March was filled with fun activities for students at The Arc of Essex County’s Stepping Stones School. During Dr. Seuss Week, children enjoyed goofy and fun theme days, including Crazy Hat Day, Crazy Hair Day, and Wacky Wednesday. They dressed as superheroes and sports stars, painted apples, graphed with goldfish, and enjoyed a visit from the Cat in the Hat himself (also known as assistant principal Jennifer Spence). In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day, students planted clover seeds, mixed colors to make green shamrock paintings, played games with gold coins, and rolled dice to graph matching shamrock colors. On the big day, [...]

For individuals seeking a community living placement, The Arc of Essex County has the following April 2022 openings: NEW! Linden Supervised Apartment (1 Male OR Female Vacancy) 1 Bedroom Available in a 3-Bedroom Supervised Apartment24/7 Staff SupervisionLarge Two-Family Home with Great Front PorchLocated near public transportation and within walking distance of beautiful parks, shopping, and restaurantsCurrent roommates enjoy spending time pursuing their own interests such as reading, watching TV, being active, going on community outings, and through art and other creative outlets. Verona Supervised Apartment (1 Male Vacancy) 1 Bedroom Available in a 3-Bedroom Supervised Apartment24/7 Staff SupervisionLarge 2 Family Home with Great Front [...]

As the weather warms up, the calendar is filling with activities and trips for adult consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities in The Arc of Essex County’s May-August Community Inclusion, Recreation, and Respite Catalog. Community Inclusion Trips include visits to Point Pleasant Beach, a Strawberry Harvest Festival, Wild West City, mini golf and lunch on Lake Hopatcong, Maplewoodstock, the movie theater, and the Just Peachy Festival. The cost of four of the trips were significantly subsidized by the generous donors who contributed to The Arc of Essex County’s 2021 Annual Appeal last fall, making them more affordable for Arc participants. Group Respite [...]

Tributes are a beautiful way to acknowledge those you care for, and at the same time, help further The Arc’s mission. To purchase a tribute, please call Ann Burleigh at (973) 535-1181 ext. 1245 or visit our tribute page here. Special Occasions (January to March 2022): In Honor of Brian CaufieldMaryanne Vindici In Honor of Jose Maria ArrufatPeter MorralJulia CernyJoseph NittiJulio BaguerJohn SordilloHeather MarvellMatthew GuestRobert ManleyKevin DalyIvan ZamarbideSteven KaiserMichele RennaRichard MarksTerry SekelTom HoatsonRafael FloresDaniel LandaluceJoseph ZabikRon RuggieriJose M. TomeT.K. KellyDavid GriffithsAvideh MoussavianJeff MoryanAnonymousArun VadlamaniJim HallSteve MayMaria Dominguez-MassianiDaniela ManoleManuel Prior DiagoDan VerschleiserTed KleedorferYvonne FarrellMartin DalyRichard WrightMadeline LichtmanAntonio PichardoGlenn HermanClaire Stewart Maffei In Memory of Irene [...]

President Biden has nominated Paul Aronsohn, New Jersey’s Ombudsman for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, to the President’s Committee on People with Intellectual Disabilities. This committee advises the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on matters relating to people with IDD. The twenty-one committee members include people with intellectual disabilities and their family members, researchers, service providers and other professionals, community and business representatives, and systems advocates. Three others who join Paul on the nomination slate have ties to The Arc, including The Arc of the US, The Arc of Philadelphia, and The Arc of Massachusetts. Paul [...]

In March, The Arc of Essex County launched a completely redesigned website, with a new look that is brighter, happier, and more vibrant—all traits that reflect The Arc of Essex County community. The redesign, which was years in the making, streamlines sections of the website to make it easier to use and more intuitive for our web visitors. In addition, The Arc partnered with Recite Me to ensure the site is as accessible as possible for those who view it. The accessibility toolbox (featured at the top of each page when “Accessibility Tools” is clicked) opens to include an audio read-aloud [...]

March featured a variety of activities and events for The Arc of Essex County’s adult recreation participants. The Opportunity Zone in Maplewood was transformed into a New Orleans Mardi Gras scene, as the group enjoyed pancakes with their favorite toppings, fried chicken, and cupcakes that they made and decorated themselves. They also had fun making Mardi Gras themed masks while they chatted and spent time together. In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day, participants again met at the Opportunity Zone, where they played games, made shamrock wreaths, and feasted on sloppy joes and corn beef and pastrami sandwiches. A spring Sip & Paint event [...]

The Arc of Essex County is pleased to announce that the Orange Orphan Society has generously granted $10,000 toward Camp Hope fee assistance for children residing in Maplewood and the Oranges, and an additional $5,559 for new camp equipment. Located in East Hanover, N.J., Camp Hope welcomes individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the summer season. The Wallerstein Foundation for Geriatric Life Improvement granted The Arc of Essex County $20,000 to be used for the Nutley Group Home bathroom renovation project. We thank the Orange Orphan Society and the Wallerstein Foundation for Geriatric Life Improvement for their generous contributions to support [...]

The Arc of Essex County’s day programs were busy with fun activities in March. At SYA in in Nutley, participants continued on their quest to become virtual citizens of the world, most recently focusing on Australia. One of the lessons was that Australia celebrates Harmony Day on March 21, which recognizes the diversity of the country. To commemorate Harmony Day at SYA, the consumers created artwork that represents the countries that they or their ancestors are from. The slogan of Harmony Day is “Everyone Belongs” and that is most definitely true at SYA, where Ghana, Italy, Ireland, Puerto Rico, England, Germany, [...]