The Arc of NJ Connects with Governor, Decision-Makers Following the Annual State of the State
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In January, The Arc of NJ was invited to attend Governor Murphy’s State of the State Address at the State House. Following the speech, Executive Director Tom Baffuto and Senior Director Sharon Levine attended a post-event reception at the Governor’s Office. This was a chance for The Arc of NJ to connect with the Governor, Assembly Speaker Coughlin, and Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, among others. Also in January, The Arc of NJ supported legislation heard in the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and the Assembly Human Services Committee. On the Senate side, this included legislation related to guardianship and on the Assembly side, this included a bill to improve transportation services. Also in January, The Arc of NJ and Board President Kevin Sturges met with representatives from Department of Treasury and the Governor’s Office to advocate for funding priorities in the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget.
Pictured above is Executive Director Tom Baffuto, DHS Commissioner Sarah Adelman and The Arc of NJ's Senior Director Sharon Levine. Below left is Sharon with Governor Phil Murphy and Tom, and pictured bottom right is Tom with Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.
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The Arc US Announces Departure of Longtime CEO & Leadership Transition
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Last week, The Arc's Board of Directors announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Peter Berns, will be leaving the organization upon expiration of his contract in February. Since 2008, Peter has been at the helm of The Arc, the world’s largest community-based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Under his leadership, the organization has charted an ambitious path of growth and modernization as it carries out its mission of “promoting and protecting the human rights of people with IDD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.”
Click here to learn more about Peter's contributions to The Arc.
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Meet Erin Smithers: the New Self-Advocacy Project Dir
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Erin Smithers recently took over as Director of The New Jersey Self-Advocacy Project after many years as an Information and Referral Coordinator, and then as the Assistant Director of the program. We want to congratulate Erin on this exciting news and introduce her to our readers. With that in mind, we asked Erin to talk with us about what led her to this point and her plans for NJSAP in the weeks and months ahead.
- Give us a bit of background about how your previous roles with The Arc of NJ led you to this new role as Director of the NJSAP.
I started with The Arc of NJ in 2009, January marks 14 years with this wonderful non-profit! I started with Project Hire as an Employment Training Specialist for Morris County. That gave me a lot of experience with competitive employment for people with IDD. In 2012 I moved over to The New Jersey Self-Advocacy Project. I began as the Information and Referral Coordinator. Then I moved up to Assistant Director. This gave me the knowledge and confidence to proudly take over the role of Director. Each role has taught me many things and I take what I have learned and use it to further the mission of the program. I am delighted to continue to work for such an amazing Program and serve such wonderful people! To continue reading, click here.
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Staff Attend Human Trafficking Prevention Event
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Last month, The Arc of New Jersey's Criminal Justice Advocacy Program team attended the "Human Trafficking and Persons with Disabilities" program at New Jersey's Annual Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Event. The program included a "discussion with survivors, law enforcement, and advocates, and specifically focused on the vulnerabilities of people with disabilities." The event took place at the War Memorial in Trenton on January 26.
More information about the Criminal Justice Advocacy Program can be found here.
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Save the Date: The Arc of NJ's Awards Dinner
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The Arc of New Jersey will host an Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, June 6, at 6 pm. The event will take place at the Imperia in Somerset. We look forward to seeing you then!
Pictured left is a photo from the 2022 Awards Dinner.
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The Arc of NJ Mourns Past Staffer & Chapter Exec
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The Arc of NJ was saddened to learn of the passing of Glenna Gundell, the former Director of The NJ Coalition for Prevention of Developmental Disabilities (a program of The Arc of NJ). Glenna served as director from 1986 to 1997. During that time, Glenna was instrumental in passing legislation that required bike riders to wear helmets. She also worked on public awareness campaigns to warn women of the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant (including the mandate for restroom signs in restaurants and bars.) She worked on "Pregnant Pause" events and legislation to require seat belts in school buses. To read more about Glenna's life, click here.
Additionally, The Arc of New Jersey recently learned about Brenda Scardefield's passing. Brenda served for many years as the Assistant Executive Director at The Arc of Gloucester County. In retirement, Brenda relocated to Arizona with her family. We send our deepest condolences to Brenda's family, The Arc of Gloucester County and all of the individuals served by the Chapter who benefited from Brenda's work.
Pictured left is Brenda Scardefield, retired Assistant Executive Director of The Arc of Gloucester County.
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Horizon Foundation for New Jersey Funds 9th Year of Healthy Lifestyles Project
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The Arc of NJ would like to acknowledge and thank The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey for the generous grant which will be used to fund the Healthy Lifestyles Project. This is the 9th year in a row that our organization has received grant funds for this very special Project. HLP helps adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn how to live a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise and stress management. A grand total of 52 webinars and 408 virtual HLP events were held in the Jan. 2022-Dec. 2022 grant cycle, reaching a total of 21,091 people! The New Jersey Self-Advocacy Project, which operates HLP, is looking forward to another exciting year and we are very grateful to The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey for their many years of support.
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Starting on February 20, Amazon will end the AmazonSmile program which donated a portion of a person's Amazon purchase to a charity of the users' choice. Until the aforementioned date, customer purchases made via AmazonSmile will continue to accrue funds for your charity as normal. Please continue to use AmazonSmile to support The Arc of NJ until February 20, and thank you to everyone who selected our organization as their charity when online shopping. More information can be found here.
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Last month, The Arc of NJ's Mainstreaming Medical Care Program distributed information about what happens when an adult child with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD), who receives SSI, starts to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), calculated on the work record of their mother or father. To read this important information, click here.
- Project ECHO is offering a series of free Zoom programs that will provide helpful information for families and staff who want to know more about Mental Health & Aging for Adults with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities. The series leaders are all very knowledgeable about the challenges associated with mental health and aging for adults with IDD. They are also long-time members of The Arc of New Jersey's Mainstreaming Medical Care Program Advisory Board: Lucy Esralew, Ph.D., Seth Keller, M.D., Leone Murphy, APN, and John Nevins, D.O. Click here to learn more.
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Upcoming Virtual Events!
Click below to register for one of our many upcoming virtual events/webinars. And be sure to check out our calendar for other future events.
Mondays with Michael:
Every week at 10 am, catch a brief update from Michael Pearson Jr., Assistant Director, Children's Advocacy, on a topic or featured resource related to special education. Click here to view upcoming dates/topics. Mondays with Michael are Facebook Live events.
Virtual and In-Person Events:
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Tuesday, February 7, at 6 pm: Special Education Webinar Series: Isabel Mavrides-Calderon: Advocating for Your Own Education
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Wednesday, February 8, at 6 pm: Fireside Chat with Beverly Roberts: What Should Families Know About Medicaid Unwinding and How to Prepare for it
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Friday, February 10, at 10 am: In-Person College Tour of Kach at Brookdale Community College
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Wednesday, February 15, at 6 pm: Virtual Information Session: The College Support Program at Rutgers University
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Tuesday, February 21, at 12 pm: Exploring a Closer Look: "Traumatic Brain Injuries and the Criminal Justice System: Systemic Issues within Correctional Settings"
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Wednesday, February 22, at 6 pm: The DDD NJCAT - Critical for Maximizing Supports for Your Adult Child
Stay Healthy at Home - a webinar series hosted by the NJ Self-Advocacy Project - every Tuesday at 2 PM on GoToWebinar
The webinar series covers a variety of topics related to advocacy, life skills, employment, and civic engagement. Sessions are designed to be accessible to self-advocates, parents, and support staff. Live viewers can share comments, ask questions, and access resources. Live transcription is available.
Healthy Lifestyles Project LIVE! - every Wednesday at 11 AM on Zoom
This interactive series of events is hosted by the NJ Self-Advocacy Project and focuses on activities to promote health and wellness education for students and adults with I/DD. Live viewers will be able to share comments, ask questions, and participate in activities led by professionals in real time.
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The Arc of New Jersey | 732.246.2525 | info@arcnj.org | www.arcnj.org
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