Six of The Arc of Essex County’s vans were transformed into fun Halloween scenes and lined up at the West Caldwell Hub for day program participants to enjoy a Trunk or Treat Halloween celebration on Friday, October 28. The trunk of each van was adorned with fun seasonal décor (plus one that was decked out as Cookie Monster), and dozens of day program attendees stopped at each one to receive special Halloween treats, such as candy, cookies, and pudding cups. Many of the visitors were dressed in fun and scary Halloween costumes, and all enjoyed the bright autumn day outdoors together. Do [...]

Weeks of preparation came together in a thrilling Halloween celebration at The Arc of Essex County’s Studio Arc. Day program participants who joined Studio Arc’s first Halloween Party were surprised with a special treat: a group of 10 West Caldwell Hub and SYA day program participants performed a choreographed dance to the Michael Jackson song “Thriller,” which they had been practicing over several weeks. The performers were face painted to look like zombies, thanks to the donated talents of Michael Iradi from the School of Make Up Effects in Totowa, and the dance even included a “Michael Jackson” at center stage. The [...]

The students at The Arc of Essex County’s Stepping Stones School have been celebrating the autumn season with a variety of fun activities. For the annual fall festival, students enjoyed picking pumpkins from the lawn near the school, riding the toy roller coaster, and making bubbles together. On Halloween, Stepping Stones welcomed the return of Trunk or Treat, with a collection of car trunks decorated by staff and parents, including themes such as Encanto, Minions, a medieval castle, and a Dia de los Muertos. The costume-wearing students gleefully visited each car to collect their special treats. The Arc of Essex County's Stepping Stones [...]

Participants in The Arc of Essex County’s Community Inclusion, Recreation, and Respite activities enjoyed a busy month of fall activities, including pumpkin picking, a farm-to-table meal, and a Halloween dance. On October 16, a large group visited Alstede Farm in Chester for a day that featured pumpkin picking, a hayride, visits with farm animals, and live entertainment. In addition to bringing home the perfect pumpkin, they also enjoyed picking out special treats at the gift shop. Staying in the harvest spirit, Group Respite enjoyed a Farm-to-Table meal together on October 23. The day began with an adventure to Whole Foods in Union [...]

It was a busy night for the children who joined The Arc of Essex County for Parents Night Out on October 21. The children visited Studio Arc, where they enjoyed making slime, playing “pin the eye on the monster,” creating Halloween crafts, and eating pizza together. Parents Night Out provides themed drop-off nights where children and teens can participate in arts and crafts, games, and more while mom and dad have some time to recharge. The next one is scheduled for Friday, December 9 at Stepping Stones School in Roseland. The cost of the events are offset by the generous [...]

The Arc of Essex County is grateful for the generosity of the McCutchen Foundation, which has granted $10,000 toward the Camp Hope Fee Assistance project. The McCutchen Foundation is a new funder for The Arc of Essex County, and its contribution will make it possible for more campers to attend Camp Hope, a summer day camp for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities located in East Hanover. We thank the McCutchen Foundation for its support of this special program, and look forward to the 2023 camp season. To learn more about Camp Hope, visit www.ArcCampHope.com.

Each fall, The Arc of Essex County recognizes those employees whose long-standing commitment and dedication have helped shape the agency into what it is today. The Arc would like to recognize the following individuals for their tremendous service to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In particular, The Arc notes the stellar 45 years of service by Judy Bellina, coordinator of volunteers for The Arc’s Early Intervention Program at Stepping Stones School. Countless children and families’ lives have been made better because of Judy’s kindness, patience, and hard work on behalf of the youngest members of our community. We [...]

The Arc of Essex County’s After-Work Respite Program started back up in October, with activities such as pumpkin decorating and learning the Cha Cha Slide. The group has enjoyed lively and fun gatherings every Tuesday and Thursday since October 18, when After-Work returned to The Arc’s programming calendar after a long COVID-19 pause. The After-Work Respite Program is a community integration program for adults that allows caregivers to take the time they need to relieve stress, restore energy, and manage family life. A secondary goal of the program is to help families avoid taking time off from their jobs in order [...]

The four residents of the Millburn Group Home gathered at Studio Arc in October to work on a very special project: in honor of their housemate Marian, a breast cancer survivor, they used the Cricut machine to create “Fight Like a Girl” tee shirts that featured pink ribbons. The group then participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Edison while wearing their newly crafted shirts. Marian has been a survivor for more than 10 years and said she was pleased with the shirt project, which she and her housemates enjoyed making, and hopes that people will remember [...]