Throughout the months of November and December, The Arc of Essex County gathered items for members of our Home Assistance Program (HAP), including 40 coat donations for children and adults, dozens of toys and gifts, and more than 500 non-perishable food items for our families. The Adult Day Programs competed to see who could gather the most food items for the drive, and this year SYA was victorious with 203 items. For their efforts, SYA attendees and staff will enjoy a pizza party. The Arc thanks everyone who contributed to the drives and helped make the holiday season brighter and cozier for [...]

We’re back in person and can’t wait to run, walk, and have fun together! On Saturday, April 9, 2022, The Arc of Essex County will host its 24th Annual Building Tomorrows event at the Clipper Pavilion in South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange, returning to an in-person gathering after two years of virtual events. The day will once again feature a 5K Run, Fundraising Walk, and Family Fun Fest with games, activities, and fun for all ages. All proceeds will directly benefit The Arc of Essex County's services that support nearly 1,500 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their [...]

In December, the Newark Police Department’s 7th Precinct sponsored a group from The Arc of Essex County’s Saturday children’s respite program to attend a movie at the Citiplex 10 theater in Newark. The group received free admission as well as snacks, and enjoyed the movie “Encanto” together. The event was part of the police department’s autism and special needs program. Recreation and respite programs for children ages 5 to 21 years old meet on Saturdays for approximately 6 hours and feature a 1:3 staff-to-participant ratio. Door-to-door transportation is available to those who live within Essex County. If you are interested in additional [...]

The Papermill Playhouse in Millburn and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark both hosted groups from The Arc of Essex County during December, giving consumers and staff the opportunity to watch fun and festive holiday performances. NJPAC provided complimentary tickets to two Cedar Grove group home residents and one chaperone, who enjoyed Mannheim Steamroller Christmas on December 15. On December 21, the Papermill Playhouse held a special free community engagement performance of “A Jolly Holiday: Celebrating Disney’s Broadway Hits,” providing nearly 70 complimentary tickets to Arc consumers. The Arc of Essex County thanks the Papermill Playhouse and NJPAC for their generosity [...]

For individuals seeking a community living placement, The Arc of Essex County has the following December 2021 openings: NEW! Verona Supervised Apartment (1 Male Vacancy) 1 Bedroom Available in a 3-Bedroom Supervised Apartment24/7 Staff SupervisionLarge 2 Family Home with Great Front PorchLocated near public transportation and within walking distance of Verona's downtown shopping & restaurants and the beautiful Verona ParkCurrent roommates are males ranging in age from early 20’s to late 40’s.  They enjoy spending time pursuing their own interests such as reading, watching TV, being active, socializing with friends, and occasionally participating in community activities as a group. Belmont Group Home (1 male [...]

The Arc of Essex County made spirits bright with a Jolly Jamboree, a Gingerbread Extravaganza, and some holiday shopping for adults in our Group Respite program in December. The Jolly Jamboree featured Christmas games and caroling karaoke, along with hot chocolate and sweet snacks. The Gingerbread Extravaganza gave all participants a chance to gather together and create confectionery masterpieces to take home. An additional group enjoyed shopping at Livingston Mall with their peers, picking up gifts for loved ones and enjoying a meal together at the food court. If your loved one with intellectual or developmental disabilities is interested in educational [...]

Holiday activities were back in 2021 as part of The Arc of Essex County’s Children’s Saturday Respite activities in December. The children created beautiful holiday ornaments together at the Opportunity Zone in Maplewood, filling and decorating clear globe ornaments to personalize each decoration. A group also took a trip to Walmart to do some holiday shopping, with each participant selecting items of their choice to give to loved ones. The Arc is looking forward to hosting more children’s recreation and respite activities in 2022. The program hosts children ages 5 to 21 years old, who meet on Saturdays for approximately 6 [...]

The students at Stepping Stones School enjoyed a variety of holiday activities throughout December, from dreidel games to opening gifts from Santa. The children started the month with Hanukkah activities. Each day they would count the lights on the menorah, and they enjoyed eating potato latkes and spinning the dreidel. They even practiced Hanukkah yoga poses! The fun continued through the month, as each classroom decorated their door with beautiful holiday themes and the children enjoyed holiday movies, songs, and books, and made and sent wish lists. On December 16, the students received a visit from Santa, who delivered special gifts to [...]