The residents of The Arc of Essex County’s newest property proudly showed off their group home during an open house event on October 24 that included local officials and funders, neighbors, and Arc board members and staff. Purchased in July 2023, the Beechtree Road home in West Caldwell (the second Arc home on this street) underwent a series of renovations over a year to make it more accessible for residents. The Arc created two means of accessible egress, an accessible bathroom on the main floor of the house, two accessible bedrooms on the first floor, and added a standalone generator. A [...]

With Super Mario Brothers and superheroes, Disney princesses and ballerinas, Flintstones and firefighters (and more!), the children at Stepping Stones School dressed up as a wide range of characters for their first Halloween at the new school building in Fairfield. The new school location brought a new format for the annual "Trunk or Treat" event. It took place in the school's all-purpose room, where staff and families assembled themed tables and gave out candy, snacks, and other goodies to the children as they made their way around the room. The creativity and care that went into the themed tables—as well as [...]

Artists from The Arc of Essex County had the opportunity to showcase and sell their original works at the Matheny Arts Access Program’s “All Abilities Art Fest” at the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center in Peapack on October 20. Seven artists created pieces at Studio Arc to submit to the art show, including paintings, mixed-media collages, and gel prints. Each was framed and on display for this special event, and several of the pieces were sold to visitors during the festival. Matheny Arts Access will send the proceeds from the sale to the artists. The Art Fest featured art from Studio Arc as [...]

Decked out with spooky and silly Halloween scenes, The Arc of Essex County’s vans were lined up at the West Caldwell Hub for day program participants to enjoy a Trunk or Treat Halloween celebration. The trunk of each van was adorned with fun seasonal décor, and dozens of day program attendees stopped at each one to receive special Halloween treats, such as candy, cookies, and pudding cups. Certain vans were allocated for special diets, so everyone could participate if they wanted to. Most of the visitors were dressed in fun and scary Halloween costumes, and all enjoyed the bright autumn day [...]

For the second year in a row, The Arc of Essex County, The Arc of New Jersey, and United Airlines are teaming up to bring Wings for All to Newark Liberty International Airport. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2024. Wings for All is an airport “rehearsal” program created to alleviate some of the stress individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families experience when traveling by air. The program helps ease family concerns regarding how their loved one will react to different stimuli in the airport, such as bright lights, noises, TSA security screening, and [...]

A group of participants in The Arc of Essex County’s Opportunity Zone Day Program have been attending weekly self-advocacy classes, covering topics such as rights and responsibilities, relationships, anti-bullying, and self-care. In addition to the in-person meetings at OZ, several consumers also attend monthly Zoom meetings with the NJ Self-Advocacy Project. Recently they also participated in the NJ Self-Advocacy’s 40th Annual Fall Conference via Zoom and had a wonderful time. The group is also learning about “standing up and speaking up,” both for themselves and others. At one of the monthly Zoom meetings, the subject of voting came up. The consumers [...]

Children and teens whose schools are closed for Teachers’ Convention on November 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to learn new art skills and create new masterpieces at a series of classes at Studio Arc. On Thursday, November 7, a Children’s Collage Crafting Class for ages 5 to 12 will run from 1 to 2 p.m., and a Teen Collage Crafting Class for ages 13 to 20 will run from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. On Wednesday, November 8, The Arc is offering two classes each for children and teens. In the morning, a Children’s Autumn Block Printing Class will run from [...]

The beautiful October weather gave The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Recreation participants lots of opportunities to enjoy the season and make memories together. On October 6, a Community Inclusion group enjoyed a day out at the Caldwell Street Fair, where they enjoyed rides, live music, arts and crafts, and a variety of regional foods. The Arc thanks the volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of Caldwell-West Essex for such a wonderful day exploring downtown Caldwell. On October 20, a trip to Alstede Farm in Chester featured apple picking, pumpkin picking, a hayride, apple treats, and a visit with friendly farm animals. A Halloween [...]

This fall, The Arc of Essex County’s Parents’ Night Out events have featured volunteers from the Young Men’s Service League program to help with the games and activities at Studio Arc. At the October 18 Parents’ Night Out event, participants decorated paper pumpkins, created Halloween wreaths, and made their own wooden haunted houses. Volunteers from the YMSL—which include moms and their high-school-aged sons spending time together while serving their community—assisted with the craft projects. The group also played board games together. The YMSL intends to continue working with The Arc by volunteering at the monthly Parents’ Night Out gatherings, and The [...]

When The Arc of Essex County staff gather to discuss adult day programming, it’s essential to have Kristina Olszewski at the table. Not just because she’s the Director of Traditional Programming in Day Services, but also because, in her earlier role as Assistant Director, she oversaw each of The Arc’s program centers at one time or another. “I’ve worked with everyone, and I know them all so well,” she says. “When we talk about programming, I can bring that perspective, knowing how each of our consumers will respond to any decisions we make.” Kristina grew up in Verona and always knew she [...]