The Arc of Atlantic County to Celebrate Grand Opening of Its New Thrift Shop with Ribbon

The Arc of Atlantic County 6550 Delilah Road, Suite 101 Egg Harbor Twp, NJ 08234 P: 609-485-0800 F: 609-407-6282 www.arcatlantic.org

The Arc of Atlantic County to Celebrate Grand Opening of its New Thrift Shop with Ribbon Cutting June 15

Northfield, NJ – June 9, 2011 – The Arc of Atlantic County will officially celebrate the grand opening of its new thrift shop with a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. at The Arc Makes Cents, Too! Thrift Shop, located in the Tilton Shopping Center, 331 Tilton Road, Northfield, NJ. Invited guests include mayors of Northfield and Egg Harbor Township, The Arc board members, the Gurwicz family who owns the complex in which the shop is located, and major supporters of The Arc. The shop held a soft opening on Saturday May 28. The Northfield location is The Arc of Atlantic County’s second thrift shop, joining its Ventnor location, The Arc Makes Cents Thrift Shop which has been operating for 15 years at 6409 Ventnor Avenue. While the Ventnor store is more of a ‘thrift boutique’ with approximately 1,000 square feet of store space, the Northfield store is larger with 5,000 square feet of new and gently used merchandise and an extensive furniture selection. Both, however, have the same goal: to raise much needed funds for The Arc’s programs that support more than 700 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Opening a second thrift shop was something The Arc leadership has wanted to do for some time, but it wasn’t until they met Irv Singer, the new store’s manager, that they felt they had the right person to make it happen. Singer became involved with The Arc in 2009, when he began a charity golf tournament, the I. Rice & Company Golfing for Good Tournament, to benefit the agency. As The Arc leadership got to know Irv, they realized he had an extensive retail background that made him a natural fit. When they asked Irv if he would consider spearheading the opening of this second shop, it didn’t take him long to say yes. “Taking on this new thrift shop project is exciting for me because it’s utilizing my prior work experience to maximize the opportunities for helping people with developmental disabilities. What better ways to use your talents than to give back to a great organization?” said Singer. The Arc Makes Cents, Too! Thrift Shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10AM to 6PM. Senior citizens aged 55 and up receive a 20% discount every Tuesday. Gently used furniture donations are accepted, and can be picked up with advanced notice. Those interested in volunteering can contact Jennifer Rowles at 609-485-0800 ext. 137. For more information on the thrift shop, please contact Beth Ann Spiegel at 609-485-0800 ext. 136 or Irv Singer, store manager at 609-241-9333 during business hours. The Arc of Atlantic County is a private non-profit organization that has been making a difference in the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families since its founding in 1961. Through direct services, advocacy, education and prevention activities, The Arc works in partnership with individuals and their families to make choices possible about how and where they live, learn, play and work. ###