The Arc Maryland June E-Newsletter

The Arc Maryland State Convention was a Huge Success

The Arc Maryland's 2018 State Convention was earlier this month and it was a success! It was a beautiful day at the Turf Valley Resort, with over 200 people coming out to participate in a day of learning, networking, and celebrating the spirit of CommUNITY! Our attendees got to see what makes the disability community what it is today with 22 exhibitors showcasing their services for people with disabilities, 16 breakout sessions covering topics that impact the lives of people with disabilities, and the Annual Awards Ceremony with 300 luncheon attendees, all there to recognize those individuals who go above and beyond in their commitment to Community!

Lunch and afternoon plenary speakers Deb Wisniewski (ABCD Institute) and Peter Berns (The Arc US) both gave exciting speeches to inspire the attendees and make them think about how we can work to advance our movement into the future. We hope you enjoyed yourself and we cannot wait to see you next year! If you would like to provide feedback on the event, please check the short survey link here !

Check out our photos of the event, taken by The Arc Baltimore's Chris Knoerlein.

Tomorrow's Leaders of The Arc Graduate from Leadership Program

Congratulations to the Maryland Conference of Executives of The Arc "Leadership: The Arc" graduates! Members of the 2018 Leadership class graduated on June 26 during a ceremony at The Arc of Frederick County. MCE Leadership: The Arc is an executive development program that prepares up-and-coming professionals of Maryland Arc chapters for executive leadership roles. The Leadership class met throughout the past 10 months. Each training session was targeted towards topics that are unique to leadership within The Arc organization. All of the graduates have learned a lot about advocacy, support systems, supporting families, and being leaders within their organizations and communities. The Arc Maryland is very excited to see how all of the graduates continue grow as leaders in the future. You can find pictures from the graduation event here on our Facebook page.

Applications for the Leadership Class of 2019 will be available mid-July.

Parent 2 Parent MD Begins Enrolling Families July 1

The Arc Maryland's statewide Parent to Parent (P2P) program will begin enrolling new families on July 1! The focal point of the program is the matching/mentoring system through which families looking for support are matched with experienced families who have “been there.” P2P maintains a database of volunteer support parents who have received training to provide empathetic listening, coping strategies, and resource information to parents needing help. Through a one-to-one “match,” experienced support parents provide emotional support to families and assist them in finding information and resources.

If you would like to join the program, are looking for resources, or would like to help support other parents of children with disabilities, call The Arc Maryland office at 410-571-9054. Click here to find more information about the Parent to Parent program.

2017-2018 Together We're Better Inclusive Education Campaign and Art Contest

As the 2017-18 Together We’re Better campaign winds down, The Arc Maryland wishes to extend our sincerest gratitude to our partners, The Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, and Maryland Department of Disabilities. We would also like to thank the participating schools for their commitment to the program, the many students who participated in both the art contest and disability awareness presentations, and the self-advocate training facilitators who made the program a success! Check out our report here.

The Arc Maryland Presents at The Autism Speaks Convention

The Arc Maryland's Executive Director Ande Kolp gave a presentation on accessing state and federal funds at The Autism Speaks Convention in Towson earlier this month. The presentation was delivered to family members, self-advocates and professionals, providing an overview on our state’s Medicaid waiver services, eligibility, waiting lists, and funding.