The RETTEW Charitable Foundation, which supports RETTEW’s corporate purpose of improving the quality of life in the firm’s surrounding communities, recently awarded $13,000 in grant funding to two local nonprofit organizations.

Milagro House, a facility providing education, housing, and counseling for women and their children experiencing homelessness, received $7,500. With two locations in Lancaster, all women receiving assistance from Milagro House must participate in an education program. The grant from RETTEW’s foundation will support the on-site GED school for women without a high school diploma. Grant funding from the foundation is accompanied by employee-led volunteer time, which will include hosting women at RETTEW’s headquarters to provide hands-on education related to their science and math curriculum.

The foundation also awarded $5,500 to COBYS Family Services, with offices in Leola and operations in Lancaster. A faith-based family services agency, the nonprofit provides education, support, and empowerment for children and adults through foster care and adoption services, counseling, and family life programs. The funding will support education classes for parents of children with autism and/or language delays, teaching social skills, self-regulation, and emotional literacy. Volunteer efforts will involve RETTEW staff providing maintenance and aesthetic updates to the COBYS facility in downtown Lancaster.

“Supporting our local communities has long been a part of RETTEW’s purpose,” said Mark Lauriello, RETTEW’s president and CEO. “This foundation empowers employees to submit an application for support of a charitable cause, and work with our company’s philanthropy team to provide both funding and a hands-on impact to nonprofits making a difference.”

The RETTEW Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that RETTEW formed in late 2011 to support charitable organizations in which the engineering and consulting firm’s employees are invested or involved.