Professional Documents
Culture Documents
District A Happenings
April 15, 2015
Volume 1, Issue 7
A Vessel of Support
Imagine it is 1950 and the doctor has just told you your child has a developmental delay or is mentally retarded (the old fashioned phrase for intellectual disability.) The standard recommendation at the time was
to place the child into an institution, so the family would not be burdened with taking care of the child.
In 1950, a small group of parents and other concerned individuals came together to act as voices for change.
At the time, little was known about the condition of intellectual disabilities. There were virtually no programs and activities in communities to assist in the development and care of children and adults with intellectual disabilities or to support their families. Emboldened by their collective desire to raise their children
in the home and their stubborn refusal to accept institutionalization was the only option, The Arcs founders
fought even harder.
Like every parent of any child, they wanted more for their children. They wanted their children to lead fulfilling lives out in the community and not shuttered away in dark institutions. It was in this spirit The Arc
was born.
At the outset, the organization was committed to altering perceptions of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to educate parents and others regarding the potential of people with these disabilities.
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Internet Caf
Tuesday through Friday
10 am - 2 pm
Free Wi-Fi Access
Loaner Computers Available
Faxing & Copying On-Site
Surf the internet, research, job search, and
connect with others
Inclusion: The belief everyone should have support to assist them to be involved in real life opportunities in places with others to the benefit of
all.
Responsiveness: Responding to internal and external customers, resource contributors, community and each other in a timely manner.
The Arc NCR currently offers the following services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families living in
Harford and Cecil Counties:
April 25th
9:30 am-noon
Meet at 9 am in front of Big Lots
Go straight to Brookside Drive
Find more information at servefestmd.org
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Self-Advocacy
An individual with an intellectual or developmental
disability needs to learn how to obtain the services
they need thorough self-advocacy. People First, was
established as a non-profit citizen's advocacy group
by self-advocates in 1987 and believes that all persons, regardless of disability, deserve a life of quality. People First has adopted and endorsed "The
Community Imperative" as our view that all persons
deserve lives as full members in their own communities. Our motto is "Achieving yesterday's dreams.
Building tomorrow's promise."
Upcoming Columns
Emergency Fund. Who Needs It?
Getting That Snowball Rolling
Another tool for saving on the food budget is batch How to Use a Meal Plan
cooking, freezer cooking or once a month cooking.
Taking time once or twice a month to prepare meals
and have them in your freezer saves both time and
Volunteers
money. All you need to do is take the meal out of the
Needed!!
freezer, defrost it in the refrigerator and prepare it.
There are many resources available to help you along
this path to reduce your food budget. Internet searches
are a fun way to find hints, helps and recipes. Here are
a few ideas to get you started:
Cookbooks
More With Less
Family Feasts for $75 a Week
$7 a Meal Slow Cooker Cookbook
$5 Dinner Mom
Dining on a Dime
Miserly Meals
Healthy Meals for Less
Claras Kitchen
Once a Month Cooking Family Favorites
Dont Panic, Dinners in the Freezer
Fast Slow Cooker Freezer Meals
Websites
365 Days of Slow Cooking
$5.00 Dinners
Budget Bytes
Good Cheap Eats
31 Crockpot Freezer Meals
A Month of Crockpot Freezer Meals
Edgewood Library
Childrens Gardening
04/18/2015
1:00-2:00 pm
Joppa Library
Frog Fetchin
04/18/2015
6:30-8:00 pm
Birding by Boat
04/19/2015
9:00-10:30 am
Pumping Up Pollinators
04/19/2015
2:00-4:00 pm
Computer Security
04/20/2015
6:30-8:00 pm
Abingdon Library
6:30-7:45 pm
Doors open at 6 pm
Auction starts at 7 pm
Prince of Peace
2600 Willoughby Beach Road
Edgewood, MD
410-612-5912
Copley Parish
Church of the Resurrection
May 9, 2015
Doors open at 5 pm
Event begins at 6 pm
One paddle for $2
Three paddles for $5
Refreshments will be sold
For more information:
700 Anchor Drive
Joppa MD 21085
410-679-8700
www.copleyparish.org
8
Spotlights on:
ServeFest 2015
ServeFest is the result of a convergence of many different movements among the
Churches in the region. In the mid 2000s, there were several churches that had
caught a vision for being the hands and feet of Jesus and serving their community
in practical ways. In Howard County, Grace Community Church started a community impact ministry
called Building Bridges. Abundant Life Church in Anne Arundel County was coordinating a monthly
outreach, which they were calling Servefest. Apart from either of these initiatives, Mountain Christian
Church in Harford County launched ServeFest in 2004 as an all-church, day of service to the community in neighborhoods, schools, non-profit agencies, government organizations, and homes. The main
goal was for the church to be a blessing to the community and offer itself as a servant through simple, but
meaningful projects.
It became clear that ServeFest did not belong to any one church and that it was a vehicle for bringing
churches together. In 2007, ServeFest in Harford County engaged 3 churches. The next year there were
17 churches. The following year 41 churches partnered together as ServeFest extended beyond Harford
County to include Baltimore City and Baltimore County. In 2010, the Baltimore regional prayer network,
Partners for Transformation, endorsed ServeFest and the movement became truly regional. From that
point, a regional website and branding were developed, and ServeFest has grown to extend across five
counties and Baltimore City and has brought together over 4,000 people and 120 churches to serve their
communities.
This years ServeFest will be held on April 25th and will have a two-pronged focus: Serving our Community and Serving our Neighbors.
Serve OUR Community
There will be many projects in the participating Counties and City - projects we can all join in to Serve
OUR Community. Projects which will include school beautifications, park clean-ups, home and facility
repairs, care-giving at assisted living facilities, general spring cleaning for non-profit organizations, prayer walks and more. Theres something for everyone -- young and old, skilled and unskilled. Each project
is led by a volunteer project manager in conjunction with the organization or people being served.
Serve OUR Neighbors
ServeFest is aimed at igniting a movement of people who live a lifestyle of serving in Jesus name. Everyone should feel empowered and encouraged to Serve YOUR Neighbors in whatever way God is leading you. Individuals and families are encouraged to identify a way to serve neighbors -- whether theyre
next door or people seen all the time. You are encouraged to be creative, have fun, and build new relationships.
For more information on churches which are participating and currently planned projects, visit the
Harford County ServeFest website.