top

DONATE 
The  Beacon Newsletter 
 September 2017

"Keep shining through; you may be a lighthouse to someone trying to make it." 

Caroline Naoroji


   Achieve with us.
donate
golf

30th ANNUAL LOUIS BAILEY GOLF TOURNAMENT

 

Join us on Monday, September 18, 2017 and help us celebrate our 30th Annual Louis Bailey Golf Tournament! 

The tournament will take place at the beautiful Cohasset Golf Club,  which is one of the oldest private clubs in New England with a challenging 18-hole course. Registration begins at 10:00am with a shotgun start at 11:00am, followed by a cocktail reception and awards ceremony.  

There are still a few spots available - SIGN UP TODAY
 
 
hurricane
HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF

Richard with donation delivery
We would like to thank everyone for their generous donations and contributions to help our Hurricane Harvey Relief efforts. This initiation was coordinated by one of The Arc of the South Shore's individuals, Richard. We received an overwhelming response and were able to deliver a trunk full of items to South Shore Medical Center in Norwell, where they will be shipped to Houston. We appreciate your support to make a difference! 
daryl
CONGRATULATIONS DARYL COOK-IVAN!

Daryl Ann Cook-Ivan pictured with Honorary Board Member, Dick Frye
This year, The Arc of Massachusetts held its 64th Annual Annual  Meeting in Framingham, MA. Representatives from The Arc's 18 chapters in Massachuse tts attended, including our Executive Director, Daryl Ann Cook-Ivan. The evening had an awards pr e sentation and we are happy to announce that Daryl won a prestigious award, the Joseph Andrade Award for Leadership! The award exemplifies Daryl's outstanding commitment to The Arc of the South Shore's mission. Please help us congratulat e Daryl for her incredible achievement!      


soiree
5TH ANNUAL GALA - A SUMMER SOIREE
Our Fabulous "Lilly" Volunteers
Brendan & Kristen Cook
Bev Demorat, George Toma, Ruby Davies & David Demorat
Silent Auction Excitement

On Thursday evening, June 8, 2017, The Arc of the South Shore held its 5th Annual Gala, A Summer Soiree, under a lighted white tent at The Arc's headquarters on the beautiful shores of Webb State Park. There was plenty of good food and wine as nearly 250 guests, sponsors and local business leaders gathered to raise funds to support the services and advocacy that The Arc of the South Shore has been providing to more than 2,500 individuals and their families each year.

We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to all of our generous sponsors, restaurants, wineries and breweries for their hard work and contributions to a very successful night!
 

 
Paul, Paula, Jason, Anne & Carla
work
THE ARC AT WORK

Thanks to the continued generosity of The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, The Arc of the South Shore's Community Based Day Supports Program received a grant to help purchase landscaping equipment and uniforms. The group began the season by completing a spring cleanup at 3 of our residential homes, raking up winter debris and laying new mulch around the shrubs in front of the homes. They will continue to follow a regular bi-weekly landscaping schedule, which includes mowing the properties, trimming hedges and shrubbery.

The group is doing a great job maintaining our properties, while also learning new landscaping skills under the guidance of our staff. They especially enjoy being outside during the summer months! Thank you again to The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association for continuing to provide new opportunities for the individuals that we serve.  


   

library
The Autism Resource Center of The Arc of the South Shore was part of a recent c ollaboration with the Paul Pratt Memorial Library (PPML) in Cohasset, The May Center and The Massachusetts Library Association to develop a plan to make their library accessible to those with disabilities, especially for individuals and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. This initiative was part of a $10,000 "Equal Access for All" grant awarded to PPML to design and implement a program with the framework to be replicated throughout Massachusetts. The collaboration resulted in a presentation at the Massachusetts Library Association's Annual Conference on May 24th titled, "Serving Library Patrons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): A Blueprint for Innovative & Practical Solutions." Members of The Autism Resource Center served on a distinguished panel to provide insight and share best practices. Members of the Massachusetts Library Association learned how the accessibility plan developed for PPML for serving individuals with ASD could be replicated at their libraries.
 
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 established a critically important mandate that all citizens should be treated equally and be provided with equal access to facilities, institutions, programs and services. Libraries have always prioritized equitable service to all citizens as a core mission and the rapid development of accessible technologies is helping libraries more fully carry out this mission.  Jackie Rafferty, director of the Paul Pratt Memorial Library said, "We have always been dedicated to ensuring that people of all ages and abilities are able to fully use our library, but we now know that we can do much more." Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to contact Gayle Walsh, Reference & Adult Programs Librarian, at gwalsh@ocln.org. Gayle manages implementation of Equal Access for All. The Arc of the South Shore is proud to be part of such an important and exciting endeavor and looks forward to continued collaborations and accessibility program development with local libraries.  

boatTHE ARC STAFF'S SUMMER BOAT RACE

All six teams and their boats. 

On a gorgeous  sunny and 75 degree kind of day, a few of The Arc of the South Shore's staff members participated in a super fun team- building activity. They were tasked with the challenge  to b uild a boat made strictly of cardboard, duct tape  a nd other minimalist supplies to compete in a race. Six teams were r epresented by staff from Day Habilitation, Community Based Day Supports and administration. Each  team's boat had its own theme and one staff captain.

A ll boats were fantastically well-made a nd held up during c ompetition, but ther e was only one race winner - the SS Minnow administration team ultimately prevailed! Congratulations to the SS Minnow and the rest of the  staff for being incre dible team players! Thank you to George Washington Toma  for generously donating the supplies  to make it all p ossible!  

MEET ISAAC AND AVERY FROM THE AUTISM RESOURCE CENTER
TWINS
The Autism Resource Center of The Arc of the South Shore provides programming and advocacy to individuals and families living with the unique challenges of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. We recently started program development, which includes school vacation camps, support groups, informational sessions, as well as a Disney Animation Club to alleviate the daily challenges that come with ASD. We have also developed many pa rtnerships with lo
Isaac and Avery
cal agencies, which allow us to provide even more wonderful programs for our kiddos. 

As our programs evolve,  we have met some amazing families who help shape the direction of our center. One of these families is Melissa and her partner, Megan. Melissa and Megan have beautiful 4-year old twins, Isaac and Avery. Both children participated in our Early Intervention program, but Isaac ultimately received an autism diagnosis and needed additional programming as he entered the public school system. Melissa looked to our Autism Resource Center as they began the process of working with a public school system to meet the needs of their little boy. Mostly just needing someone to talk with, Melissa initially contacted the Autism Resource Center about our monthly support group. In just a few short months, we have provided a safe place for Melissa and Megan to share both challenges and successes in their daily lives.  We provide a platform for our parents to share some of their struggles and fears. People share raw emotions - fears, happiness, tears, laughter. Most importantly, genuine friendships are constantly forming and families know they are certainly not alone. 

As Melissa and Megan learned more about what the Autism Resource Center offers, they also joined some of our informational sessions and school vacation camps. Melissa refers to our center as "family-focused services with staff who are very understanding of our individual family circumstances."

The Autism Resource Center of The Arc of the South Shore is excited as we move forward with further development of our center. It is our hope to provide life-changing experiences that empower, not only the child, but also the family. For more information about our programs, please contact Diane Wilcox or Janine Birmingham at 781-335-3023.    
race
ATTENTION - FORE RIVER RACE POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING 2018
Statement from The Fore River Bridge Celebration Planning Committee

The Fore River Bridge 5K road race, planned for October 1, 2017 has been postponed until next spring 2018 at the request of MADOT. From the beginning, we realized that hosting the event in the fall was an ambitious endeavor because of the uncertain construction schedule. The result is that our event will now become part of a much larger bridge dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. While we are disappointed with the delay in celebrating, when all four lanes of the bridge are open to traffic on October 1st, we recognize that the project is not technically finished until the temporary span is removed, restoration work is complete and DOT takes possession of the bridge.

We hope to announce a new date before the end of the year. In the grand scheme, the South Shore Coastal Community has waited fifteen years to celebrate the end of the bridge project so another few months is not a major issue. We look forward to participating in the larger event in the spring. Thanks to MADOT and the Hedlund administration in Weymouth for their assistance in making the event a reality.  We also want to express our appreciation to our charitable partner, The Arc of the South Shore. 

Our other planned events, the Fore River Bridge IPA beer release party at Barrel House Z on September 17th and The Parade of Boats on September 23rd  will be held as scheduled.

Thank you for your continued support as we  promote redevelopment of the Route 3A corridor and support for local charities.   

- The Fore River Bridge Celebration Planning Committee  

events
Upcoming Events and Programs

Fore River Bridge IPA Release Party
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Barrel House Z, 95 Woodrock Road, Weymouth
12:00pm - 3:00pm

Our friends at Barrel House Z brewed an exclusive beer to celebrate the new bridge. Enjoy the Pats game on the big screen in the tap room or relax outside by the fire pit and play games. Beer tasting, free giveaways and raffles!



30th Annual Louis Bailey Golf Tournament
Monday, September 18, 2017
Cohasset Golf Club, 175 Lambert's Lane, Cohasset

 



Exploring Disney Animation - Toy Story
Sunday, September 24, 2017 
South Shore YMCA, Emilson Branch Heritage Room, 75 Mill St., Hanover
3:00pm - 5:00pm

Ideal for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder or those seeking to improve social skill development. Members should be able to participate in a 1:6 ratio. Those needing additional support are welcome to bring a support aide to the group.
 
Autism Resource Center Support Group
Monday, September 25, 2017
The Arc of the South Shore, 574 Main Street, South Weymouth
6:00pm - 8:00pm

Monthly support groups for parents and caretakers of children with Autism Spectrum disorders in our service area.  Complimentary childcare is available.

Exploring Disney Animation - Monsters, Inc.
Sunday October 15, 2017 
South Shore YMCA, Emilson Branch Heritage Room, 75 Mill St., Hanover
3:00pm - 5:00pm

This offering is ideal for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder or those seeking to improve social skill development.  Members should be able to participate in a 1:6 ratio. Those needing additional support are welcome to bring a support aide to the group.
The Arc of the South Shore
371 River Street
North Weymouth, MA  02191 
781-335-3023 ~ telephone
781-335-3682 ~ fax

 

www.arcsouthshore.org

  
            Achieve with us.