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.

Make a gold record with ARC!

Ontario ARC has joined Songs for NYSARC -- a joint effort by NYSARC, Inc. (our parent organization) and the great people at Musicians for a Cause.  Together, they have created some wonderful songs about people with disabilities.  These songs raise awareness and understanding of the people we support.

All four songs are now available to download for donation.  Each donation will help us reach our fundraising goal of $2,500.  Songs purchased from Ontario ARC's page benefit our agency and the more than 30 programs and services we offer people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Visit our page to listen to the songs available.  The first song released is "I Am" by Liz Longley.  Check out her video created with pictures from ARC Chapters across the state.

Meet Big

Pet Connections has a new friend!
 
Meet Big -- a German Shepherd-mix dog who is about 6 to 8 years old.  He was found wandering around and was brought to Happy Tails about a month ago.  Big will be spending some time at the agency with participants from the Pathways program so he can fine tune his skills and increase his "adoptability".

 Big is a well-mannered, gentle soul and extremely intelligent.  He knows several commands including: sit, stay, down, and wait.  The kennel staff at Happy Tails call him, “the best dog!”  Big is good with other large dogs, smaller dogs, as well as more aggressive dogs.  He has only spent a few hours here at Ontario ARC but has won the hearts everyone he's met!!  


Want to learn more about Big?  Right now, this lovable canine is the shelter's dog of the week.You can also call our friends at Happy Tails at 585.396.4590 to get some more details about him.

Keep tabs on us!

Ontario ARC is certainly an exciting place to work at.  There is always so much going on -- fundraisers, workshops and presentations featuring nationally-renowned experts, and great stories about the people we support and what they are doing to make a difference in their communities.  We try to post it all here on our blog, but sometimes, its hard to keep up! We have many different ways that we use to keep in touch with our friends, such as Facebook, Twitter, and our award-winning newsletter, ARC Life.  The agency also send out e-news periodically (if you haven't already, sign up and get the latest and greatest from us).  And, if you love to "pin," find us on Pinterest and see what we are doing. 

To get you started, please enjoy our latest issue of ARC Life!

"The Seven Senses" on March 16

Join the Autism Center at Ontario ARC for The Seven Senses -- a special presentation by Carrie Roberts, OT from the Arc of Yates.   This event will provide you with information on how the senses can affect (and are affected by) an Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Get tools and tips to help families, service providers and educators avoid sensory-related problems and improve the quality of life for individuals on the spectrum.

Download the registration form and get signed up today!  For more information, call our Training Department at 585-394-7500, ext. 2300.