Dear Editor,
On Sunday, May 15, 2016, ARC Rutland Area again offered a Spring Fling dance for over 70 members, parents and friends of ARC Rutland Area for a fun afternoon of socializing, munching and dancing. A huge thank you to all who made this event possible.
Events such as this promote ARC Rutland Area by offering programs that are derived from our name: Advocacy, Resources and Community opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. ARC helps the local Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered-Rutland chapter with their monthly meetings and their goals; one is their abilities awareness training, call us to come present it to you. We also help the Rutland Family Support Network with their listserve that gives families the opportunity to connect with each other and organizations. We do representative-payee work for around 55 people, read material from state and local standing committee meetings on developmental disability services, and help members advocate for changes when necessary. Of course, our more known activities are the five dances we provide each year, one of which was just put on this past Sunday, the Spring Fling.
With this opportunity people with developmental disabilities were able to enjoy life a bit more. When asked why ARC dances are important, all survey responses said “Yes” to “I feel like part of a community when at a dance” and “Mixing with others improves my social skills” as well as “Asking someone to dance with me helps me feel confident.”
ARC knows that people with developmental disabilities don’t have support circles develop naturally. At the dances we promote people to grow their circles of support by encouraging people to meet someone new.
Sincerely,
Lisa S. Lynch, executive director, ARC (Advocacy Resources Community) Rutland Area
