Category: The Guardian

Three people stand together: A woman in a red dress, a man in a suit, and a woman in a navy and white dress. The woman on the right is holding a plaque with a gavel on it.

Marnie McNany Completes Tenure as Board President

The Arc of Essex County thanks Marnie McNany, who has served as the organization’s Board President since 2018, for her years of steadfast leadership and unwavering commitment to The Arc’s mission. Marnie is concluding her time as President going into the 2022-2023 fiscal year after serving two consecutive two-year terms in the role. “Marnie is not only a champion for The Arc of Essex County, she also guided the organization through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with calm determination,” said CEO Linda C. Lucas. “Throughout her time on the board, she has been a true partner, exemplifying quiet but strong [...]

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A photo of a white house with the year 2021 written on it, three yellow arrows, and a photo of the same house, renovated and a dark blue color, with the year 2022.

Bloomfield Group Home Renovation Completed

The six residents of The Arc of Essex County’s Bloomfield group home returned to their beautifully renovated community residence in June, after months of extensive construction work that increased accessibility throughout the home. Nestled on a quiet street full of 100-year-old homes, the Bloomfield residence underwent comprehensive updates, with the entire first floor gutted and renovated to feature wider hallways and doorways, a new accessible kitchen, accessible bathrooms, and an expanded deck and access ramp, reconfigurations that have made the home more maneuverable and comfortable for The Arc’s residents and staff. New office and laundry areas also improved the overall utility [...]

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Residential Corner with images of four of The Arc of Essex County residences

July 2022 Residential Corner

For individuals seeking a community living placement, The Arc of Essex County has the following July 2022 openings: Park Place Apartments New Development! Available 9/1/2022 (2 Male OR Female Vacancies) Beautiful newly constructed, apartment-style living community located in Irvington.One-bedroom apartments available.Individual can be on Supports Program or CCP, with staffing available based on each  individual’s needs (ex. budgeting, scheduling, daily living skills, etc..) Washington Avenue Residence (1 Male Vacancy) 1 bedroom in 5-bedroom male group home in a quiet Montclair neighborhood24/7 staff supervisionMale residents enjoy demonstrating their growing independence in areas such as preparing small meals, doing their own laundry, and cleaningWithin walking distance [...]

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Virtual Resources Roundup. A graphic that shows three cartoon people on a video chat, and a laptop with "July 2022" on the screen.

July Virtual Resources Roundup

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 (July 11, 18, and 25 at 3 p.m.)The Arc of Essex County Game Day (July 5, 12, 19, and 26 at 3 p.m.)The Arc of Essex County Book Buddies (July 6, 13, 20, and 27 at 3 p.m.) The Arc of NJ Self-Advocacy Project: Stay Healthy at Home:July 5, 2 p.m.: Preventing DiabetesJuly, 12, 2 p.m.: You and [...]

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Residential Corner with images of four of The Arc of Essex County residences

June 2022 Residential Corner

For individuals seeking a community living placement, The Arc of Essex County has the following June 2022 openings: (NEW!) Park Place Apartments New Development! Available 9/1/2022 (2 Male OR Female Vacancies) Beautiful newly constructed, apartment-style living community located in Irvington.One-bedroom apartments available.Individual can be on Supports Program or CCP, with staffing available based on each  individual’s needs (ex. budgeting, scheduling, daily living skills, etc..) (NEW!) Washington Avenue Residence (1 Male Vacancy) 1 bedroom in 5-bedroom male group home in a quiet Montclair neighborhood24/7 staff supervisionMale residents enjoy demonstrating their growing independence in areas such as preparing small meals, doing their own laundry, and cleaningWithin [...]

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A cartoon bus driving toward Camp Hope with the text "Day of Giving 2022, Wednesday June 1."

Donors and Rock the 21 Make Camp Hope “Day of Giving” a Success

The Arc of Essex County hosted a Day of Giving on Wednesday, June 1 to raise money for the Camp Hope transportation fund, helping ensure more children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have access to all the fun that awaits at camp. With more than $7,600 raised from 55 donors, it was a great day for our Spring Appeal, which focused on bridging the gap for campers who need accessible transportation. The Arc thanks Rock the 21, which matched $3,500 in donations on the Day of Giving, as well as board members Regan Waters White and Jo-Ann Raines for [...]

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A group of people holding Ghana flags

Day Programs Continue Quest to Become Virtual Citizens of the World

The Arc of Essex County’s Day Programs are about halfway through their global explorations as they continue to travel the world through a curriculum that focuses on different cultures by exploring the traditions of art, music, cuisine, and holidays. At SYA, to commemorate virtual trips to India, Australia, and China, consumers had “mid-term exams” in May. They were shown pictures from each country and had to determine which country the image came from. It was a rousing, enthusiastic event and everyone got an A+! SYA participants also recently began their study of several African countries. They were treated to a presentation about [...]

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Four photos of students from Stepping Stones: A girl holding a ukelele, a boy hugging a pinata, a boy holding a maraca, and a girl eating chips and guacamole.

Stepping Stones Students Celebrate Star Wars Day and Cinco de Mayo

On “May the Fourth,” also known as Star Wars Day, students in Stepping Stones School’s transitional kindergarten class celebrated the out-of-this-world holiday by wearing their favorite Star Wars or black-and-white clothing to school. (Some sported themed hairstyles as well!) The children had fun taking pictures with a Grogu poster as part of the festivities. The next day, the students celebrated Cinco de Mayo after learning about Mexican culture in the days leading up to the holiday. The children wore festive colors and clothing to school, enjoyed special snacks of chips with salsa and guacamole, and played games with a sombrero. They [...]

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One woman sitting in a chair with another woman standing next to her. All around are decorations that say "We will miss you" and "Happy Retirement."

Maureen Murray Retires After 44 Years at The Arc

The Arc of Essex County wishes Maureen Murray, outgoing Director of Community Support Services, a wonderful retirement after 44 years with the organization. “With her hard work, abiding care, and joyful spirit, Maureen has embodied the mission of The Arc of Essex County throughout her career here,” said CEO Linda Lucas. “Although we are happy for her as she starts her retirement, we will certainly miss her at The Arc. Maureen’s passion for her job, devotion to those we serve, and extraordinary relationships with her colleagues have left a lasting legacy at our organization, and we cannot thank her enough for [...]

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A watering can in a garden.

Volunteers Beautify Group Home Gardens

Volunteers Al Ianacone and Susan Langner, both graduates of the Rutgers Master Garden Program, are once again helping to beautify some of The Arc of Essex County’s group homes. The Verona Apartments, Washington Avenue Residence, and Linden Apartment in Bloomfield have all been spruced up by Al and Susan, who have planted marigolds, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and basil at the residences. The staff and residents water and harvest the vegetables and flowers, and Al and Susan periodically look in on the gardens. The Arc thanks our volunteers for all their efforts, and we look forward to a bounty in the months [...]

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