Overview
The ARC believes in the value of community and in the inherent rights
of all people to actively participate in the life of their home communities. We
strive to provide a variety of annual events and scheduled activities
within the community that offer recreational, educational, and cultural
experiences for individuals with developmental disabilities. Many of
these activities are cosponsored with the Macon/Bibb County Parks and
Recreation Department-Adaptive Program Division. All of the seasonal
parties/dances have community sponsors.
ARC also offers opportunities for parents and home providers to network, learn, and socialize through quarterly meetings, membership, informational materials and mailings, and workshops.
Day Support
In 2006, the ARC started a Day Support program, which is funded through the state waiver program. It is designed to assist people with developmental disabilities to participate in activities of their choice in the community. The program quickly grew from four to 19 individuals served and has a fulltime activities coordinator.A condensed description of annual programs and/or events follows:
Adult Enrichment Program (AEP)
The AEP began in 1985 as a collaborative effort between the ARC and the
Macon/Bibb County Parks and Recreation Department to provide once-a-week
activities for adults with developmental disabilities still living at
home and with no consistent day activities.
It has grown into a sought-after program that provides high-quality, cultural, educational activities. Programs include, but are not limited to, museums, historic sights, health care presentations, food preparation, and cultural presentations and activities.
Transportation is provided for approximately 30 individuals with two vans/drivers working through the ARC and one van/driver working through the recreation department.
People served by the program love it because of the quality and variety of programs and parents love the program because it provides transportation and respite for them for one day a week.
Annual Award’s Banquet (AAB)
The ARC makes awards once each year in the following categories: Teacher
of the Year, Principal of the Year, Community Service, Club of the Year,
Employer of the Year, Legislator of the Year, Local News Media award,
Religious Service, ARC Board Director of the Year, and ARC Employee
of the Year.
Awards are presented at a banquet held in May with nominations coming from ARC members, friends, professionals from other agencies, parents, or the people we serve. Please print a nomination form and send it to us in for the next round of nominations, which will be in March and April.
Cherry Blossom Parade
The ARC has participated in the Cherry Blossom Parade since 1999. Community
sponsors have included Mark Smith and family, Golf Cars of Middle Georgia,
and Dunbar Farms. Individuals served and their parents or siblings;
agency volunteers; or board and staff are invited to participate in
the parade.
Family Support and Training
Meetings are held quarterly to give parents, service professionals, and
persons served an opportunity to network, socialize, and learn. A speaker
is usually on the program to speak to a current disability issue but
sometimes the meetings are just for fun and might include a covered
dish dinner followed by Bingo with prizes. Anyone interested is welcome
to attend these meetings and can request to be on the mailing list for
notification or watch the website for announcements.
ARC staff are required to receive training in Defensive Driving, HIV, First Aid and CPR, and Prevention and Management of Aggressive Behavior (PMAB). These workshops are not widely advertised but are open to parents, other providers, or interested individuals for a fee. Call or email for a training and fee schedule (477-7764, extension 123 or 114.
Recreation
- Sweetheart Banquet and Dance (sponsored by the Macon Motor Boat Club)
The Sweetheart Banquet and Dance is held in February
at the Macon Motor Boat Club. The club is decorated beautifully, club
members prepare a wonderful meal, and music is provided by the Easy Touch
DeeJays. Everyone is dressed in their church best or “party finest” for
this one. It is amazing to see all the beautiful dresses, corsages, and
suits. It is truly a “Kodak” evening. Tickets are required and
sold in advance – no tickets available at the door.
- Fishing and Fun (sponsored by the Bob Lee Smith family and other donors)
Fishing and Fun was held for the first time in 1996 as a one-time event. It was such a success and the volunteers had such a good time that it continues as a yearly May event. B. Keith Williams provides music from the back porch of the family cabin as everyone enjoys hamburgers and hotdogs with all the trimmings. Many fish are usually caught and volunteers are on hand to help with bait and tackle. No charge for this one.
- Celebrate Summer (cosponsored with Macon/Bibb County Parks and Recreation Department-Adaptive Program Division)
Celebrate Summer is for school-age kids and was held the first time in
June 2006. Hamburgers and hotdogs are cooked on site as the kids enjoy
carnival games with prizes, a moon-walk, clowns, balloons, face painting,
and games. This is a good “VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY” as many volunteers
are needed for the cooking and games. No charge for this one.
- Fall Jamboree (Hosted by V.F.W., Post 658 and cosponsored with the Macon/Bibb County Parks and Recreation Department-Adaptive Program Division)
The Fall Jamboree is a great evening of Country/Western Music and dance held in late October at the VFW club on Harrison Road. This has been an annual event since 1977 with music provided the last couple of years by the “Papa Bear Deejays.” Refreshments and decorations are sponsored by various clubs and occasionally by parents. Decorations are a cross between Fall (as in bales of hay and pumpkins) and Halloween (as in scarecrows and pumpkins). The dress is “Country Casual” or “Halloween Costumes.” Reservations are appreciated for planning purposes and a small fee is charged at the door.
- Christmas Banquet and Dance (cosponsored with Macon/Bibb County Parks and Recreation Department-Adaptive Program Division)
The Christmas Banquet and Dance is an annual event that started in 1977 as just a dance. It developed into a banquet and dance and has been cosponsored with the recreation department since 1996. It is a very dressy affair (another Kodak evening) with a beautiful banquet catered. Music is sometimes a live band and sometimes a deejay. Tickets are required and sold in advance – no tickets available at the door.
Summer Retreat
ARC held its first camp in the late 1950s, starting as a day camp held
at Camp Martha Johnson and later as a residential camp at Camp Will-a-Way
in Winder Georgia. We ventured out in 1998 and went to Epworth by the
Sea on St. Simon’s Island. We had a wonderful week of beach fun, a
Dolphin tour, fishing and crabbing. We returned for two move visits. Since then, we have gone to Camp Ascca, Jackson Gap Alabama each year, which is a beautiful, air-conditioned facility. Camp Ascca has the added
advantage of on-site staff to help plan and run the activities. In
addition, they have activities we didn’t have at the other camps like
horses, tubing, zip line, and live animal programs plus all the usual
“camp” stuff.
Camp is usually held in late August for one week (Monday-Friday) and is staffed primarily by volunteers. All volunteers must pass a criminal background check, sign a release, and attend orientation. Volunteers are seasoned professionals – meaning they have served as camp volunteers for many, many years and love it.
We welcome the opportunity to include individuals that require special assistance or one-on-one supervision; however, a personal assistant must be provided (parent, relative, staff, etc.). A fee of $100 is assessed for the personal assistant as the ARC has to pay for every person on the campsite and we cannot afford to absorb this expense. The personal assistant will be considered a volunteer by the ARC and required to sign the same release as other volunteers, agree to a criminal background check, and observe the same rules, guidelines, and schedules as other cabin counselors and will be under the direct supervision of the camp director. Volunteers incur no expenses and the camper fee includes a tee-shirt, transportation, room and board (M-F), all food, snacks, and supplies.
The following information can be downloaded as Microsoft Word documents: a volunteer information sheet, a general camp information sheet, and a camp application. The camp fee is $175.00.
GIVE US A CALL – YOU ARE INVITED TO ALL
ACTIVITIES
* PARTICIPATE OR VOLUNTEER – YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME EITHER WAY *
For more information on events listed above, or for general information on ARC, please send us an .
