News

For more than 70 years, The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence (www.thearcjslc.org) has been a trailblazer in advocacy and services for people with developmental disabilities. The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence has a tradition of honoring the determination of people, while providing quality care and innovative supports for people and their families. Over the years, the leadership team has evolved to implement a series of strategic initiatives and reorganized to align with policy changes in the disability field.

The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence (www.thearcjslc.org), announced that they joined people with disabilities, staff and families across the state to celebrate The Arc New York's 75th Anniversary with 75 Acts of Service. The Week of Service, as a commemoration of the organization's historic achievements for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), a celebration of inclusion, and a call to action for continued engagement from communities across New York.

The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence (www.thearcjslc.org), announced that General Services Administration (GSA) in Region 2 was selected to receive the Federal Customer Award at SourceAmerica’s Xforce National Conference. This award honors a federal customer who has provided opportunities and support for the employment of people with disabilities through an AbilityOne contract for products or services.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence (www.thearcjslc.org), is now accepting applications for the children’s Summer Camp at Dodge Pond in Fine, N.Y. The Rotary Clubs of St. Lawrence and Jefferson Counties assist with sponsorship for this experience so that it may be offered to children with disabilities ages 8 through 20 at no charge. Additional funding also comes from the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence Foundation (www.thearcjslc.org), held the 17th annual walk to promote acceptance of Autism Spectrum Disorders on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at SUNY Potsdam’s Maxcy Hall in Potsdam, N.Y. There were over 325 people in attendance and thanks to community support as well as sponsorship, the event raised almost $37,000.

The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence Foundation, Inc. announced today that it received a $25,000 Community Impact Grant from New York Life in support of the Bridges program and Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center. Bridges provides services and supports to children and youth with disabilities from age three into early adulthood and offers vital afterschool and weekend activities which help build social skills, grow independence, gain needed life skills, assist with schoolwork, and provide recreation. Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center offers specialized programming for children with disabilities, providing a wide range of services from infancy though age five, that include early intervention services, an integrated pre-school and an array of therapies such as physical therapy and speech services. The grant will help the organization add items to the playground at Bright Beginnings such as new shade structures and additional swings while also increasing the number of sensory items available for use by those with neurodiverse needs in both programs.

The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence Foundation (www.thearcjslc.org), is holding a walk to promote acceptance of Autism Spectrum Disorders at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at SUNY Potsdam’s Maxcy Hall in Potsdam, N.Y. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. The event will be hosted by WWNY-TV’s Jeff Cole.

The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence (www.thearcjslc.org) is taking significant steps to advocate with New York State legislators to request a 3.2% Cost of Living Adjustment for Direct Support Professional and for the Direct Support Wage Enhancement to be included in the One-House Budget. These requests were not included in Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal, so members of the agency’s leadership team visited Albany earlier this month to ask for support. Self-Advocates also attended a rally at the State Capitol Building to call on elected officials to, “Invest in Me!”