President’s Report, Pg. 3,5 No. 12 December 2018 Skills Basketball Sign Up, Pg. 4 The Arc Downriver wishlist, Pg 7 Adventure Club Potluck, Pg. 5 Downriver Whether it’s through a special holiday donation, becoming a member, renew- ing your membership, donating goods from our wish list or supporting us in our fundraisers, YOU are helping to ensure that the Arc Downriver fulfills its mission of advocacy, creating opportunities and providing support so individuals with develop- mental and/or intellectual disabilities can fully participate in the community. If you would like to make a special holiday donation to The Arc Downriver, you can mail a check to us at: 1028 Oak Street, Wyandotte, MI 48192. If you are receiving a printed copy of the newsletter through the mail, you may be wondering why everything is in black and white. Unfortunately, we can no longer print the front and back of the news- letter in color due to lower donations, fewer memberships and rising costs. We really need YOUR assistance through donations and support. Thank you for your understanding. The Arc Downriver and Arkay Incorporated are Invited to Attend...“A Holiday Concert” Performance by “The Downriver Community Band” Date: Friday, December 7, 2018 Time: 7:00 p.m. Doors open Location: Arkay Incorporated at 6:00 p.m. 15221 Eureka Road Southgate, Michigan 50/50 Raffle This is a free concert for The Arc Downriver members and guests, Arkay staff, group home residents and anyone else who wishes to attend this wonderful performance by The Downriver Community Band Please contact The Arc Downriver at 734-283-0710 or Arkay at or more information. If you are able to donate your time for set up, clean up or bring cups, napkins and / or refreshments. Please call the office a soon as possible. THE PYRAMID THE PYRAMID is the official newsletter of The Arc Downriver Co-Editors: Beth Klocek, Eileen Brandt, Lori Huntington Publisher: The Arc Downriver Mission Statement To advocate for individuals who are developmentally challenged, have cognitive impairments and their families by promoting choices, creating opportunities, and providing support needed to fully participate in the community. The Arc Downriver Proudly serving children and adults with 1028 Oak Street Wyandotte, MI 48192 developmental disabilities since 1954. Office: Beth Klocek Affiliated with The Arc of the U.S. and The Arc of Michigan. Phone: 734-283-0710 Fax: 734-283-9018 A member agency of Email: [email protected] Website: www.downriverarc.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TheArcDownriverOFFICIAL Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00 am-2:00 pm Teresa Alfieri CLOSED: Friday Josiah Curren CLOSED: Dec. 24 – Jan. 1 Jimmy Hamric Nicholas Anders The Arc Downriver Board of Directors Advocates: Jacob Moody OFFICERS Tammie Schroeder President: Jim Dickinson Working to fulfill the Vice President: Jerry Swindle mission in accordance Desiree Estrada Treasurer: Kevin Martin with the Arc of the Secretary: Tammy Affholter United States, advo- Christopher Colucci cating for individuals Danette Koszewski DIRECTORS 2018-2020 who are developmen- Angela Farley / Rozi Keller tally challenged and/or Anastasia Bozymowski Tom Moody / Dennis Glinski cognitively impaired and their families by Danielle Jarbo promoting choices, DIRECTORS 2017 - 2019 creating opportunities Deborah Brown / Terey DeLisle / Gerald Morello and providing support Stephanie Nankervis / Beverly Witchelhouse needed to fully partici- If your name is pate in the commu- missing from PAST PRESIDENT 2010 - 2011 the birthday list, nity. Below is just a it may be Mike Cervenak brief listing of some because you of the areas that may not have EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR our advocates han- Kevin McGuckin dle. Serving eighteen communities in the Downriver area for 64 years: Allen Park, Brownstown Township, Ecorse, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, New Boston, River Rouge, Riverview, Rockwood, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Woodhaven and Wyandotte. 2 President’s Report By Jim Dickinson President, Board of Directors Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing, ring-ting tingle-ing… My, this year seems to have slipped past us much too quickly and it soon will be 2019. Amazing how the years go by faster and faster as we grow older. In keeping with that thought take time during this busy season to call on a loved one: friend or family member. Rekindle the good ‘ol days and cherish the blessings we hold today. May peace, happiness and goodwill be with you and your family not only on Christmas, but throughout the year and beyond. Wishing you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Annual Art Exhibit Our annual Art at the Arc exhibition occurred on Friday night, November 2. The event was well attend- ed by family and friends. Many wonderful artists displayed their fine work for all to appreciate. Great job everyone. Thanks to Deb Bury for organizing the event. Thanks to all who gave their time and ef- fort helping put together this most excellent event. Note cards were created from many of the paint- ings and available for sale at The Arc office. Stop by and purchase some for your Christmas card list. Christmas Concert! The Downriver Community Band is once again playing their Christmas repertoire for The Arc Downriv- er on Friday, December 7 at 7pm at Arkay on Eureka Rd at Dix. The full band is playing so come out for lots of holiday music and cheer afterward. See you there! Your Amazon Purchases Can Help The Arc Downriver! AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support. How do I shop at AmazonSmile? To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at Ama- zonSmile. Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations? Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible. Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile? Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same. How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile? On your first visit to AmazonSmile, smile.amazon.com, you need to select Arc Downriv- er to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will re- member your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation. (Continued on page 5) 3 Arc Downriver Skills Basketball Starts: Monday, December 3, 2018 Where: Paragon gym (old Madison School) 2101 Grove Street Wyandotte, MI 48192 Time: 6:00 to 7:00 pm Skills practice dates are: December 3, 10, 17 January 7, 14, 28 February 4, 11, 25 Athletes will focus on three skills: dribbling, shooting, and passing. PLAYERS: •Must be a current Arc Downriver member. •Must have a current Special Olympics physical form on file in the Arc Downriver office that will not expire before the 3/30/19. •Must be 8 years or older to participate. •Must wear appropriate clothing. Skills Basketball 2018 – 2019 Sign-Up Sheet Name of Athlete _______________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________ Email Address _________________________________________________________ Phone Number ________________________________________________________ I give my permission for my son/daughter to participate in the 2018-2019 skills basketball season. I understand that my son/daughter must have a current Special Olympic physical form on file in The Arc Downriver office. Signature of Parent or Guardian ______________________________________________ Date ______________________ Please return to The Arc Downriver, 1028 Oak Street, Wyandotte, Michigan 48192 by Monday, December 3, 2018. Or fax to 734-283-9018. 4 ADVENTURE CLUB HOLIDAY “POTLUCK DINNER” PLEASE BRING YOUR FAVORITE DISH, SALAD, DESSERT, BEVERAGE OR SNACK TO OUR ANNUAL ADVENTURE CLUB HOLIDAY DINNER THAT WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19th from 5:30 UNTIL 7:30 PM* WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT... Note: We will have regular Adventure Club hours December 19, 2018 5:00 - 7:30 pm Sign up Sheet will be available at Adventure Club VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SET UP, SERVING AND CLEAN UP Name:__________________________________________________________________ I will be brining:___________________________________________________________ YES I WILL VOLUNTEER: (Name)___________________________________________ THANK YOU, FROM THE ADVENTURE CLUB STAFF Bring a $5 boy, girl gift exchange if you want to participate during this event! Note: Regular hours from 5 pm until 7:30 pm. *Please be prompt when picking up individuals attending the event. President’s Report Continued: Seminar: Transition Planning Speaker will discuss the legal requirements of IEPs regarding transition planning, career and interest assessments, student, family and school responsibilities, community resources and how to make a smooth transition from school to post-school life. Where: 10218 Arthur St. Livonia – NEW LOCATION Please RSVP: 734-729-9100 or 313-532-7915 or [email protected] When: January 10, 2019 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Seminar: Opportunities for Life After School Speaker will discuss the different options for services after graduation including skill building, supported employment, community inclusion and volunteering as well as getting the support that you need from the Mental Health System to create a meaningful day.