Jessica Murphy - The Arc of Essex County

A drawing of a bridge showing dollar amounts, with fireworks around and the Giving Tuesday and The Arc of Essex County logos. The number $15,000 is in a star and the text at the bottom says "Thank you!"

A Successful Giving Tuesday for The Arc

December 1, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

Giving Tuesday, which took place on November 29, is celebrated as a global movement that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities. For The Arc of Essex County, this one-day fundraising push was a huge success. Thanks to the generosity of more than 100 donors, matching grant contributions from the Hopton Family and Bruce Bird, and the outreach efforts of our Giving Tuesday Champions, The Arc surpassed our $15,000 fundraising goal for the day! Each dollar raised will go toward the 2022 Annual Appeal, which is focused on enhancing services for families as children with intellectual and [...]

A man in a holiday sweater clapping at a party.

Holiday Express Brings a Musical Celebration to The Arc

December 1, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

On November 29, more than 120 Arc day program participants and residents gathered at The Woodland in Maplewood to party with Holiday Express, where they kicked off the season with a rousing and joyous celebration. Participants enjoyed dancing to live music from the Holiday Express band, as well as a hearty lunch together. The day also included a special visit from Santa and other fun seasonal characters. The Holiday Express mission is to deliver music, food, gifts, financial support, and friendship to those with the greatest need for the gift of human kindness during the holiday season and throughout the year. [...]

A boy sitting at a table at school, where the children are all eating Thanksgiving food. The boy looking at the camera is wearing a red shirt and blue glasses.

Stepping Stones Celebrates the Season

December 1, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

The children at Stepping Stones School enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving feast to cap off a November packed with fun seasonal activities. Throughout the month, students in the preschool, TK, and primary classes took part in a variety of games and crafts, including pottery making, raking and playing in the leaves, creating leaf crafts, and completing leaf science experiments. As Thanksgiving approached, the children went all in on turkeys, creating turkey hats and feathery colander turkeys, playing a turkey bowling game, and practicing “pinching and placing” with a turkey pom-pom bottle. They also created thankfulness trees and discussed the people, places, and [...]

December 2022 Residential Corner

November 30, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

For individuals seeking a community living placement, The Arc of Essex County has the following December 2022 openings: Orange Community Residence (1 Male or Female Vacancy) 24/7 supervision Single-family style group home located in a turn-of-the-century mansion with spacious living areas Co-ed living arrangement with active group of residents Near shopping, dining, and activities Care based on individual needs Maplewood Supervised Apartment Program (2 Male Vacancies) 24/7 Staff Supervision Condo-style living in a unit with elevator Off-street parking Located near public transportation and within walking distance of Maplewood's downtown shopping & restaurants South Orange Supportive Living Apartment (1 Female Vacancy) 1 bedroom available in a 2-bedroom apartment Minimal community living support needs Access to an [...]

Virtual Resources Roundup December 2022. With graphic that shows three cartoon people in a virtual meeting screen.

December Virtual Resources Roundup

November 28, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

The Arc has a variety of resources for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Here, we provide a monthly roundup of the virtual options available to The Arc community throughout the month: § The Arc of Essex County Mystery Movies (December 5, 12, and 19 at 3 p.m.)The Arc of Essex County Game Day (December 6, 13, and 20 at 3 p.m.)The Arc of Essex County Book Buddies (December 7, 14, and 21 at 3 p.m.) § The Arc of NJ Self-Advocacy Project: Stay Healthy at Home: 12/6/22: Food and Mood: The Gut-Brain Connection 12/13/22: REPLAY: Empowering Legislative Advocates Through Video 12/20/22: [...]

Four people standing behind a row of vans holding trick-or-treating containers. A woman on the right holding a coffee cup. The trees in the background and leaves on the ground are showing autumn colors.

A Festive Trunk or Treat for Arc Day Programs

November 2, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

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 [...]

Ten people dressed and in zombie makeup for a performance of the Michael Jackson song "Thriller," with several holding arms up like zombies.

A Thriller of a Halloween at Studio Arc

November 2, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

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 [...]

A girl in a striped shirt and pink glasses holds a small pumpkin in one hand.

Stepping Stones Students Celebrate Fall

November 2, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

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 [...]

A group of ten people holding jars filled with food items, and standing in front of a table decorated with pumpkins, autumn leaves, and hay bales.

Fall Fun for Recreation and Community Inclusion Group

November 2, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

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 [...]

Parents Night Out Features Spooky Fun

November 2, 2022 Jessica Murphy 0

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 [...]

Author: Jessica Murphy

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Author: Jessica Murphy

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