Wishes Are Granted

When The Arc of Delaware County learned that they would be receiving a $6,000 grant from the Trustees of the NYSARC Trusts to support recreational opportunities for people they provide services and supports to, excitement filled the air.  Receiving this money has facilitated the granting of wishes for several people supported by The Arc who may otherwise not have had these opportunities.

 One such person is Kelly Piskacek.   She is an effervescent woman who has only dreamed of traveling from her small, country hometown to the glowing city of New York, where everything sparkles and the stars shine not only in the sky but on the stage.  This grant made Kelly’s wish come true.  She recently hopped on a bus, with her support staff, Life Coach Heidi Friedman, and was on her way to the big city.  Though the experiences were all very new to her, she navigated her way around like a superstar. She spent hours just walking around taking in the scenery and was in awe of all the tall buildings, she was pampered at a beauty salon, and of course did some Christmas shopping.  But perhaps her favorite part of the trip was to Radio City Music Hall. When the Rockettes started dancing Kelly was literally on the edge of her seat.  “I remember when the Santas started to appear 1 by 1 and Kelly was staring at the stage saying ‘Heidi look, Heidi look’--but she couldn’t take her eyes off of them. When the nativity set was performing a low but clear ‘WOW’ was heard. She was transformed into another world.” recalled Heidi.  At the end of the day Kelly returned to the hotel exhilarated, exhausted, and ready to do it all over again.

The NYSARC Trusts administer supplemental needs trusts that enable people who have disabilities to remain in their home and community and retain their Medicaid eligible services. The Trustees utilize remainder funds to benefit other persons with disabilities including unfunded Chapter guardianship programs as provided by statute.  In addition to the Recreation Grant, the Trustees awarded $1,225,500 to support Chapter Guardianship programs. Information on how you may benefit from a NYSARC Trust is available by calling 518-439-8323 or 1-800-735-8924 or by emailing info@nysarctrustservices.org.  To learn more about The Arc of Delaware County, visit www.delarc.org; to see more photos from Kelly’s NYC trip, click on the Flickr link on the homepage.