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Tinley Park, IL – Students at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. School for Exceptional Children are able to spend a little more time researching careers, creating resumes and participating in interactive lessons with teachers on Smart Boards, thanks to a donation from the Orland Township Highway Department.

The highway department routinely donates refurbished tablets and iPads to St. Coletta's of Illinois through its E-Works recycling program, putting more technology in the hands of students and adults with developmental disabilities.

"Our students and Community Day Services participants wouldn't have nearly as much access to technology without the Highway Department's support," said St. Coletta's Executive Director Annette Skafgaard. "We appreciate every refurbished tablet and iPad the township's highway department has donated through its E-Works program."

The Orland Township Highway Department offers various recycling services to its residents, including electronic recycling.

Some of the computers, tablets and iPads that residents drop off at the facility on Wolf Road are refurbished and distributed to organizations like St. Coletta's of Illinois.

"St. Coletta's Foundation is a wonderful organization that serves individuals in our neighborhood," said Orland Township Highway Department Commissioner Antonio Rubino. "Executive Director Annette Skafgaard and her staff are phenomenal and help so many families in our community. I am happy to facilitate the computer donations through E-Works and look forward to my continued friendship with St. Coletta's."

St. Coletta's of Illinois is a nonprofit organization that provides educational and vocational training services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its therapeutic day school serves children ages 3-21 while its Community Day Services program works with adults, building adaptive learning skills, economic self-sufficiency, independence and integration into the community.

At Kennedy School, refurbished iPads are helpful when working with students with communication needs, said Principal Dawn Angelini. The refurbished tablets are useful in the school's computer classroom where students can access IXL lessons (a personalized digital learning space), work on career and job searches, write resumes and inventory items for the school's central purchasing program – one of St. Coletta's many career exploration opportunities.

"This latest addition of tablets from the highway department enables Kennedy School's Transition Town to expand its central purchasing vocational training program," said Skafgaard, "giving multiple students access the program at the same time while they learn how to operate it.

"Before, students had to take turns using a single tablet to run inventory," she added. "Now, they can learn how to pull orders, fill orders and inventory the remaining product together."

To learn more about St. Coletta's and how you can support its mission to serve children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, please visit http://www.stcolettail.org or call 708-342-5200.