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Golf For Special Needs
Play Golf on September 18 and Help Those With Disabilities

Many of our services are not covered under county waivers (such as advocacy).  To help fund the initiatives and programs that The Arc of Dauphin County offers to individuals with special needs throughout South Central Pennsylvania we are hosting a fun and full-of-prizes Million Dollar Golf Outing.  

"Our Golf Outing offers more prizes (won through golf or from drawings open to all golfers in the outing) than any other golf outing in MidState Pennsylvania! " said Craig George, Arc of Dauphin County President.  "We want you to come play and have a great time doing so.  Get a foursome together and click here to download our registration form," he added.

Every dollar raised through the Golf Outing will go to support the activities that enhance the lives of our consumers.

The golfer's fee of only $75 includes playing at the Deer Valley Golf Course in Hummelstown, cart rental, breakfast, lunch, and a certificate for an iron of the golfer's choice (club number and manufacturer, golfer's choice. Only golfer cost will be shipping).   There is much more:

Among the prizes:
  • One lucky player will receive a chance to drive 165 yards for a hole-in-one and a cool million dollar annuity! 
     
  • Every player receives a chance to win a new car lease from our very good friends at Sutliff Chevrolet! 
     
  • $10,000 cash split ½ with The Arc of Dauphin County 
     
  • 50" 4K Ultra HD Smart TV 
     
  • A full set of Calloway X Series 416 Irons 
     
  • $500 Visa Gift Card 
     
  • Five players win prizes for CLOSEST TO PIN/BEST PUTT
     
  • Two players win prizes for LONGEST DRIVE
     
  • Many more prizes and giveaways such as $814 club seat tickets to a NFL game (including stadium close VIP parking), dining, services, high end products!


We are also looking for sponsors; foursomes are complimentary with a sponsorship at the Bronze or higher level.

Click here link to see a list of all the sponsorship levels and to download our registration form.

Fall is Around the Corner and so is The Arc's Art Show!

Looking Back:The 2007 Best of Show prizewinner, Winter Birches by Inez Brooks

Art is a wonderful form of self-expression, which enriches the lives of those who produce the art and those who view it.

After a hiatus of three years we are bringing back to Central Pennsylvania the Annual Art Show!  

This year, the theme is OUR ART, OUR VOICES.  

Our Art, Our Voices  will be a travelling show, which will exhibit at multiple venues and is open to all persons with special needs living in Pennsylvania.   

The show will open in November (watch our website for the announcement of the exact date), and it will close mid-January. 

A jury will review all entries and will award special ribbons.  When the show closes, the ribbons will be given to the artists with their artwork.

Artists can decide if they want their pieces to be up for sale or not;  if a piece is sold, it will stay in the exhibition and will be given to the buyer after the exhibition closes.

We accept flat art, pen & ink, charcoals, pencils, oils, all forms of photography, acrylic, water color, etc.  Crafts such as knitting and crochet, wood burning, leather work, sculpture, and  pottery are also accepted - whatever medium our artists need to express themselves, we want to display.

Quick Facts:    
  1. Entries accepted now through October 24th.  Bring to The Arc of Dauphin headquarters, 2569 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA  17013.  Hours:  8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday.
     
  2. The Art Show will travel to two or more venues giving the artist maximum exposure.
     
  3. Some art pieces will be judged as "Reserve" and will be held over for a smaller art show in March, displayed at our "Speak Out" celebration during National Developmental Disability Awareness Month.
     
  4. The artist can mark their entry For Sale and indicate a price, or if they do not want to sell, it can be    marked "Not For Sale."
     
  5. Multiple awards will be made by the Our Art, Our Voices Jury.  Awards given in age ranges.

Check our website as more details become available.


Craig's Corner 
A Message from our President and CEO

Dear readers:  We need golfers!  What a deal, for only $75. A golfer gets two meals, is almost certain to win a drawing that includes restaurant meals, $814. in two VIP club section NFL football tickets to an NFL game in this area this fall, a chance to win ONE MILLION DOLLARS, another chance to drive a ball to win $10,000, a new Chevrolet lease from our friends at Sutliff Chevrolet, a new set of Calloway clubs, and much more including a voucher to each player for a brand new club of their choice!  Ours is the golf outing that gives away more than any other golf outing out there, and we need players!  Please click here to register by September 15th!             

HB 59 Update

Many of our constituents have written their elected officials to express our strong collective opposition to Pennsylvania House Bill 59 (HB59), a bill which would cut benefits and reduce enrollment in Medicaid for people who need it the most. HB59 would weaken Medicaid by 1) creating unnecessary bureaucratic work requirements; 2) cutting benefits, like dental, vision, podiatry, and some mental health and substance use disorder services; and 3) forcing the state to further cut benefits, reduce eligibility, or make additional harmful changes in the future.

Would you also please write to oppose HB 59?

People rely on Medicaid to provide the benefits they need to keep healthy and keep working, as less than half of Pennsylvania employers provide health coverage. Hard working people should not need to battle red tape to keep their coverage. This bill will hurt low income Pennsylvanians, the majority of whom are already working. Only 28 percent of Medicaid recipients live in households that do not have income coming from work, and only five percent lack employment or an exemption reason. Most of those who are not working are sick, disabled, receiving treatment, attending school, retired, or providing critical care to young, sick, or elderly family members.

HB59 would force nearly a million adults through government hoops to verify their employment or exemptions, taxing an already overburdened system and wasting critical resources looking for "needles in a haystack." We should be thinking wisely about how we spend our dollars. Expanding state bureaucracy on administrative oversight that will do little to increase workforce participation and is not a solution.

HB59 would cut critical benefits at a time when we are facing serious challenges from opioid addiction and untreated mental health issues. In fact, 31 percent of newly eligible Medicaid Expansion enrollees have been treated for a substance use disorder or mental health condition. Eliminating benefits such as case management, clinic services, mobile mental health, and crisis services would result in a significant decline in the ability of Medicaid recipients to get healthy, live independently, and work in their community. Potential benefit cuts are "penny wise and pound foolish."

Lawmakers need to remember the costly mistakes made the last time Pennsylvania attempted to impose work requirements and cut benefits through the Healthy PA plan: people faced long, unnecessary delays and lost access to care, while the state struggled with a huge administrative backlog that affected everyone covered by Medicaid, not just those subject to new requirements.

People already have incentives to work, and work not because it is mandated. Most importantly, they rely on Medicaid to keep them healthy to work. For all of these reasons, we urge you to oppose HB59.  

 

Latest  Collection for our Biannual Back2School Backpack Program a Success



Our Arc team has collect materials to stuff into backpacks (also collected) to help out with students' school supply needs. This is a community support project of our Arc, in collaboration with Penbrook Borough Councilwoman Carmen Gonzalez.

For the present semester, the backpack total was 66 book bags collected (30 for elementary and 35 for Middle/High School). Of this total, 15 came from The Arc of Dauphin County. We thank all our consumers, their families, our staff and our board for supporting this project with their donations.

"I feel we were successful and supportive of the local community with this project, which will help local students to feel encouraged to participate fully in the school experience, and they can do so with pride and with the feeling that they are fully equipped to learn and to participate in school lessons," said Ms. Brown, a member of the Arc Team staff. "Think about it this way: Would you like to go to work, and at your desk, have no pencil or no ruler, or lack other supplies to do your job? Most likely, you would feel inadequate. It is the same for students going to school only partially prepared. We want them to have all the tools they need to succeed," she concluded.

The Arc of Dauphin County collects materials for backpacks, including the backpacks themselves during our normal business hours (8:00 AM to 4:00 PM) at our headquarters building, 2569 Walnut Street.



The Kids on the Block Program


Steve and Dotti Seitz with two of the Kids on the Block


The Kids on the Block is a terrific puppet program that we offer to schools and other organizations as a consumer service.  

The message is designed for public and private schools, intended for all audiences.  

It helps children become aware that just because someone is in a wheel chair or uses a walker, or does not speak like they do, or does not have the mannerisms they and their friends do, that doesn't mean that they are different in their thinking, hopes, dreams and understanding of the world about them.  

It helps kids understand other children are "kids" just like them.  Most of all, it helps prevent bullying and more understanding that their friend might "have a disability, but they are certainly not disabled!"   

Kids on the Block features professional puppets and two puppeteers, one of whom is an expert ventriloquist.

To book Kids on the Block for your school or organization, please call Barb Bressler at 717-920-2727.



New Arc Program for Consumers
Day Camp (Respite Day Camp) Opens at Arc of Dauphin County


Larae Hostetler helps campers with rock painting craft.


"We are thrilled to be able to offer a new program for our consumers, and we want everyone to know about this new service," said Barbara Sperber, designer and implementer of the Respite Camp Program, which launched this month.

The Respite Day Camp program offers crafts, outings and other related activities, based out of our Arc headquarters along Walnut Street in Harrisburg.  "We get our campers out into the fresh air and daylight, we also get them into the community for experience with the real world, all about them," said Ken Seeger, Director of Consumer Programs.  "We are always looking for new ways to serve our consumers, and this one is going to be a 'hit', "he added.
 
"Barbara, Ken, Joe Martin and Carol Hornung are all working very hard to bring meaningful, fulfilling and fun experiences to the day campers.  We have openings right now, and I'm hopeful that more parents, guardians and others in a position of responsibility will contact us about enrollment in our day camp,"  said Arc President Craig George.
 
The Day Camp program, initially launched for the month of August, is designed to be a year-round program.  During the school year, when students are in school, the day camp will operate on weekends for school age, and will still operate during school for those who have graduated.  "We are hoping that the day camp will be an answer for those who have graduated and seek new activities, and an avenue to achieve new growth,"  explained Mr. Seeger.
 
To check on enrollment in the Day Camp series (enrollment can be for one week,  multiple weeks, or continuous) please contact Ken Seeger at kseeger@arcofdc.org, or call 717.920.2727.
 

Swim Team - The Movie



Swim Team is a non-fictional movie about a diverse group of teens on the autistic spectrum who join a competitive swim team. 

With the support of their trainers and families the teens are able to compete and win in the Special Olympics.

As the movie unfolds, the audience follows the struggles and triumphs of the teens and their families as they juggle life events, swim practice, school prom, and their quest to find suitable jobs.

Don't miss this inspirational, touching, and exhilarating movie.

Now playing at the Midtown Cinema, 250 Reilly Street, Harrisbug, 17102.


We are Changing Our Office Hours!


The Arc of Dauphin County has updated its office hours. In order to better serve our consumers, especially our RepPayee consumers who are used to other services they use opening at 8: AM, we are changing our office hours to match that expectation.

New Office Hours: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. (Please note that we now open 30 minutes earlier than we used to, and we close 30 minutes earlier as well.)

Our telephone system will continue to receive and record calls around the clock. We hope that this change will allow us to better serve our consumers.
Classifieds

VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Do you like organization?  The Arc of Dauphin County seeks energized, "want to make the world a better place" volunteers to help us with our new FOA (Friends of The Arc) program, filing, organizing our many closets of supplies, materials and other assets.  Even one day a month would be wonderful help!  Call Barb Bressler at 717.920.2727.
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ISO: VOLUNTEER ARCHIVIST
The "penthouse" level of our Respite Center Building (RCB) is becoming our Archive.  This beautiful space has its own independent heating and cooling system, it is very, very quiet on this floor, and you would be working on your own schedule to organize seven years of records.  The Archive will be divided into seven departments, and over time, the Archivist of The Arc will get all seven departments organized and searchable.  The Archivist candidate will need to pass FBI background checks, and other background checks.  Must also be able to lift a "banker's box" of files, and able to climb two flights of stairs to reach the Archive.  This is a very special volunteer opportunity for a very special person, and will remain open until filled.  For more information, please contact Craig George at cgeorge@arcofdc.org , and specify in the subject line: ARCHIVES.
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DANCE & DINE
Your place to socialize and enjoy the music is The Arc of Dauphin County.  For nearly a decade we have been offering "First Friday Dances" complete with a DJ spinning your favorite tunes.  $5.00 covers entrance and hot dogs, cookies, soda, etc. (free to Charter Members of The Arc of Dauphin County)
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HELP WANTED
The Arc of Dauphin County is Hiring!  E-mail  hr@arcofdc.org to find out about any of the following opportunities:

CONSULTANT in the Positive Behavior Support Department.  A Master's degree and certification/training in ABA techniques are requirements for this full-time temporary opportunity.
                 
RESPITE CARE COUNSELOR - seeking one part-time person to provide support in our Respite program.  

We also have the following unpaid internship available:

ADVANCEMENT ASSISTANT - responsible for assisting the organization in the development and implementation of its marketing, business development (fundraising, grant research and writing, etc.), and public relations plans
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DONATIONS      
Help support our friends with disabilities through our advocacy, education, consumer programs, life in the community/inclusion, and so much more!  Your gift ensures our non-profit can continue to provide the best services possible.  Our new Respite Center will also benefit from your generosity.  Please e-mail Craig George at   cgeorge@arcofdc.org , or call the main switchboard at 717.920.2727.
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PLANNED GIVING          
If you are thinking long term, so are we!  Planning for the future, The Arc of Dauphin County will soon launch a Planned Giving program, which will allow our supporters who own a house or other real estate, who have paid up life insurance policies, or who would like to contribute to a trust or an Arc Endowment, as well as many other planned gift vehicles, to think long term with us.  Did you know without proper planning, the largest benefactor of your estate will be Uncle Sam?  Many planned gifts pass outside of probate from you to your loved ones and other beneficiaries, such as The Arc of Dauphin County.  For a confidential consultation, please e-mail Craig George at cgeorge@arcofdc.org or call the main switchboard at 717.920.2727.

Visit us at www.arcofdc.org.