ACHIEVEments- April 2023

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For people with intellectual and other disabilities and their families.

ACHIEVEments

A publication of The Arc of York County

Volume 2, Issue 5, April 2023

Photos of the Month

The Arc Ball and Auction was held on Saturday, March 25, 2023. The sold out event featured a lavish cocktail reception, a formal dinner, a fantastic lifestyles auction, and hours of dancing to live music from The Big House Band.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this past Saturday's The Arc Ball and Auction. Whether you were a sponsor, you attended the event in person, or you placed a bid in the online auction, you helped make a difference in the lives of the many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in south central Pennsylvania.

An extra special thanks to the sponsors of the event: Kearney Graybill LLC, Kuhner Associates Funeral Directors, Baker Tilly, CGA Law Firm, First Capital Federal Credit Union, Glatfelter Insurance Group, KnA Property Solutions, M&T Bank, MassMutual Greater Philadelphia, North Metal & Chemical Company, RBC Wealth Management, Rick's Ace Hardware, ROCK Commercial Real Estate, Stifel, UPMC, First Capital Home Solutions, PCBH, Rutter's Children's Charities, York College of Pennsylvania, and Print O Stat.

We can't wait until next year!! Save the date now- March 9, 2024 at the Country Club of York.

Learn More

Give Local York Set for May 5

The Arc of York County is, once again, participating in Give Local York. Funds raised during Give Local York will go toward "Camperships" so that young people with disabilities can attend The Arc of York County’s Camp Pennwood program- regardless of their ability to pay.

We’re counting down the days to May 5th and Give Local York. We need your help to make our campaign a success, and we’ve included a few easy ways that you can support us.

Share and share alike. Online days of giving are successful because of our own networks. Help us grow our network by sending our fundraising link to your network and ask your friends to do the same.
Be socially (media) active. Use your social media networks: post on Facebook, tweet about Give Local York, and share your love for your particular passion, whether it’s education, health care, animals, or the arts. Ask others to do the same.
Become a fundraising champion. Everyone loves a champion, including us! We really need fundraising champions to help drive people to our Give Local York profile on May 5th. Contact us for more information on how to become a fundraising champion!

Thank you in advance for your support! We can't wait to share our success with you!

Give Local York

Camp Pennwood:

A Camp Parent's Perspective

“2022 was Lucy's first year at Camp Pennwood. Throughout the years, Lucy has been placed in classrooms covering 5 different school districts in the county. Although she makes friends easily, we are always saddened when she has had to move on. The very first day she attended Camp Pennwood, Lucy was immediately excited to see so many faces of friends that she had attended school with throughout the years. She often came home, barely able to contain herself, ready to tell everyone about her day.

Hands down, Lucy's favorite part of Camp is seeing her friends. Having the opportunity to go to a Camp dance was also a highlight for her.

Camp Pennwood has helped us to provide Lucy with a social experience amongst her peers. As she and her 2 sisters have grown older, our family summer dynamic has changed dramatically. Instead of doing things all together, the other girls spend more and more time with their own friends, jobs and sports. Outside of the school year, I found it difficult to provide Lucy with enriching experiences with more than myself for company. Camp truly gave her what she misses most over the summer, social time with her peers. It was wonderful to have her excitedly rejoin the conversations at the dinner table about her day.

One of the familiar faces that Lucy reconnected with has had a huge impact on her and our family. Lucy had her first boyfriend! Lucy dating was a stressful topic for us. Being the parent of daughters presents many anxiety ridden thoughts when it comes to dating. Those anxieties were heightened by fear when the conversation included our special needs child. At 16 years old, Lucy went to Camp Pennwood and made a mutual connection with a boy. We remain grateful that the situation was handled with such care and respect for the children and both families by the Camp Pennwood staff. (The happy couple are still dating)

I have and will continue to tell other special needs parents to consider Camp Pennwood for their child. As a parent we can sometimes adopt this belief that we are the single best caregiver for our child. A typical child challenges this belief when they naturally assert their independence. As Lucy's mother, I can see how this well intended attempt to keep her safe and happy also kept her sheltered in some ways. Camp Pennwood reminded me that it takes a village and there are places, with caring people, who will help my very special daughter grow and flourish.”

- Lucy’s Mom