John Paul II Center for Special Learning café project receives NAP support

John Paul II Center for Special Learning (JPII) received approval for $190,000 in funding as part of the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP), which helps low-income individuals and improves distressed areas in Pennsylvania communities. The funding will be used to purchase kitchen equipment for JPII’s educational café, which will be located in Alvernia University’s American House, 354 Penn Street, Reading. The café will open in 2026.

“Our café will move the classroom into the community, breaking new ground by offering enhanced workforce development through hands-on education in a real-life setting for our students and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” says Principal Kaylee Simcik. “This creates a unique, life-changing opportunity for all our students to work in a community-based classroom environment.”

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JPII’s café will combat the high unemployment rate for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities through hands-on education in a real-life setting. It will move the classroom into Reading, where more than half of JPII students live.

“We are grateful to the businesses who supported this workforce development initiative as well as to Alvernia University for partnering with us to help our dream become a reality,” Simcik says.

Customers Bank, East Penn Manufacturing, Fulton Bank, and Tompkins Community Bank provide funding to purchase café equipment. The businesses will receive a combined $171,000 in tax credits through NAP.

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“This experiential learning model will be the first of its kind,” says JPII Transition Coordinator Rene Berkhammer. “It will be a unique and powerful experience for everyone involved in transition planning, employment, and fine-tuning important social skills for all students and adults involved.”

For JPII parents, this experiential learning opportunity is life changing.

“When we learned about the partnership with Alvernia University for the café, I was overcome with joy,” says Kelly W., whose son Caleb attends JPII. “It brought tears to my eyes to think of the transformational difference this will make to the students like our son Caleb and the adults of John Paul II. To provide a future of lasting opportunity for skills development and meaningful work is incredible, and how very blessed are we that our children and adults at JPII have been given this gift. It is something that we as parents have hoped and dreamed for so that Caleb might have a safe place where he can continue to learn, grow, develop his employment skills, earn his own money, and maintain stable employment.”

About John Paul II Center for Special Learning
The John Paul II Center for Special Learning provides individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with a safe, nurturing environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive. Based in Berks County, the center offers educational programs, vocational training, and social services tailored to meet the needs of its students, fostering independence and personal growth.

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Berks Weekly
Berks Weekly
Berks Weekly is an independent and locally owned digital newspaper covering the City of Reading and Berks County. Download the mobile app: berksweekly.com/app
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