More than 25 teams have already registered for The Arc of Essex County’s 27th Annual Building Tomorrows 5K Run, Family Walk, and Fun Fest, to be held on Saturday, April 26 at the Clipper Pavilion within the South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange. The Fun Fest is slated to include a cooking station with Chef It Up 2 Go, a bubble experience with OMG Bubbles, roaming characters from My Fairytale Party, a community art piece with Pinot’s Palette, music by the Dancing DJs, and more, featuring fun and engaging opportunities for all ages. Registration is $30 for 5K runners and $10 [...]

Children at Stepping Stones School and their families were treated to a fun and interactive bubble show to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on March 21. Mike from New Jersey Bubble Parties called up volunteers of all ages as he showed off bubble tricks and gave each student, teacher, and family member the opportunity to stand inside a giant bubble. In addition, the school community wore blue and yellow clothing and accessories to represent Down syndrome awareness. That wasn’t the only celebration during the month of March, as the school also welcomed students from the Deron School to work with the [...]

Participants in the Bridges 2 Day Program, within the Opportunity Zone Program Center in Maplewood, wasted no time popping virtual bubbles, winning points, and competing in fun games as they enjoyed the recently installed Obie interactive game table together. The system was purchased thanks to a generous grant from the Maplewood Foundation, and the games and activities on the projection table have become a daily part of life for the Bridges 2 participants. It is also available to the dozens of adults and children who use the OZ facility throughout the week, allowing all ages to enjoy games that are [...]

The Arc of Essex County thanks Essex County for its partnership through Community Development Block Grant program. Recently, the county awarded The Arc $29,500 toward the purchase of a new vehicle for transporting Arc residents and day program participants. The van, a Toyota Sienna hybrid minivan, is easier for many of our program participants to enter and exit, and will not only help The Arc handle the higher volume of day program participants, but also allows for more rotation among Arc vehicles, to reduce wear and tear on the fleet. The Arc thanks Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., as well as [...]

Participants in The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Recreation, Group Respite, and Community Inclusion programs enjoyed a busy March together. Recent activities included: A trip to Beyond the Boogie Dance Company on March 2 in Montclair for an afternoon of line dancing fun A “Matinee and Mingle” on March 9, where moviegoers watched Captain America at AMC Clifton and talked about the movie while out together for a meal afterwards A trip to Somerville for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16 A visit to the crowd-favorite Mt. Airy Casino on March 30 for a day of playing game machines and enjoying lunch [...]

As the weather has warmed up, residents in The Arc of Essex County group homes and supported-living apartments have enjoyed a variety of activities together: The Irvington Avenue apartments held an international day on March 22, when the staff prepared dishes from their cultures and provided food for the residents to enjoy. The group also learned, danced, and asked questions of staff about the different cultures and music. Oakwood Group Home enjoyed a community outing at the Montclair Art Museum. The ladies of Belleville, Bloomfield, Green, Orange, and West Caldwell group homes gathered for a Girls’ Night In at Studio Arc. The gentleman of [...]

March included a fun mix of activities for The Arc of Essex County’s children’s programming, offering toddlers, children, and teens educational and engaging experiences together: Children’s Respite celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by making shamrock drinks with sprite and green sherbet, visited the Zimmerli Museum at Rutgers University, and went out to a buffet meal to discuss healthy meal choices Communi-Play provided engaging and musical communication lessons for our 2.5- to 5-year-olds, with sessions on March 1 and 15 Children and teens who attended Parents’ Night Out on March 15 had the chance to make St. Patrick’s Day gnomes as well as stress balls The [...]

Adults in The Arc of Essex County’s Day Programs have enjoyed a fun March together, highlighted by some special activities: Readers from West Caldwell Hub visited Stepping Stones School in Fairfield to read Dr. Seuss books to students during Read Across America Week Visits to Studio Arc included art projects such as cardmaking for the SYA Entrepreneurship Club; gel-plate and collage creations for artists from West Caldwell Hub; festive Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day art lessons for all programs, as well as opportunities to paint, draw, and create spring-inspired art, such as cherry blossoms and “zentiles” Participants at all four program centers [...]

Melvin is truly an Arc of Essex County icon, with a history that goes back 50 years in Arc programs. But even after decades in The Arc family, the 72-year-old still had a big year in 2024 as he went through two big transitions. First, he moved from the Branch Brook residence in Belleville to a new (and freshly renovated) Arc group home in West Caldwell. He also made the move from the Opportunity Zone Day Program in Maplewood to the West Caldwell Hub Day Program. Both transitions have been huge successes. “Everything went very smooth,” he says. With the new residence, [...]

When Felicia Minnigan first started at The Arc of Essex County in 2006, she worked as a direct-support professional in a household of nonverbal residents at the Seven Oaks home in Orange. Some DSPs might have been overwhelmed, but Felicia thought it was the best possible entry into her new field. “Learning to communicate with non-verbal people forced me to pay such close attention to body language, different mannerisms and energies, watching where their eyes went; you have no choice but to pay attention to every intricate detail,” she says. “After working there, you can work at any program, because you [...]