Celebrating Our Successes!
Greetings from the CEO's Office. I hope your summer is going well. Between the heat and the rain our weather has been a topic of many conversations these days. Much like the weather, there has also been much to talk about in celebrating our success and progress of late. Read on and find out what is making us so excited!
Sand Lake Center for the Arts in partnership with A Still Small Voice 4U hosted a juried art show based on the song by the late, great singer-songwriter, Phil Ochs, titled “What’s That I Hear”( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sq5XBv8tsE ) Local and regional artists where invited to submit two works art of all media types for judging. Approximately 40 works of art were submitted. Fifteen artists were chosen to have their work on display.   Wayne Bogardus, an artists from Brunswick Center, was among the chosen 15! Twenty of these artists won a selected prize with first, second, third and people’s choice awards. Wayne received the only special honorable mention earning him a ribbon, an SLCA t-shirt, and best of all, bragging rights as he was brought to the front and applauded by his fellow artists. The Show will be available to view from July 1 through August 31 in the Dan Sekellick Visual Art Gallery. For further information go to www.slca-ctp.org.
Congratulations to Our Friends at eBizDocs
eBizDocs was selected to receive the 2018 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) award! Nominated by CEO, Donald Mullin, eBizDocs will be one of only eight businesses in the Capital Region this year to be recognized as having made significant contributions toward the employment of New Yorker's with disabilities. eBizDocs was chosen based on their positive approach which focuses on the strengths and abilities of their employees to realize their full potential, as well as the extra efforts made to foster success for employees with disabilities, fostering a partnership that ultimately benefits both the individuals and the business. Way to go eBizDocs! We appreciate you and your committed partnership in creating opportunities for people with disabilities.

Tips From NYSARC Trust Services
Special Needs Trusts (SNT): Planning for the Future of a Loved One with Special Needs

By: NYSARC Trust Services
Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other means-tested government benefits are essential to meeting the daily living needs of a person with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. However, qualifying and maintaining a person’s eligibility can be a challenge. Establishing a special needs trust (SNT) can help ensure that a person remains eligible for these services while providing for life enhancing purchases not covered by those benefits.


What is a special needs trust?

A special needs trust (SNT) is a special type of trust that, under Federal and New York statute, allows people with disabilities to protect excess funds without the risk of impacting their eligibility for Medicaid and/or SSI benefits. For a person with a disability on SSI benefits, receiving as little as $2,000 could reduce their benefits or cause them to lose those benefits altogether.
Funds deposited into a trust are no longer considered available to the trust beneficiary for the purpose of determining benefit eligibility. This allows a person to qualify and/or maintain their eligibility for benefits, while the funds in the trust can be used to improve their quality of life, rather than having to spend down funds quickly—and all too often frivolously—to avoid a loss of benefits.  
Who can fund a trust?
A person with a disability can establish an SNT with their own funds, as a first-party trust, to protect money such as a direct inheritance, settlement proceeds, or a retroactive Social Security award. A parent, grandparent, or other interested person can also create a third party trust for the benefit of a person with a disability. A third party trust can be funded during the donor’s lifetime or as part of their estate plan or will.
Do you have questions? To learn more, contact NYSARC Trust Services at (518) 439-8323 or visit www.nysarctrustservices.org .

NYSARC Trust Services has administered supplemental needs trusts since 1972, helping thousands of people protect their eligibility for benefits and improve their quality of life. 
Proof that Work and Play Go Together!
Thank you to our HR Department for hosting our "You Got Served" 16 Handles Recruiting Event! Not only was it a nice treat, but it proved to be a great success in reaching community members interested in employment at the Arc.
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Painting The Meeting Room
Our friends from
The Bonadio Group
Give Back For A Purpose
visiting our Business Office and Brunswick Center, volunteering their time to improve the environment of the Arc. We thank them for their helping hands and their never tiring support of our agency and the people we serve
Refreshing the Gardens
Celebrating Our History
Forty Years ago, Rensselaer County's own Ellie Pattison was elected the twelfth President of the Board of Governors of NYSARC, Inc. Ellie went on to serve in this role until 1982

Ellie was instrumental in establishing some of the programs we still operate today.   
Bruce’s dreams for the agency are "to support more people"
Article by Stephan Roberts
Bruce’s Woods joined the Arc on April 16, 2018. He is now the Chief Fiscal Officer for the Rensselaer County Arc, filling the position after Don Mullin, former CFO, moved into the CEO position for the agency. While Bruce has been in the field of health care/human services for many years, he has done many different things such as working with physical therapy patients and working with care managers. Bruce has been employed in the health care field for 15 years before becoming the Chief Fiscal Officer at the Arc. Bruce was the Chief Fiscal Officer at the Community Health Center Organization in Johnstown, NY before this job. He said he was ready for a change from his old job. Bruce’s job is going great. He said one of good things is Don is still here if he has any questions. Bruce got to meet the majority of people that are living in residential and who go to Brunswick Center Services. Bruce’s last job was more hands off. He never got to go out to meet the people that he supports, but now he had the time to meet some of the people that he will help support here at the main office and at BC.
Arc Employees
And Family Enjoy
An Evening At The Joe
On July 19 th Arc employees and their families enjoyed a fun-filled night out as the Valley Cats (Astros) took on the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets). Sponsored by the Rensselaer County Arc, the evening was kicked off with a pre-game tailgate party with salads and sandwiches at St. Michael the Archangel Church. The fun continued on as these baseball-loving fans cheered on the Valley Cats toward a win. The evening was completed with a grand display of firework. Thank you to St. Michael's Church and for those who planned this outing. It was a blast!
A Still Small Voice by R. Cook
        There is a small voice
   a quiet voice 
​      at first just a single voice
Then a second voice
   and a third and so on
​       until there is a chorus that will be heard
One by one
two by two
​      groups of ten sometimes twenty lifting their voices
​        raising their heads speaking from their hearts and minds
Silent no more
​                                                                                                                     
A Still Small Voice 4U Inc. (ASSV) is a 501(c)3 not for profit devoted to encouraging and supporting arts, music, literature, culture and community. ASSV directly supports individuals and organizations that share its mission and commitment. ASSV sponsors concerts, exhibits, performances, readings and community activities( http://www.assv4u.com)