Arc Life: January-April 2022

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Arc

JANUARY – APRIL | 2022 NEWSLETTER

VOLUME 13

ISSUE 1

CELEBRATING AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH! Each April, we come together to educate others and promote autism acceptance, inclusion and self-determination. We take time to celebrate people with autism as family members, friends, classmates and co-workers making immeasurable contributions to our community.

As we continue towards a return to normalcy, with our day programs Please turn to page 3.

JANUARY – APRIL | 2022 NEWSLETTER

ArcLife

Life

Arc

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Deborah Wilbur Marie O'Horo, Alternate DIRECTORS

Gretchen Daugherty Jennie Erdle-Krampen Charles McCausland Kyle Meath Benjamin Northrup Elizabeth Palmatier Michelle Raeman Deborah Rought EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ann Scheetz PUBLISHING TEAM Design and layout In House Graphic Design, Inc. Photography Various Creative Writing Josh Dubin, The Arc Ontario Share your e-mail address with us and receive agency news and information.

Visit thearcontario.org to sign up today!

If you prefer not to receive agency news and information call 585.394.7500 or email jdubin@thearcontario.org.

Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/thearcontario Follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/the_arc_ontario The Arc Ontario 3071 County Complex Drive Canandaigua, NY 14424 585.394.7500 www.thearcontario.org

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Ann Scheetz

As we continue our return to normalcy, it is my hope that this newsletter finds you and your family healthy and in good spirits.

It is hard to believe more than two years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our world and caused economic disruption unseen in decades. As I reflect on the past year, I am inspired by how our community came together to respond to this crisis, demonstrating our shared resilience and strength. Thanks to the commitment and dedication of our staff, leadership teams and board members, 2021 proved to be another year of adaptation, flexibility, and continued growth for The Arc Ontario.

I am thrilled to share that we have many exciting new developments underway at the agency. As we continue to reopen our day programs, we are overjoyed to have the individuals we support back in our building socializing with peers, developing their unique skillsets and immersing back into our community to flourish and realize their full potential.

In March, we observed National Developmental Disability Awareness Month to raise awareness and promote inclusion and acceptance for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or other challenges. Throughout the month of April, we also celebrated Autism Acceptance Month, a worldwide effort to increase understanding and acceptance of the autism spectrum.

Individuals from our Creative Expressions program joined in on the fun, designing a logo for World Autism Awareness Day t-shirts, which were then sold online and throughout the community, with proceeds supporting Autism services at The Arc Ontario.

We also offer congratulations to our Senior Behavioral Specialist, Ashley Hanvey for her recent certification to administer the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS), which will allow The Arc Ontario to serve as an additional resource for our community in assessing and diagnosing autism. This is a truly exciting development, and we are proud of Ashley for her hard work and dedication to the people we support.

It has been an historic year for the agency in many ways. After our board of directors voted to enact the largest wage increases in agency history last fall, The Arc Ontario has gone on to hire 127 new employees in recent months. We also continue to move forward in our rebranding process, and we are thrilled to witness the impact the move has had in regards to unifying our collective voice and strengthening our advocacy efforts. Through these relentless efforts, our voices have finally been heard, with Governor Hochul and the State Legislature making by far the largest investment New York State has seen in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities field in more than a decade. We are thankful for your support in helping us fight for increased investment in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities or other challenges, as well as the workforce that supports them.

With spring’s arrival, we are thrilled to see our new Project Search at Eastview Mall site operating in full swing and providing incredible opportunities. We also look forward to the return of our in-person signature fundraising events, kicking off with our agency Wine Mixer on April 30, our first in-person event since 2019. As we reminisce over the past year, we are incredibly proud of our staff for everything they have been able to accomplish together, and we are truly grateful for our community partners who continue to show their unwavering support for our vision to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or other challenges become one with their communities.

Wishing you a lovely spring and a wonderful year ahead,

On the Cover: Staff members from The Arc Ontario celebrated the start of Autism Acceptance Month with a fun photo at the agency's Eberhardt Center on April 1, 2022.

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MESSAGE FROM ANN SCHEETZ

The Arc Ontario is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals with disabilities or other challenges and their families. We offer personalized services and supports that foster life-long fulfillment through active citizenship and enriched community living.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lynne Erdle, President Robert Doeblin, Vice President Patrick Boyle, Secretary Kathryn Wegman, Treasurer Barbara Risser, Assistant Treasurer

VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1

Ann Scheetz, Executive Director

3 Celebrating Autism Acceptance Month!, continued from cover reopening and in-person events starting to resume, we decided to make a splash for Autism Acceptance Month at The Arc Ontario!

To kick off the month, staff members wore blue t-shirts donning an Autism Awareness logo that was created by our Creative Expressions program. The t-shirts were available for purchase online, at The Arc Ontario’s main facility as well as its social enterprises, Bad Dog Boutique and North Star Coffee. Over the span of 9 days, more than 130 t-shirts were sold in support of autism services at The Arc Ontario.

North Star Coffee also featured a blue drink, “The Great Bear Fizz” during the first week of April to light it up blue and kick off Autism Acceptance month.

The agency then held a sensory friendly Easter egg hunt on April 9, and our Residential and Day Habilitation programs decorated kites across the county to promote autism awareness and acceptance.

The kites were proudly displayed at various locations throughout the community On April 19, staff members from The Arc Ontario held an Autism 101 training for people interested in learning more about autism. The virtual event was well attended,

and we look forward to holding more sessions in the coming months. On April 27, a fundraiser was also held at Panera Bread in Victor, with 20% of sales benefiting autism services at The Arc Ontario.

We are always looking to the future and striving to offer new, innovative programs and services for people with autism or associated diagnoses. This Fall, we will resume our after-school program for children ages 8-21 through Active Academy, a highly structured program in a safe and nurturing environment that helps children develop and hone their social, sensory, reading and academic skills. The program will be offered in Canandaigua and Victor schools.

The Arc Ontario offers two specialized communication groups for individuals on the autism spectrum. WE THINKERS, for children ages 4-7, explores an evidencebased methodology that promotes socialemotional learning. This highly structured program incorporates make-believe play and togetherness through playful activities.

It also incorporates home-learning with activities for families to build on.

We also offer an adult social group for high school graduates aged 18-and-over based largely on the PEERS curriculum for young adults. The group meets twice-

a-month in the community to explore topics such as dating, friendships, handling disagreements, entering conversations, exiting conversations, forming get-togethers and handling bullying.

This month, and every month, we celebrate the individuals that receive autism Services from The Arc Ontario!

For more information about available programs and services at The Arc Ontario, please contact JoEllen Schaefer at jschaefer@thearcontario.org or (585) 919-2118.

Individuals from our Creative Expressions art program designed the logo for our 2022 Autism Awareness Month t-shirts.

Staff members from The Arc Ontario celebrated the start of Autism Acceptance Month with a fun photo at the agency's Eberhardt Center.

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STAFF MEMBER RECEIVES CERTIFICATION TO ASSIST IN DIAGNOSING AUTISM

Ann Scheetz, Executive Director, stops by to visit with individuals from our JET Connections Program.

(Pictured from left to right): Alexa C., Ann Scheetz, Angelo T., and Mark Uhl, Direct Support Professional.

AGENCY ADVOCACY EFFORTS The Arc Ontario and our parent organization, The Arc New York continue to advocate at the state and federal level for public policy that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or other challenges and their families.

We are also advocating on various issues including increasing salaries for direct support professionals, protecting Medicaid, and increasing residential development.

Our persistent advocacy efforts have allowed our voices to be heard. After extensive negotiations, the Governor and Legislature

reached agreement on the New York State budget on April 7, and the Senate and Assembly passed the Health and Mental Hygiene budget bill, which outlines the specific funding for our field, and realizes many of our initial advocacy priorities.

Our success reflects the consistent advocacy efforts from The Arc New York family. Since last summer, the organization has held rallies, garnered media attention, engaged with legislators, and sent more than 17,000 letters calling for significant and sustained investment in essential supports and services for New Yorkers with I/DD. Our voices have finally been heard. Our fight is not over yet, but the landscape has shifted and we will continue to raise our voices together to achieve lasting support for our field and the individuals we support.

The Arc Ontario is proud to announce that our Senior Behavior Specialist, Ashley Hanvey has received her certification Ashley Hanvey to administer ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), allowing the agency to act as an additional resource for our community in assessing and diagnosing autism. With limited community resources that can clinically assess, this is a major development for The Arc Ontario and our community. Families are typically waiting 6-12 months for an appointment if they suspect their child may have autism. We are thrilled to be able to quicken that process and allow people to receive proper diagnosis and begin exploring available programs and services moving forward.

Congratulations, Ashley!

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR VIRTUAL EVENTS We would like to take a moment to thank our loyal sponsors and friends of The Arc Ontario , both old and new for supporting our virtual events and smaller fundraisers held throughout 2021. Unable to host our traditional large fundraisers, your support for these events allowed us to continue raising funds for The Arc Ontario and its growing menu of innovative programs and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or other challenges. We are grateful for your continued support and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Individuals from our residential program picking up meals they purchased in support of our Drive-Thru Dinner fundraiser, held at the Canandaigua Elk's Lodge on March 24, 2022.

ArcLife

JANUARY – APRIL | 2022 NEWSLETTER

AGENCY HOLDS FIRST TRIVIA NIGHT AT STAR CIDER We want to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who came out to support The Arc Ontario on March 31 at our first ever Trivia Night held at Star Cider! Throughout the evening, between entry fees, and chances at a variety of gift baskets, we went on to raise nearly $800 for The Arc Ontario.

Judy Drury (right), Administrative Coordinator at The Arc Ontario, and her family celebrate after taking home first place at our first ever Trivia Night at Star Cider on March 30, 2022.

GETTING BACK TO NORMAL Over the course of the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of our daily life. As we continue moving towards a return to normalcy, we look back and feel grateful for the outpouring of community support we have received. Building community connections is what The Arc Ontario is all about, and we are proud of the incredible things we have accomplished with your support.

Not only are we weathering the storm, we are continuing to experience growth and expansion throughout Ontario County and the surrounding region.

Our new program site, Project Search at Eastview Mall, in Victor, NY is now operating in full swing, offering the individuals we support valuable training opportunities to learn skills that will help them flourish and succeed in future employment. We are also excited to be

VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1

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Congratulations to teams, Tequila Mocking Bird, Just a Group of Friends, Turtle, and Taking Care of Quizness for scoring the highest in our four rounds of trivia, and to Jurassic Arc for finishing with the highest final score of the night!

Our sincerest thanks to North Star Coffee, Bad Dog Boutique, and Faro’s Pizzeria for donating items towards our basket raffle, and to Star Cider for hosting us. Special thanks to our Emcee, Dan Corbett, and the rest of our volunteers for making the night such a success! We look forward to hosting another Trivia Night soon!

Team Taking Care of Quizness, comprising of staff members from The Arc Ontario, smile for a photo after scoring the highest in our four rounds of trivia.

reopening our day programs, and we look forward to resuming in-person events beginning with our agency Wine Mixer on April 30, our first in-person signature event since 2019.

We are continuing to move through our rebranding process, and after implementing the largest wage increases in agency history last fall, we have hired 127 new employees at The Arc Ontario in recent months. As our organization continues to grow, our staffing needs continue to grow as well.

We have many employment opportunities available throughout Ontario County, ranging from direct support to leadership positions. We also have opportunities at our social enterprises, Bad Dog Boutique, North Star Coffee and Spot On Cleaning Company, and we are currently hiring for experienced drivers at Finger Lakes Bus Service, a division of The Arc Ontario.

As you can see, we are always expanding opportunities at The Arc Ontario. We are grateful for our committed staff members for banding together to help us get through

these challenging times. While we still have a ways to go, we are excited about what the future holds. Thank you for your continued support!

Nancy V. (left) is happy to be back at her day program at The Arc Ontario, where she enjoys painting and socializing with her peers.

Ontario County Chapter of NYSARC, Inc. 3071 County Complex Drive Canandaigua, New York 14424

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Permit No. 780 Rochester, NY

MARCH WAS DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH March was National Disability Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and promote inclusion and acceptance for people with disabilities. Join us on Facebook or Instagram to keep up on the success stories happening every day at The Arc Ontario!