Experiences to Build Skills for the Future! As a teenager with a disability, the goal of post-high school employment can seem huge. The St. Louis Arc provides a summer project, Neighborhood Experiences, which supports teens in identifying their post-graduation goals and in building the skills needed to achieve them. What Makes This Different Than…
The Neighborhood Experiences summer project is a steppingstone for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, ages 16-21, on their way to employment. Arc participants serve as volunteers with organizations or businesses they are interested in and practice hard and soft employment skills while making meaningful community connections. Through this experience, 14-year-old Arc participant ALeah discovered…
Dubbed our ambassadors of fun, St. Louis Arcs volunteers are the backbone of many of our programs. In addition to having fun, Arc volunteers are shining examples of our core values Respect, Collaboration, and Empowerment. As we celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Month, Kim H., a longtime volunteer, shared her story of volunteering with the Arc. Volunteers…
Henry is a young and engaging young man who loves the St. Louis Arcs R&R Camp program. For eight years, Henry spent several weekends a year participating in a variety of recreational and outdoor camp activities. He participated in arts and crafts, made friends, and enjoyed joking around with the camp counselors. This year, however,…
For more than thirty years, Mike P. has been attending the St. Louis Arc Club South Dance. What started as a fun activity to do on Friday nights, has transformed into friendships, purpose, and ongoing community connection. In the beginning, Mike was an observer at the dances. He listened to the band, and watched others…
The St. Louis Arc is excited to offer programs both in-person and virtually for the fall session! Leisure Services has worked hard to continuously offer opportunities for people with and without disabilities to stay connected and engaged. The Arc is offering options for participants to safely engage in activities in a way they most feel…
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…
Throughout the pandemic, the St. Louis Arc has been committed to providing quality supports to individuals in the safest way possible for all involved. For most of the St. Louis Arcs programs, individuals identify goals or outcomes to work toward while they participate in a specific program. These goals are based on a participants desire…
This past Friday, a steady stream of participants, family members, Arc staff, art lovers, and gallery patrons gathered at the Green Door Art Gallery in Webster Groves for the opening of Expressions of Pure Joy. The exhibit features art curated in the St. Louis Arcs Artist in You program over the past year. Twenty-four individual…
Make A Difference, Have Fun There are many reasons why people choose to give their time and volunteer for an organization. From students fulfilling volunteer hours to retirees looking to stay connected, volunteers have one thing in common they want to make a difference. The Arc provides year-round volunteer opportunities to have fun and engage…