 This extraordinary young man recently wrote a letter of appreciation and thanks to the people at Delarc who worked with him to provide him the skills and tools he would later use to be the successful man he is today. We congratulate Shawn on his many achievements in life and know he has a fulfilling and exciting future ahead of him. Join him in recognizing the fine work of the Arc of Delaware County’s early intervention programs, now known as Carousel Children’s Services. For more information on Carousel go to the Services page on our website. Shawn wrote:
Dear ARC,
I am writing this letter in regards to show my appreciation for all the service that you have given both myself and my family during the 1990’s. My name is Shawn Dacey and I attended the ARC in Hamden, New York from 1992 to 1996. It was during these four years, that your skilled professionals worked with me in early intervention programs. Whether it was physical therapy or social group work, I remember my time at the ARC fondly.
As stated earlier, when I started the program in 1992 I was not even two years of age. As such, I was unsure of why my parents entered me into the program at the ARC during the next four years. It wasn’t until I became much older that I realized they wanted to give me every opportunity that they could for me to succeed. From what my mother (Sandra Lee Dacey) told me, I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at some point in the 1990’s. Even thought the doctors thoroughly believed I had many of the symptoms, your professionals believed that I was not autistic. They continued to work with me so I could achieve a level of social, physical, and speech proficiency that would be acceptable in a public school setting. Through the ARC’s early intervention program, I was able to enter Kindergarten in 1996 and work side by side with regular students.
Although elementary and middle school was very tough times for me socially; I was able to succeed academically. In many instances I would one up my teachers in class with little known facts. It wasn’t until high school that I was able to fully utilize the tools that the ARC’s early intervention program provided me. It was in only four short years, which
I went from the most unpopular kid at Delaware Academy to the senior class president, prom king, and recognized football player (not to brag). Although high school was an extraordinary time of my life, I truly believe that it has been college that has let me blossom into the young man I am today.
Currently, I am completing a dual major in geography and social studies education at SUNY Oneonta. I have 3.86 GPA and am an active member of the campus community, participating in both academic and athletic spheres. In addition to my academic and social achievements, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the ARC in opening me up to the outside world. It was during my time at the ARC that I became interested in the world around me and as such, I have been to 20 countries since 2007
I do not mean to boast my personal achievements, but without the early intervention I am confident I would not be the same person that I am today. This is why I owe the ARC and its entire professional staff (especially Honeybee) a heartfelt thank you. It is my hope that this letter will show other parents that even though their children may be diagnosed with certain disorders, it does not mean they are out of the race for a productive and successful life. By taking advantage of the early intervention programs at the ARC, my parents were able to ensure that I would led the life I am today. For this, I thank all of you.
Sincerely,
Shawn Dacey
+
 Blesher Lil Heart stopped by the Hamden Town Hall April 11th to present Lynn Hoffman with an award. Lynn was recognized for the creative and caring way she assisted individuals who live at Elm Street Residence in Delhi, NY to design and express the characteristics they most appreciated about their housemates. Then, these individuals requested Lynn to help them do the same project for the staff that supports them, keeping it a secret until they were ready to present it. Lynn helped them to accomplish this act of kindness and recognition and on their terms. Lynn demonstrates the Unifying Priciples of the Arc of Delaware County as noted in the nomination written by Juliane Hillis: - Those we Serve Come First
(Lynn) assisted residents to express positively about their peers. Used different methods to listen to and record each individual's thoughts. Looked for tangible ways people could express and feel cared for (both residents, as well as staff). Residents requested she assist them to do the same project for staff and without letting other staff know. She assisted those we serve to thank and appreciate staff. Met with each individual searately and allowed people an opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation in meaningful ways. Created a project that allowed residents to explore artistic talents and communicate positively. Congratulations Lynn!
Elementary and Middle schools throughout Delaware County have joined together to share the message that “Everybody Can”. Students from 8 local schools participated in a contest which was hosted by The Arc of Delaware County, an agency whose mission is to help people with disabilities live personally fulfilling lives, and Delta Kappa Gamma, a group of women educators. “The purpose of the contest was to help students gain a better understanding of people with disabilities, and to be able to look beyond disabilities and see abilities. As we started reviewing the contest entries, we were so proud of the depth of caring and compassion the students in our communities displayed. The contest selection team was certainly brought to tears a time or two.” shared Catherine Tweedie, Director of Community Relations for The Arc of Delaware County.
This is the 2nd year that The Arc of Delaware County and Delta Kappa Gamma have teamed together to sponsor this contest and over 20 entries were received for this county-wide contest. The students independently researching the topic, creating, and entering a project about what they learned using any medium they desired. The students submitted entries that included videos, books, a series of colorful stamps, poems, original music that was performed by the songwriters, a recorded interview with a disabled community member, a PowerPoint presentation, posters, and stories. The contest was open to all Delaware County Elementary and Middle schools.
Three winners were selected out of 20 county-wide entries. In addition to receiving monetary prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, they were provided scholarships to attend The Arc of Delaware County’s ”Share, Learn, Grow” mentorship program. The “Share, Learn, Grow” mentorship program is an interactive one-day program where people with disabilities serve as mentors to the visiting students. The students are paired up with people supported by Delarc and they spend the day side by side learning, sharing, and getting to know each other at one of Delarc’s facilities. The Grand Prize of $500 went to Mrs. Nancy Gavett’s 5th grade class from Walton Central School. The class completed a Poetry Project inspired by the work of artists with disabilities. Mrs. Gavett developed a curriculum around the contest, and shared that one of the goals for the class project was, “To develop an understanding of the spectrum of human abilities, empathy, and appreciation for people whose abilities are limited in some way, admiration for extraordinary accomplishments- particularly by those who overcome a disability, and to acknowledge that we all fall along this spectrum of abilities and may, at anytime, face changes in our abilities.” They made a video and presented a description of the process, individual poems written by the students, and a book about the class project. On March 16th a special assembly was held and their completed video was shown and prizes were awarded. It was at the assembly that the class first learned that they had won the County Wide Grand prize. Mrs. Gavett shared that the students were surprised and thrilled. “The project was very rewarding particularly when I saw them thinking so hard about other people, observing their limitations, and discovering that their disabilities did not limit what a person can do. They worked through sighs, frustration,tears, and found pleasure in a product well done." The 2nd Place County wide winner was Kaylee Gill from Amber Dennis’s 5th & 6th Grade reading (ELA) class, Hancock Central School. Kaylee created a PowerPoint presentation showing methods, tools, and equipment used by people with disabilities to overcome obstacles, showing that “Everybody Can” do things they want to do. The 3rd Place County wide winner was Lilliana Bevilacqua who wrote an essay that about a personal experience with an individual with disabilities and also provided examples of famous people who overcame disabilities and made significant contributions to the world. Each school that participated in the contest independently selected 1st, 2nd,and 3rd place school winners which included the following: Andes Central School- 1st- Susie Little’s Pre-K and Kindergarten class, 2nd Jordan Ennist and Peter DePierro, 3rd Dennis Fickeria III Franklin Central School- 1st Lilliana Bevilacqua, 2nd Felix Bridel, 3rd Tyler Gregory Hancock Central School- 1st- Spencer Layman, 2nd Juanita Mason, 3rd, Kaylee Gill Hancock Elementary School – 1st Mrs. Gustin's 2nd Grade Class, 2nd Mrs. Vasconi-Smith’s 4th Grade Class Roxbury Central School-CROP After School Program- 8th grade-1st Cara Suess South Kortright Central School -1st- Bruce Dunkle, Schuyler German, Ed Newman and Brandon Porter, 2nd-Briana Laing, 3rd 3rd- Karimah Kahrs and Ariel Perry Stamford CentralSchool-1st Deb Mueller’s 3rd Grade Class Townsend Elementary School, Walton-1st- Collin Sparling, 2nd Jose Mirabal, 3rd Samantha Taddeo You can view Mrs. Gavett’s 5th Grade classes’ winning video as well as other entries from the “Everybody Can” contest here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdbU2P4aGw0
Justin Kolb, pianist extraordinaire, visited several of Delarc’s facilities on Wednesday 3/14. Justin made his concert debut at age 10 in solo performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Gary Symphony. He is an extremely talented performer who travels 4 months each year during his concert tours throughout Eastern Europe, Canada, and the United States. However his home base is in Delaware County, NY which he says is the most rewarding place to play. He states that people in the Catskill’s area don’t take great music for granted.
Justin has been associated with The Arc of Delaware County(Delarc) for almost a decade. His long relationship with Delarc began when George Suess, Exec. Director requested that he give a recital at a Christmas event at one of Delarc’s facilities. While performing, he noticed the effect that the music had on his audience. “When I played softly the people became very quiet and when I was playing loudly they also became louder. I found it fascinating that they instinctively tracked along with the music. I stopped playing and there was silence. I asked if there was anyone that would like to play. All but 2 (people) came forward to express themselves musically. It’s my personal judgment that for both the audience and myself, it was an empowering and powerful experience.” Since then, he has been delighting people at Delarc each year, providing entertainment, instruction, and encouragement to individuals and groups of people. Justin shared that he feels that artists have an obligation to share their talent with others. After Justin’s visits you can see the huge impact that he has on the people of Delarc by the excitement and smiles on everyone’s faces. He shared that this program has been a very rewarding experience for him as well.
Come and enjoy a visit to the Main View Gallery in Oneonta, NY beginning with the opening reception of the "Viewpoints" exhibit on March 9th 5 pm-7 pm. James Mould will be a featured guest artist and have several of his drawings on display. James discovered his artistic talent 3 years ago when he retired from farm work, moved to Stamford, NY and had more time to try other things. People at Resources For Industry (RFI) began noticing his artistic talent in the pen doodles he would make on his note papers. “When I first came here (RFI), I was so shy” said James. But people continued to encourage him to keep drawing and James further developed his newly discovered talent. James has explored several art mediums at the Catskill Mountain Artisan Guild in Margaretville as well his Art Expressions class at RFI. However, his theme of choice is trees and his favorite medium is colored pencils.
Fellow artists have recognized his work and invited him to display at the Longyear Gallery, Margaretville, NY this past January. As a result of connections made at that show, the curator of the Main View Galley collaborated with James to present his works at her gallery.
James finds he is inspired by nature and finds his artwork not only continues to provide him with endless satisfaction, but has connected him with others in a way he had not experienced before. He no longer feels shy, but enjoys sharing his love of art and nature with others.
The Norwich Free Academy located in Connecticut conducted a “Spread the Word…Just Don’t Say It” Campaign and in the process created an awesome video that we would like to share with you. As stated on their website, the school related: “The campaign was conceived by students and faculty members with a desire to engage the NFA community to take a stand against bullying and the use of … demeaning words. The campaign intended to promote inclusion amongst people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, people of color and people of all sexual orientation."
The video, “Norwich FreeAcademy R-word Campaign” was directed, edited, and produced by students. It tells about the impact of the “R” word from the perspective of few special education students at NFA. It has received over 33,000 views on YouTube and had a tremendous impact on the NFA community last week. View it and let it have an impact on you! Click the link: http://youtu.be/FZ5oIdSduh4 Help us spread the message!
  
The meaning of the word “love” has been described several ways. One definition states that love
is: "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". The Self Advocacy Group from the Arc of Delaware County’s THRIVE program has been demonstrating this kind of love since the beginning of the flooding in August of 2011.
Pam Moody, Life Coach shared that the idea of assisting flood victims came about immediately after the 2011 flooding in the states of Alabama and Mississippi. However, as the Self Advocacy group was preparing their first fund raiser, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee devastated our local communities. The Self Advocates then turned their efforts to benefit those close to home and have been helping communities in the Margaretville area ever since. Each month the entire Self Advocate group of 23 decides what type of fund raiser they will have. Then volunteers are chosen to serve on a flood relief subcommittee for that particular fundraiser, providing opportunities for everyone to be involved. The fundraisers are well planned, with the current season or holiday in mind which adds to the success of their efforts. During the summer, 2 Ice Cream Fundraisers were held, they had a bake sale during the Christmas holidays, and they recently made and sold chocolate candies for Valentine’s Day, which alone raised over $70 dollars.
The THRIVE Self Advocates plan to continue raising funds for flood recovery. Many of the Self Advocates expressed how badly they felt for those people whose homes were flooded. Brenda Scott, Chairperson of the fundraising committee shared, “I feel sorry for the people, they have no homes, no bedding, and no food.” Brenda related that she had several brothers and sisters impacted by the flood. Some of them lost their homes and moved in with their siblings. After doing these fundraisers she shared “I feel more confident in my ability to help people.
I feel proud to help.” Brenda delivered a check in the amount of $366 from the Ice Cream Fund raisers held in the fall to Rev. Dykstra who serves as the Treasurer of the Margaretville
Interfaith Council. In a letter to the Self Advocacy Group expressing appreciation for their generosity and support, he explained that the money was used to help people with their personal needs, cleaning supplies, discretionary expenses, and other ways that benefit those in
the comunity. To learn more about The Arc of Delaware County or see photos of the Self Advocacy Group in action, visit our website at:www.delarc.org and click on the Flicker button.
|
|
This extraordinary young man recently wrote a letter of appreciation and thanks to the people at Delarc who worked with him to provide him the skills and tools he would later use to be the successful man he is today. We congratulate Shawn on his many achievements in life and know he has a fulfilling and exciting future ahead of him. Join him in recognizing the fine work of the Arc of Delaware County’s early intervention programs, now known as Carousel Children’s Services. For more information on Carousel go to the Services page on our website.
