The new 2024 Winter Leisure Times is here!! Explore the new opportunities, and sign up TODAY! Spaces fill up quickly, so don’t miss your chance to register now. Winter 2024 Leisure program registration is now open! To view a complete copy of the Winter 2024 Leisure Times Brochure, Click Here. The registration deadline is Friday, December 15, 2023. Quick…
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 A’Leah discovered…
Each year families who participate in our Capable Kids and Family (CKF) and Parents Learning Together (PLT) programs receive holiday gifts as part of the annual St. Louis Arc Giving Tree. As we approach the holiday season, the Arc partners with businesses and individuals in the St. Louis community who buy gifts off a child’s…
12,844 steps. That’s how many steps Chakeeta Thomas has taken today. “And it’s a light day,” laughs Chakeeta. “If I work a banquet, it’s 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, she’s visited Disney World and longs to travel there again. “Retha would love to go back to Disney someday, but it wasn’t 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 day — sometimes exhausting therapies — but Itsy is determined and smiling. “When Itsy started with therapy, she couldn’t hold her head up or track things with her eyes,” recalls Shamecka, Itsy’s mom. “She needed all this equipment and toys that we were…
Pre-employment training goes beyond teaching job-specific skills. It aims to develop well-rounded individuals who are confident, joyful, and equipped with a range of employment skills. At the St. Louis Arc, the Pre-Employment Training program is a one-year program that helps individuals grow and refine their skills to work toward successful employment. Building Skills The program…
Dubbed our “ambassadors of fun,” St. Louis Arc’s 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….
At the St. Louis Arc, the programs and services offered are designed to maximize choice and support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in building quality lives within the community. For Frank, who receives Arc residential support in his home, this focus on choice has provided an opportunity to build a connection within his community….