LEE Services

We’re all making an effort to support our local businesses this holiday season – and Norwescap is no exception. Thanks to support from our communities and funding through the CARES Act, we have been able to assist many area businesses in covering expenses related to rent and utilities, website and online enhancements, and masks and other PPE – allowing them to remain open and viable during a year like no other.

LEE Services in downtown Phillipsburg, NJ fills a critical need in the community, providing learning enrichment experiences for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. All of their services are traditionally offered in-person, so when COVID hit, they were forced to close their doors temporarily. But then CEO Lorraine D’Sylva-Lee reached out to Norwescap for help.

“Our business had to close for four months due to the high risk population we serve,” she wrote. Starting in September, they pivoted to providing virtual learning, education, and daily living skills sessions. Though they were not having participants come on-site, their staff were still working full-time and their expenses were mounting – and they needed assistance to pay their bills and ensure they had the online resources to reach as many participants as possible. Thankfully, Norwescap was there to help.

Today, LEE Services continues to deliver virtual sessions five days a week, and regularly delivers educational and sensory materials to their participants. They look forward to the day they can welcome people back on-site, but in the meantime, they are grateful for the support they received that allowed them to remain open. “During   this   time   of   great   uncertainty, we at LEE   Services   have   been   comforted, encouraged,  and  humbled  by  the  tremendous  support  Norwescap  provides  through  the work  you  do  each  day,  and  most  recently  in  administering  the  small  business  grant  we received,” Lorraine wrote to us.  “Your  approach  to  serving  our  community  embodies  the  care  and attention  you  devote  to finding  new  ways  to  address  critical  issues, and to your commitment to strengthen our collective resolve to overcome this pandemic.”

We, in turn, are grateful for the important work that LEE Services does in our community. We are truly stronger together!