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On October 7th, NJ's disability community joined together for the 7th annual NJ Disability Pride Parade and Celebration, sponsored by ACI. Held at Mill Hill Park in downtown Trenton, the event brought in about hundreds people from throughout the Garden State. Attendees enjoyed live entertainment, food truck delicacies, Tai Chi lessons, face painting, exhibitor tables, giveaways, and a photo booth. J Street Band, Signs of Faith Praise Ministry, Al X Spicy, Ethel Barnes, Nenad Back, Cory Singer, and Black Cat Habitat., were some of the featured  artists. "It was a beautiful day of unity and disability pride!", says Carole Tonks, executive director and chief organizer of the event. ACI would like to thank everyone who help make this event possible, including our sponsors, donors, guest speakers, entertainers, and Mayor Jackson and the City of Trenton. A special thank you to Millie Gonzalez, Maria Bournias and Colleen Roche, for being our Mistresses of Ceremonies.

Part time with potential for full time  

We are currently seeking a Direct Support person for consumers in Middlesex County who is enthusiastic about assisting people with Developmental Disabilities/Intellectual Disabilities in being independent and reaching their goals. The hours will be part time initially, with the potential to work full time.

Responsibilities of the job include: working one on one, developing and implementing lesson plans, writing reports and communicating with Support Coordinators, ACI staff and Family/Caregivers.





ACI is proud to be part of the Gotham Shield Community Reception Center radiation disaster exercise conducted by the Middlesex County Department of Health, ACI as well as other state, county and local officials held on November 14th. Gotham Shield is a FEMA led exercise to evaluate how the community prevents, protects and recovers from the effects of an Improvised Nuclear Device event. The exercise took place in Edison and was geared towards people with access and functional needs. Approximately 50 attended this day long event. A discussion was held afterwards on ways to assist each other in the event of a disaster.


In the spirit of the holiday season, ACI is organizing a toy drive to gather toys for children of families who benefit from our food pantry. We will be gathering donations of new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages. Clothing and monetary donations will also be accepted. You can make a donation through our website. Bring or ship your toy donations to ACI, 629 Amboy Ave (1st floor), Edison, NJ 08837. We will be putting a donation container outside of our office door for easy drop off.  

For more information, please contact Argenys Caba at 732-738-4388 or acaba@adacil.org.
ACI VISITS AMAZON SIMULATION SITE





Recently, participants in ACI's employment readiness programs visited Amazon's simulation site in Roselle Park and learned about working at Amazon's distribution center. The simulation site is run by FEDCAP, an organization that is working with Amazon to recruit potential employees with disabilities.



ACI would like to congratulate the recent participants in our It's All About Work program who have secured employment at the above companies!

It's All About Work is a program developed by the New Jersey Association of Centers for Independent Living in conjunction with the NJ Division on Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) to help prepare transition students and adults for the world of work and inclusive community living.





ACI would like to thank Sereena Singh and Marwa Elgendy of the NJ Healthcare Talent Network for its informative presentation on Monday, October 30th. The Health Care Talent Network helps those seeking careers in the health care field, through training and apprenticeships. Those who receive services through DVRS or One Stop Career Centers are eligible. The Health Care Talent Network is a program of Rutgers University's School of Management and Labor Relations. For more information, contact ACI.




ACI would like to thank Karen Minus, MaryAnne Kokidis and Stephanie Paneca-Navarro from Amerigroup for their informative and entertaining workshop on resume writing, interview skills and appropriate workplace attire. The event was held on October 17th and was part of ACI's efforts to recognize October as National Disability Awareness Employment Month!




Thank you to Colleen Roche of the NJ Division of Disability Services for her recent workshop on nutrition. 18 people attended the event, which covered such topics as how to read nutrition labels, preparing simple healthy meals, portion sizes and grocery shopping. Thank you Colleen for the informative and hands on workshop.




ACI was honored to host Roland Pierson, a decorated Marine Corps combat veteran during the Vietnam War. Roland, who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 and was wounded, give a presentation on his experiences during and after the War. Roland's personal accounts were humorous and heartfelt. Thank you to Roland and all the veterans for your service!

Fortified Roofing, local roofers from Cherry Hill, recently started a new local project with the goal to promote various non-governmental and non-profit organizations from New Jersey. They will be conducting many short interviews with these organizations so more people could find out about their existence and work.

We are very grateful that Fortified Roofing decided to showcase ACI and what we do for people with disabilities! Visit their website at the link below to read the interview.





On the evening of October 27th, the ACI family had a fun night of laughs and screams at the Spooktober: Halloween Throwback Party! Attendees participated in a candy corn scavenger hunt, a game of Halloween themed "Who Am I", and a classic vampire costume contest. The night's main event was a viewing of the 1931 classic Dracula staring Bela Lugosi. Happy Halloween Everyone!
629 Amboy Ave, Edison, NJ 08837  ●  732-738-4388  ●  adacil@adacil.org   ●  adacil.org
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