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Katie's Corner:
A Note from Our Executive Director
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Spring brings renewal, and at The Arc of Howard County, we're embracing it with exciting updates!
With the Maryland Legislative Session ending, we're pleased that key committees restored major cuts to the DDA budget. The budget has yet to be adopted but we are hopeful! Huge thanks to The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Coalition and everyone who advocated—your voice matters! For a great presentation from The Arc Maryland summarizing the decisions from the committees, click here.
Join us on May 9th for Springing Forward Together, our open house event! Meet our team, explore our programs, and celebrate our impact. Get your tickets now- we can't wait to see you there!
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Springing Forward Together
On May 9th, we will host an open house event at our home offices on Homewood Road. Join us for a spring evening of mission-minded fun featuring food by Bull on the Loose and Retro Grill, and desserts by Wild Imagination Baking. We'll have entertainment by One Third Wish, The Musical Autist, and New Horizons Theatre Group to make the evening extra festive! We will give tours of our building and have opportunities for Silent Giving! Raffles, and springtime fun await! To purchase tickets or sponsor our event, click here. We are so excited to celebrate the work we do at The Arc with our community partners and advocates!
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Welcome to our new Deputy Executive Director of Programs!
Greg Franklin joins us on April 7th as our Deputy Executive Director of Programs to lead our Meaningful Day, Supportive Housing, and other services.
With over 30 years of experience in leadership, operations, and quality assurance, he has driven service expansion and efficiency at organizations like iCareManager, The Arc of Washington County, and the Maryland Department of Health. Greg holds a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Social Work from UMBC.
Outside of work, he enjoys time with his wife and sons, crabbing, fishing, and running. We're excited to welcome him as we build a bright future together!
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In the Driver's Seat
People with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) rarely have the chance to evaluate their staff. This has been "the way it is" and change is long overdue. A group of people with I/DD, Christine, Michelle, Matthew, Ivy, Dan and Richard, have been advocating to include supported people into a staff evaluation process. In fact, they've even drafted an evaluation with the help of Shared Support Maryland that they hope can be used thanks to a Transform Howard Innovation Grant. This is a way for people with disabilities to take control, give their perspective, and collaborate in their own supports.
Currently, evaluations are given with a “top down” approach, where an employee is only evaluated by their direct supervisor. By incorporating people supported by The Arc of Howard County into this process, there is hope for an increase in accountability with staff, as well as an increase in self-determination of those supported.
The evaluation process would apply to all staff who work with people supported by The Arc, including Direct Support Professionals, Direct Support Managers, Advocates, Employment Specialists, Job Developers, and other Managers.
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“We have to live it day in and day out, not supervisors." | | |
Employment Services
The Arc's Yamilet has been newly hired as a Kitchen Steward at the Common Kitchen, a community based and inclusive International Food Hall that incorporates diversity and inclusivity in their mission, services and values. This is Yamilet's first job since graduating from Project SEARCH, which is a transition program for students with disabilities in their last year of High School whose goal is to find competitive employment. As an ESOL student, Yami is comforted by the fact that her coworkers at Common Kitchen communicate with her in Spanish, her first language. She has worked hard on interview skills and maintaining a positive attitude during the process with her job coach, Linsey. Yami loves to clean and is a fast learner with great energy; so this is a great match! We're so proud of you, Yamilet, and thanks for the partnership Common Kitchen!
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Supportive Housing Services
Some of the people we support soaked up the Florida sunshine last month, and what an adventure it was! From unforgettable encounters with dolphins to soaring high in a helicopter, they made memories to last a lifetime!
Clockwise:
- Frank, Tara and Dan petting the dolphin at Sea World
- John and George take a helicopter ride
- John and Taylor Swift at the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum
- William at Disney World's Animal Kingdom
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Join Our Team!
The Arc is actively hiring for:
- Direct Support Professionals
- LPNs
...and more!
If you're passionate about making a difference in the lives of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, we want to hear from you!
Visit our careers page by clicking here to explore opportunities and apply today!
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DONATE TODAY!
Consider making a meaningful donation to The Arc of Howard County. Your contributions and support enhance our efforts to advocate for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families.
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Membership
Look for more information on focused efforts in the coming months on increasing membership. We can’t do it alone! Think about what it would mean to become a member. Strong membership for our chapter makes our collective voice more powerful as we navigate new changes to federal and state budgets!
People served by The Arc, their family members, staff, volunteers, members of the community, local businesses and other nonprofits are all encouraged to join The Friends of The Arc. When public funding is not enough, we depend on contributions from memberships to help us continue to provide our services.
By joining our network of more than 140,000 members and 730 affiliated chapters across the country, you become connected to the largest grassroots movement to protect the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Members work together to ensure that sufficient resources are available to meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in every community in our nation.
Members of The Arc of Howard County automatically receive membership to The Arc Maryland and The Arc United States. Look for more information soon!
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The Arc of Howard County strives to achieve full community life for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities
-- one person at a time.
Achieve with us.
A copy of the current financial statement of The Arc of Howard County is available by writing 11735 Homewood Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21042 or by calling (410) 730-0638. Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Maryland Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis MD 21401, (410) 974-5534.
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