What's New

Whenever something is added or updated on the website, we will make a note of it here. We hope to add more articles about Arc sponsored events on this page, so check back often to see what we are up to.

Tom Kendziorski is our “$100K MAN”!

And now he's going to do it again, he's running another marathon!

Just a quick note, IT'S NOT TOO LATE to DONATE to . . .TOM’S 2008 MARATHON CHALLENGE! More Details here

From the Directors Chair, January 2008,
The Arc Teams with the Autism Society for Advocacy

A new year brings with it many changes, opportunities and challenges. I, for one, promise (unfortunately, once again) to lose the same ten pounds that I lost last year and somehow gained back. Talk about challenges! This year is no different when it comes to moving The Arc forward. An acquaintance of mine, best-selling author Marshall Goldsmith, wrote a business coaching/mentorship book with the title of” “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.” How true. The Arc simply cannot stand still and rest on its laurels and past success.

With this in mind, I have some great news to report. The Arc recently entered into a one-year memorandum of agreement with the Autism Society of America – Oakland County Chapter (ASA-OCC) to ensure the continuation of our expertise in systems advocacy. This action will now formally include children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) into The Arc’s realm of service delivery. Over the past several years, ASD has quickly become the mainstay of our requests for advocacy anyway. As a part of this new relationship, the ASA-OCC will contribute $30,000 in direct financial support to The Arc.

The Arc’s primary focus is to advocate for the rights and full participation of all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which includes those with autism. Further, we strive to improve systems of supports and services; connect families; inspire our community and influence public policy. Similarly, the ASA-OCC’s mission is to advocate for meaningful participation in all aspects of life for individuals with ASD and their families. Our new mutual working agreement dovetails nicely along these lines.

The four primary pillars of The Arc’s “Systems Advocacy” program include: special education law, governmental financial benefits, estate plan and probate court counseling, and information-referral. As you know, The Arc employs two full-time, licensed attorneys who specialize in this professional practice area commonly known as mental health law. In addition to the direct advocacy services, The Arc will collect metrics data and provide information on the following to the ASA-OCC: (a) numbers of individuals with autism served; (b) type of systems advocacy services provided to those with autism; (c) the relative place on the autism spectrum of the consumer served; (d) the ethnic group of the consumer served; (e) the age of the consumer served; and (f) the outcomes of the advocacy provided. After one year each agency will assess and re-evaluate a further advocacy partnership linkage.

The Arc and the ASA-OCC will also collaborate on such things as displaying each other’s official logo on our respective websites and newsletters; we will each refer to this partnership in written medium wherever appropriate; and each agency will establish a link to each other on their respective websites.

This is indeed a great beginning of a new calendar year. Two strong and dedicated charitable organizations have taken a giant first step towards strengthening the availability and delivery of systems advocacy within Oakland County.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! …………..TFK

Photo Page

Click here for the 2007 photo page
Photos of The Performing Arts Talent Show, The Dove Awards, and photos of Tom Kendziorski running in the Chicago Marathon.

Website Design

We had a long overdue website makeover. Everything was reorganized to make it easier to find what you are looking for. The site is designed and coded using up to date methods so that the pages will be faster loading. The new design, including the graphics and coding, is courtesy of Kathy Russell, a member of The Arc. If you are in need of web design and development services visit www.DesignByRussell.com