Danvers-based human services company The North Shore Arc recently received a $10,000 grant from the Danversbank Charitable Foundation. 

The grant will provide scholarships for local families integrating theater games and dramatic training with age-appropriate activities for teens and young adults with autism. Participants in the program learn relationship-building and other social life skills.

"This grant could not have come at a better time," said Brian Gordon, director of the program for the North Shore Arc. "Given the state of the economy and recent cutbacks in state funding, the majority of tuition for this program would have to come out-of-pocket for many parents. Thanks to the generosity of Danversbank, a grant of this size will provide the funds for full and partial scholarships that will significantly help to defray the cost of the program for local families."