Connection and community come in many forms, sometimes even feline ones. For St. Louis Arc resident Angie, having some connection to animals in her life was essential. Angies long-time love for cats inspired her to speak with her support staff about her desire to volunteer. She hoped to work with a local animal shelter to…
Eric, a young man with Downs Syndrome and an intellectual disability, is always on the move. With family activities, pickleball, basketball, karate, and other community involvement pulling him in several different directions, he found himself overwhelmed with a busy schedule to wrangle. All that planning takes time! Adding to this stress, Eric sometimes forgot whether…
12,844 steps. Thats how many steps Chakeeta Thomas has taken today. And its a light day, laughs Chakeeta. If I work a banquet, its always more. Chakeeta is determined, resilient, with indefatigable energy. And, as her friends will say: she steps up. A caseworker connected Chakeeta with St. Louis Arc when she was still…
Aging with Empowerment (AWE) participant Retha has a special love of all things Disney. In addition to enjoying Disney movies, shes visited Disney World and longs to travel there again. Retha would love to go back to Disney someday, but it wasnt something she could do right now, says Stephen Turner, coordinator of AWE North…
Kele says he loves cooking, so making lunch for himself and other participants in the NextED Challenge program this past summer was easy. But other learning activities have proven useful in helping the 19-year-old community college student tackle new challenges. I learned about using the public bus system, for one thing, he says. And managing…
They call her Itsy, after the Itsy Bitsy Spider. She does hard things every dayŠŠsometimes exhausting therapiesŠŠbut Itsy is determined and smiling. When Itsy started with therapy, she couldnt hold her head up or track things with her eyes, recalls Shamecka, Itsys mom. She needed all this equipment and toys that we were trying to…
A Message From Our President Reflections on 2021 and Hope for 2022 As the New Year rapidly approaches, I want to pause to reflect on the past year,and look forward with great hope for the coming year. While the pandemic continues to pose challenges to us all, I am truly grateful for the efforts of…
Make An Impact During Giving Tuesday Making Choices, For a Life in the Community Jake Martine will tell you his ultimate goal in life is to live and dream big. And to Jake, that means having fun in life, having a job, a home of his own, getting married and having a family, growing big…
The St. Louis Arc wishes you a joyous holiday season and a peaceful New Year. Did you miss the Arcs virtual holiday party? Dont forget to check out “Home for the Holidays” tocelebrate what weve accomplished during a year like no other.
Chakeeta Thomas grew up in north St. Louis County. She loved to learn new things, however she recognized early on that learning was a challenge. She struggled at home, sharing a small space with her grandmother and two brothers. In spite of her obstacles, Chakeeta made it a goal to live independently. Through hard work…