions and Support; Transition and Independent Life Services: Family and Professional Training; Research and Innovation; and Advocacy and Public Education. For more than a century, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health has been guided by a simple and enduring mission: To change lives by unlocking and nurturing human potential for people with emotional, behavioral or cognitive differences. www.devereux.org

About NBT Bank

NBT Bank offers personal banking, business banking and wealth management services from a network of over 150 locations in six states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The bank and its parent company, NBT Bancorp Inc., are headquartered in Norwich, NY. NBT Bancorp had assets of $9.1 billion as of December 31, 2017, and is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol NBTB. More information about NBT is available online at www.nbtbank.com.