Jacob’s Ladder is a program that provides services to adults with special needs in Warren County. Soon, the organization, a 501(c)3 will be offering scholarship opportunities to families with special needs adults who are currently unable to afford to enroll them in the program.

Rebecca Busby, the Executive Director of Jacob’s Ladder, said she is excited that the organization will now be able to extend its services to those who could not have attended before.

“We feel that we offer a lot for those individuals with intellectual disabilities, and we don’t like that some miss out because they can’t afford to be part of our program,” she said.

Jacob’s Ladder has been in Vicksburg for about 22 years now. But until about two years ago, they operated out of a house in downtown Vicksburg. Their new location is in the Vicksburg YMCA, and the new facilities have put Jacob’s Ladder in a better financial situation, allowing them to pursue the scholarship program.

“We don’t want someone to miss out just because (they can’t afford it). But we weren’t in a position to do that before,” she said. “Living in the house, we had repairs. The house is 100 years old. … So we’re just in a better position financially, which is wonderful. And that was the first thing that we talked about, was when we realized what it was going to mean for us financially that we could then look at offering financial aid.”

Full tuition for the program, which follows the Vicksburg Warren School District calendar, is about $400 per month.

Currently, there are eight students enrolled in the program, and Busby says the amount of scholarship money available could enroll about five additional students full-time. However, depending on the number of applicants and their eligibility, the money may also be split to allow partial scholarships to more than five students.

Students in the organization participate in a variety of activities including the Special Olympics. A prom was also held this past Friday for the students.

There is also a ceramics class in which students glaze a variety of cups and statuary before being fired in a kiln. They are now also experimenting with making their own hand-molded ceramic items. The pieces are on display and can be purchased at the YMCA. All proceeds go to the operation of Jacob’s Ladder.

For more information about Jacob’s Ladder and its scholarship program, contact the organization via Facebook by searching for Jacob’s Ladder.