Celebrating Awareness and Respect for People With Disabilities- Middle School Students Receive Awards

Students from three local school districts won scholarships for their classes to spend a day at The Arc of Delaware County (Delarc). Students entered a contest by creating posters, poems, essays and other projects to demonstrate respect and including people with disabilities in their schools and communities. The contest was cosponsored by The Arc of Delaware County and Beta Omicron, a chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international organization of women educators.

During the visits, students were paired with mentors who receive services from Delarc. Students and their mentors spent the first half of the day side by side working, learning and sharing. Students learned what it’s like to read, write and even make pizza with a disability.

The second half of the day was spent learning about respect and empathy through YouTube videos, presentations and an interactive “pop quiz.” Throughout the day students learned skills including how to handle bullying, how to stick to a budget, and how to interact with people who have disabilities in a positive and meaningful way.

Students also watched the latest video released by Delarc, titled “Making the Shift to Community Connections,” which can be found at www.YouTube.com/arcdelaware.

The Grand Prize winner was Mrs. Liddle’s 6th grade class from South Kortright (pictured above). The students created a series of posters reflecting empathy and respect for people with disabilities. Second place county-wide went to Ali Eichler from Franklin for her essay about respect and Noah Dougherty from Andes won third place for making pasta figurines with a poem and music.

To learn more about The Arc of Delaware County, or to schedule a visit for your own life-changing experience, visit http://www.delarc.org/ or call Delarc’s Community Relations Department at (607) 865-7126.

Photo Exhibit: April 25th - April 29th

"Picture Your Passion", a wonderful photo show exhibiting the work of five talented Delaware County residents, Billie Jean Savory and Rebecca Todd (both of Deposit), Matt Wilson (Delhi), Sam Conklin (Walton) and Thomas Ferrante (Margaretville), is opening on Monday April 25th at the NBT Bank branch in Hancock (11 Main Street). The show is the 3rd this year for these five artists, following very successful exhibits at The Roxbury Arts Group Old Bank Gallery in Roxbury and the Catskill Watershed Corporation executive offices in Margaretville. The show in Hancock will last from Mon. 4/25 through Friday, 4/29, during normal bank hours. Your invited! Join us on Monday the 25th, there is a opening reception at the branch for the community from 5:00p to 6:30pm with refreshments being served. Our gratitude to the hosts for the exhibit and the reception: NBT Bank and the Hancock Chamber of Commerce....with a special thank you to Robin Evanitsky, a caring community and Delarc Board member that was so key in making this exhibit happen.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

March is the annual celebration of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Focusing on this month gives us an opportunity to celebrate the contributions that people with disabilities make as neighbors, friends, coworkers, and members of our community. People with disabilities are valuable, contributing members of our community who have much to offer and a desire to participate. Much progress has been made in our society’s treatment of people with developmental disabilities, parents are no longer pressured to send their children away to institutions, more doors than ever before are open to individuals with disabilities. With organizations like The Arc of Delaware County, people are living fulfilling lives and have proven to be reliable workers, excellent volunteers, and capable of meeting or exceeding expectations or standards. Though the acceptance and treatment of people with disabilities has come a long way, we still have a long way to go – for instance, as many as 60% of individuals with disabilities – 7 million nationwide – remain unemployed. Community members can help by becoming a Member of The Arc of Delaware County, which you have or will be receiving information in the mail about. Other ways to help include hiring someone with disabilities, inviting them to participate in civic organizations or community activities, donating time or money to The Arc of Delaware to support our mission, or even just teaching children that all people have something to contribute.

Delarc Staff Recognized

Delarc congratulates Terri Beers & Arlene Goedel, who recently received visits from Blesher Lil' Heart, Delarc's staff recognition mascot.

Terri's nomination form read:
"Terri took the time to help me complete a job responsibility. During the staff retreat, she was willing to re-certify my CPR Certificate when it was 'free time' for staff. This allowed both of us to keep our schedules without needing to rely on others to cover."

Arlene's nomination form read:
"Arlene always puts the people we support first. Whether it's covering, staying with folks when they are not feeling well, or having muffins and coffee with them on their birthday, Arlene always has the people we support first on her mind and in her heart."

The nomination forms went on to describe how each displayed Delarc's Unifying Principles. Congratulations again to Terri and Arlene!

Parent Support Group Now Forming

Beverly Tuthill, lovingly known as ‘Miss Honeybee’ by the countless number of children and families she has supported in her role as Director of The Arc of Delaware County's Carousel Children's Services Program, will be supporting a new parent support group for families of children (birth through adult) with autism spectrum disorders or developmental or intellectual disabilities.

Parents are invited to the Delaware County Resource Center at 34570 State Highway 10 in Walton, NY, on Thursday, January 20th from 6:30 – 8 PM for a first meeting to help set the schedule and agenda for future meetings. Join other parents in an open, compassionate setting. Ask questions and learn from others. Voice concerns and share resources. Give advice, support and encouragement.

In creating this group, Beverly explained, “We want to provide the support families are looking for, so when we heard from parents and other providers that there was an interest in such a group, we immediately started putting plans in place to make it happen.”

“We hope to see families from across Delaware County come together to support and learn from one another, and really make this group their own,” she concluded.

For more information about the parent support group meeting, to receive a flyer with information, to reserve space for child care, or to be notified of future meetings, contact call Sharon at (607) 865-6783 or e-mail parent_s@ymail.com.

Delarc Celebrates Outstanding Performer

Friends and co-workers at The Arc of Delaware County’s (Delarc’s) Resources for Industry (RFI) Program gathered to celebrate the achievements of Fred Hammond recently.

Fred, who lives in Delhi, was a recipient of the 2010 “Outstanding Performer” Award from New York State Industries for the Disabled’s (NYSID) William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Awards Program. The Joslin Awards Program

was established in 2004 by the NYSID Board of Directors to recognize outstanding job performance and personal success by people with disabilities.

Fred was nominated for this award by the RFI program for his hard work, dependability and dedication. With increased self-confidence from his own success on the job, staff at RFI noted that Fred has become a mentor to his co-workers, providing them with tips and demonstrations on the job. Fred has a desire to work in the community, and with the opportunity to work on a NYSID contract, he has developed the skills necessary to do so successfully. In addition to being recognized through this high profile awards program, Fred was awarded with a certificate and check for $250.

In photo above, RFI Program Director Doug Anderson presents Fred with the “Outstanding Performer” Award.

Story of Delarc Artist Featured in Daily Star

Lewis Pepper's story about his self-portrait, previously shared in this blog, was recently featured in The Daily Star. To read the article, click here: http://thedailystar.com/localnews/x1901575677/Area-artists-work-chosen-for-national-exhibit