Girl Power!

Errina, from the wellness group, does yoga.

Ontario ARC is deeply rooted in wellness.  We offer a comprehensive health and wellness program for the people we support as well as our staff.  In addition, we have a Wellness Committee that puts on lots of great events, including our upcoming Wellness Fair this Friday.  And, we've taken a new approach to help pre-teen girls stay healthy, too.

Once a week, we are offering a wellness group for these young women focusing on topics such as nutrition, body image, personality, and assertiveness.  Led by one of our behavioral specialists, Jennifer Danker-Stiles, each 24-week session also include yoga to help enhance breathing and relaxation techniques.  Jennifer also guides the girls through an imagery piece, where the girls listen to quiet music and focus on their feelings and thoughts.

Learn more about this new offering from our agency in this issue of ARC Life!

Come Cruisin' With Us!

Save the Date!

It is finally nice to see the sun in the Finger Lakes!  Around the same time each year, I find myself amazed around 7 or 8 p.m. that the sun is still out.  Spring is here and that means that summer isn't too far behind.  And with that, comes Cruisin' for a Cause.

On Saturday, August 17, Ontario ARC will celebrate the end of summer with its 21st annual Cruisin' for a Cause on the lakefront under the tent at Steamboat Landing in beautiful Canandaigua.  This year's event will feature entertainment by The Skycoasters and live auction emceed by "The Mayor" Pete Kennedy.  We will also have a silent auction featuring unique items, complimentary wines, summer barbeque, and cruises will be available aboard the Canandaigua Lady.  

Proceeds from Cruisin' go towards our programs and services for people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.  Each year more than 800 attendees turn out for this exciting summer happening and support our agency and "get on board" with our vision -- for individuals to become fully included members of their communities. 

Join us!  If you haven't been to Cruisin' for a Cause, check out some pictures from last year's event our Facebook page.  Then, buy your tickets today!

Creating community inclusion through the arts

Art, music and horticulture are deeply rooted in what we do at Ontario ARC, thanks to our Creative

Creative Expressions artists work on a sail
for the festival's Sail Trail.

Expressions team.  They provide the tools and guidance that have helped hundreds of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities independently express their thoughts, feelings and emotions.  And each spring, our artists and musicians have a place to share and exhibit their creative talents with the community.

The ARTS Experience is a two-week long festival celebrating community inclusion and the arts at Hobart & William Smith Colleges.  ARC Chapters from around the area -- including Ontario ARC -- partner with HWS students and professors as well as the community to share how the arts can impact people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  The event includes workshops, performances, classes and concludes with The ARTS Experience Gala.  Our own art specialist, Christin Lersch, even led one of workshops, Rain Barrel Painting which involved the creation of sustainable rain barrels that were painted.  It is truly a unique event for our area!

Here the final product of the above sail from the Sail Trail.  See what else we created during the festival on our Facebook page.

5 Ontario ARC staff receive Total Life Care Certificate

Congratulations to Emily Steinruck, Andrea Hill, Eileen Bancroft, Grace Baker, Janet Fellows and Wendy Christensen!  These five skills instructors from Ontario ARC's residential services recently completed  Total Life Care -- 28 hours of training designed to help improve the care of medically frail individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Total Life Care gives Ontario ARC's direct support professionals the tools to successfully support individuals throughout their lifespan by providing for their changing needs and supporting maxium quality of life. It designed to teach staff how to support individuals who are medically frail and individuals who are aging.  It provides detailed instruction on how to deliver end of life care. This year, we were pleased to welcome House of John Director Carol Jensen, R.N. and Care Coordinator Danese Grigg. They offered insight and shared their experiences in end of life care, bringing a rich and meaningful addition to the class.

The Total Life Care course was written by Ontario ARC nurses Yvonne Truchon, Jody Thomas and former Ontario ARC nurse Laura Bowman along with Shelley VanLare R.N. from the ARC of Monroe.

The course is taught by four Ontario ARC nurses including: Justine Zanghi R.N., Yvonne Truchon R.N., Elaine Hanagan R.N. and Jody Thomas R.N.

Congratulations for a job well done!!

Third Age Providers Committee extends its early bird fees for 9/10 symposium

**UPDATE on 4/30** The Third Age Providers Conference has been cancelled.

Caring for older individuals with disabilities can be challenging. And as we face our first generation of senior citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it is important that we equip our "front line" -- direct support professionals, medical personnel, and families -- with the most up-to-date information and ease the transition in to the "third age."

That's why for the past 22 years, we have hosted the NYS Third Age Providers Conference.  This year's theme is Empowering Caregivers: Sharing Approaches for Facing Dementia. 

Save The Date & Join Us On May 9 & 10!

 22nd Annual NYS Third Age Providers Conference

Empowering Caregivers: Sharing Approaches for Facing Dementia 

May 9 & 10, 2013 in beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY

$120 per attendee (includes meals)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kathleen Bishop

 Alzheimer's Association's Virtual Dementia Tour™

Plenary & Breakout Speakers

More than a dozen vendors

Door & Raffle Prizes

Visit the conference online and register today!

We hope that you'll share this information with your friends and colleagues!  Pass it on!

Dressin' up in BLUE!

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day.  And each year, this day -- dedicated to raising awareness of autism spectrum disorders -- continues to grow in participation and strength. 

Today at Ontario ARC, it looks like a sea of blue as staff were encouraged to dress in the color to show support for World Autism Awareness Day.  Above is just a sampling of people from different departments -- Service Coordination, Clinical Services, Staff Development and Community Services -- who came together to show their support.

Not wearing blue?  That's OK.  You can still be a part of this celebration.

• Learn more about autism:  Visit The Autism Center online and get a glimpse at the services and supports we provide everyday to people on the spectrum.  We also have a wonderful Resource Library housed within -- you can check out what books are available on Pinterest.
• Volunteer at The Autism Center:  We are always looking for dedicated people from the community who want to share their talents and time with us.  Learn more about volunteering and start your application.
• Make a donation:  For more than 50 years, we've provided services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities -- including autism.  We owe much to our generous donors who make the availability of these high quality programs possible.  Any contribution to Ontario ARC is always very much appreciated.

Partnering with Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES

Dissecting Gummy Bears

One of the great things about our Pet Connections program is the unlimited opportunity for community partnerships and collaborations.  Recently, we have teamed up with Animal Sciences students at the Flint campus of Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES to enhance our knowledge of pets.

Once a week, four of the program's participants attend the Animal Science program which runs from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.  During this time, there they are provided with the opportunity to work with students to learn various animal care techniques. The students serve as mentors and assist participants as the learn different, animal-related tasks such as grooming and general care. Through this partnership our Pet Connections participants are improving their knowledge, skills, and confidence.

Grooming

Pet Connections Visits the Seneca Park Zoo

This past December, participants from the Pet Connection program visited the Seneca Park Zoo. Despite the cold and snowy weather, participants were able to see each enclosure at the zoo. We were also provided with a tour of the zoo and an explanation on how clickers are used with training the animals. 

Clicker training is the use of a small mechanism that makes a clicking sound to reinforce a behavior. For example, the meerkats have been trained to go through a small door when they hear the clicker so their food can be placed safely in their enclosure. We also learned that larger animals, such as rhinoceroses, have names used by the public and names used in private for training purposes.

We also visited the Eco Center, where participants were able to learn some facts about snakes and got to touch the skins of various snakes. Did you know that snakes have vertebrae that extend from skull to the tip of their tail? Animals like the lions were also a “big” hit. We were able to get up close and personal with them as they sat on the heated rocks near the windows. Afterwards, we stopped by the animal hospital to see some of the equipment available for sick animals and visit the snow leopards.

We are all very excited to visit the zoo again soon and continue learning about different animals.

We haven't done it alone

Fore more than 50 years, our agency has provided high quality services to people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  We've supported hundreds upon hundreds of individuals in reaching their full potential and live as independently as possible.

But, we haven't done it alone.  

The generous donations we receive each year for events like Open Our Bottle Night have make these services possible for people with intellectual and developmental, both today and tomorrow.  Its thanks to the businesses with a heart and the people in our community who believe in our mission and vision.  You make much of this possible.

As we get closer to Open Our Bottle Night -- read all about it here -- we hope that you'll continue to support Ontario ARC and the programs and services we provide to nearly 900 people in our community.  Here are the sponsorship levels for this event, held at the New York Wine & Culinary Center on March 23:

• Sovereign Sponsors, $5,000 & up -- Sovereign Sponsors receive visual and vocal recognition at the event and their company logo featured on event signage.  In addition, sponsors get a full-page advertisement in the program, mention in all media materials and 10 tickets to the event.
• Imperial Sponsors, $2,500 & up -- Imperial Sponsors receive visual and vocal recognition at the event and a half-page advertisement in the program.  In addition, this sponsorship level receives six tickets to the event.
• Jeroboam Sponsors, $1,000 & up -- Jeroboam Sponsors receive visual and vocal recognition at the event and a quarter-page advertisement in the program.  In addition, sponsors receive four tickets to the event.
• Magnum Sponsors, $500 & up -- Magnum Sponsors receive visual recognition on event signage and two tickets to the event.

Want to discuss it a bit further?  Contact Donna Auria at 585-919-2191 or via e-mail.  She can help you with our sponsorships or connect you to other ways you can be a part of Ontario ARC.

A congratulations and an introduction...

Jody Thomas

Earlier this week, I was able to send out some great news to local news, television and radio stations.  Jody Thomas, our aging services and wellness manager, has become the 2013 chairperson of the New York State Third Age Committee -- a panel of experts who focus on issues facing senior citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Read the official news release to get the whole scoop. This is -- without a doubt -- a huge honor and everyone is very proud of her.  Congrats are certainly in order!

Jody has been with our agency for 18 years, and for the past seven years has devoted her attention to Ontario ARC's growing aging population.  Jody focuses on improving the all-around health and wellness of our senior population and develops programs and curriculum, among many other things. 

She'll be adding one more thing to her resume in the coming weeks -- blogger.  Jody will be writing blog posts here at Ontario ARC Speaks! about all of the really wonderful things we have going on that she's involved in; such as Food, Fun and Fitness, Sit-A-Spell, and all things aging-related.

As always, stay tuned and get the latest and greatest from Ontario ARC.