The tastes of the season loomed large for The Arc of Essex County Community Inclusion and Recreation participants, who held a “Last Days of Spring” Garden Party and visited a strawberry festival in June. On June 18, the group gathered for a garden party at the Opportunity Zone in Maplewood, where they made their own garden terrariums and enjoyed a selection of fresh salads and other spring-forward seasonal ingredients. On June 25, it was a celebration of the delightful taste of fresh strawberries at the Strawberry Harvest Festival at Alstede Farms in Chester. The group enjoyed strawberry-flavored foods, such as ice cream [...]

It was a night to remember at “A Million Dreams,” The Arc of Essex County’s 75th Anniversary Gala, with cirque performances, special honorees, fine dining, dancing, and a celebration of 75 years of service to the intellectual and developmental disability community. Held at The Grove in Cedar Grove on June 15, the gala was a special milestone celebration. “Seventy-five years is a long time, and in the decades that The Arc of Essex County has existed, it has made great strides and changed the landscape for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in our community,” said [...]

In June, Stepping Stones School celebrated the completion of a fantastic school year, the moving up of several children from one classroom to the next, and the graduation of six students from the school. The ceremony featured a processional, a student-led Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem, a photo slideshow, the remembrance of beloved staff members Nicole Fiorella and James Paden, and the acknowledgement of each child in the preschool, transitional kindergarten, and primary classrooms. Every student received a certificate and a flower to present to their parents or caregivers. Six students were celebrated in a special graduation ceremony as they have [...]

Day Program participants from the Opportunity Zone, SYA, and West Caldwell Hub participated in a talent show at Studio Arc on June 28 that featured a variety of performances. Talents included singing, dancing, disc jockeying, painting, and poetry reading. Although most performed on their own, a few duos took to the microphone for this showcase of skills and gifts. Bravo to all participants for shining bright! Do you have a loved one interested in attending The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Day Services?  Click here to learn more about our programs, and reach out to The Arc of Essex County’s Director [...]

Studio Arc, which recently completed its first year as a creative arts space for The Arc of Essex County community, is raising the bar to help Arc artisans discover new skills and techniques. Creative Arts Manager Debra McGauley-Eichhorn is introducing Arc day program participants and residents to various media for new and exciting art projects. Deb begins each imaginative endeavor with a short lesson on the technique of the day, then works the consumers through the creative process to design their own masterpieces. Recent projects have included fiber art landscapes, textured abstract art with aluminum foil, block printing, watercolor, and [...]

Day Program participants from the West Caldwell Hub completed a months-long gardening course at Studio Arc, where they have learned about plants and what they need in order to grow. The course offered them a hands-on approach as they planted seeds, cared for them, and watched the resulting plants develop. The group even used skills they had learned from Studio Arc art classes to create beautiful planters. As the final lesson in the course, they took a field trip to Van Vleck House and Gardens, a lovely botanical garden in Montclair. They explored the grounds, including a greenhouse, an edible [...]

The Arc of Essex County was proud to celebrate Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Hinnigan-Cohen at The Arc of New Jersey’s annual Award Celebration on June 6, where she was presented with the prestigious Martin Papish Award. Kathy’s story with The Arc of Essex County begins in 1994, when she started as a social worker at Stepping Stones School and Early Intervention Program. In that role, she provided tools to help families effectively advocate for the needs of their children; sharing resources, offering guidance, and providing support as parents and guardians navigated various systems of care. Over the years, Kathy moved up [...]

The Arc of Essex County hosted a Day of Giving on Wednesday, June 28 to help fund expanded wellness programs for The Arc community. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, as well as a challenge grant from an anonymous donor, the Day of Giving pushed the 2023 Spring Appeal past $18,000 in support of new health-based programming. Specifically, The Arc is investing in new ways to better equip our consumers, residents, families, and staff with the tools they need to thrive, with comprehensive wellness programming that spans the lifetime of the individuals we serve. Those programs will include family workshops that [...]

The following message is from The Arc of New Jersey: It has come to our attention that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been doing some audits, on a random basis, of the resources (i.e., bank accounts and any other assets) of people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) -- and this includes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who receive SSI. As you probably know, individuals who receive SSI cannot have more than $2,000 in resources, and married couples cannot have more than $3,000 in resources. This resource limit is applicable when caregivers for individuals with IDD are submitting [...]

Charity Navigator already rated The Arc of Essex County as a four-star charity with an "Accountability and Finance" score of 100 percent, and recently also rated the group The Arc’s “Leadership and Adaptability” beacon with a perfect score. Charity Navigator assessed the organization’s leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent needs. The Arc received full credit in each of the categories: mission, vision, goals, leadership, mobilizing for mission, and adaptability story. The Arc of Essex County is proud of the four-star rating, which helps ensure our donors they can be confident that [...]