It may have been a short week to start the 2024 Camp Hope season, but it was still packed with fun activities for campers of all ages. With the starting theme of “Holiday Week,” campers spent Monday completing Thanksgiving activities, including turkey crafts and a pie-eating contest. It was a fitting way to begin the summer, as everyone was so thankful to be together again for the season! On Tuesday, a Cinco de Mayo theme meant campers were creating sombrero crafts and decorating Mexican flags, while also enjoying traditional camp activities such as swimming, the splash pad, and games of whiffle [...]

Twenty-eight students and their families celebrated as the children at Stepping Stones School marked the end of a school year that included many developmental milestones, lots of learning, and an exciting move into a new school building. The June 18 ceremony featured nine Preschool students, eight Transition Kindergarten students, and 11 Primary classroom students. What would traditionally have been a graduation and farewell for some of the Primary-aged children instead became a moving up, as seven of the students will be entering the new “Primary Plus” classroom for the 2024-2025 school year, now that the larger school building allows for extending [...]

Over the course of six weeks this spring, a group of budding chefs visited the West Caldwell Hub on Wednesday nights to take part in The Arc of Essex County’s “Tasty Treats” cooking classes. The classes included lessons in menu planning and table etiquette as well as the preparation of dishes such as salads, pizza, parfait, pigs in a blanket, tacos, and hoagies. At the conclusion of the six-week session, participants received graduation certificates while wearing their chef hats before sitting down at a decorated table for the final prepared meal. Each graduate also received his or her own cookbook. The Adult Recreation [...]

As The Arc of New Jersey celebrated its 75th anniversary with a gala event at The Imperia in Somerset on June 13, the honorees included a collection of distinguished public officials, volunteers, staff, and businesses. The awards ceremony also recognized “Legacy Families” from chapters throughout the state. For The Arc of Essex County, the legacy honoree was John O’Brien and family. John O’Brien has been part of The Arc of Essex County community for nearly 50 years, starting when his youngest son, Peter, was a student at Stepping Stones School in 1975. In the decades since, the O’Briens have become an [...]

The children and teens visiting Studio Arc this spring had the opportunity to explore a variety of activities and develop new skills in classes that were offered to families at no cost thanks to a generous grant from the Partnership for Children of Essex. For the youngest participants, the bimonthly Communi-Play classes for ages 2.5 to 5 continued through the spring, with the addition of family art classes once a month. During each Communi-Play session, children gained confidence as they practiced communication and conversation skills such as listening, eye contact, body language, and gestures. The family art classes that followed would [...]

Registration is open for The Arc of Essex County’s 4th Annual Golf Classic, taking place on Monday, September 16, 2024 at Crestmont Country Club in West Orange. The event will feature 18 holes of golf with on-course beer tastings and a post-event cocktail and awards reception that will feature tastings from local restaurants and an opportunity to participate in a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction. Event check-in will begin at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch and a 1 p.m. shotgun start.  Reception-only tickets are also available. Visit ArcEssexGolf.com to register today and experience the best of golf, food, and drink, while [...]