Beverly Davis, Chapter Coordinator for FIF, along with several Management Team members spent many hours sorting and organizing donated clothing and school supplies to be distributed to families during a one day event, Friday, August 21.  Thanks to the community for their donations of clothing, supplies and gifts to help these families in need!

Thanks to the Outreach Committee of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines for choosing to highlight the services that The Arc of Moore County provides to the community during the month of September.  

The Arc staff is available to speak to any church or civic group that is interested in our mission.  Please contact Susan Holmes if you know of any groups that are in need of a program speaker.

Members of the Book Club were recently treated to a trip to see a live performance of The Little Mermaid at Temple Theater in Sanford.  A great time was had by all!

Members of the Book Club meet monthly at the Pizza Cafe to discuss a new reading selection and enjoy social time together.  Occasionally there will be opportunities for other media experiences as they are related to the current reading selection. To find out how to become a part of the club, please call The Arc office at 692-8272.

The 2015 Arc of North Carolina's State Conference will be held in Cary, NC on September, 25th-26th. This will be a celebration of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family members and supporters.  To find out more and to register, please click here.

This year the conference will be featuring the Entrepreneur Spotlight, an opportunity for persons with I/DD to promote their business among other vendors at the conference.  Moore County will be represented by Joseph Hill, who has recently begun a photography business.  Joseph will feature his photographs in the form of note cards, t-shirts, and coffee mugs and will take special orders. To see more of Joseph's work, visit his website at www.jbhillphotography.com.

On July 22, in partnership with St. Joseph of the Pines, The Arc provided 12 individuals with a health rescreening of which the results will be compared to the original screening of two years ago. 

St. Joseph of the Pines provided the use of the Mobile Health Screening Unit and nurses volunteered their time to do the screenings.  Members of the Aktion Club of Moore County assisted with the registration process during the event.  Thanks to Susie Buchanan and staff of St. Joseph for their help.

Healthmeet is a national project sponsored by the CDC and The Arc of the US to track the overall health and well being of adults living with disabilities across the US.  

Healthmeet participants waiting to enter the semi.

Nurses from St. Joseph of the Pines volunteering for Healthmeet.

The Arc of Moore County recently received a generous grant from the Moore County Community Foundation to strengthen the infrastructure of The Arc so that it can continue to provide respite care, family support through First In Families of the Sandhills, and social programming for adults with disabilities in the community.

The Moore County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the North Carolina Community foundation whose mission is to "inspire North Carolinians to make lasting and meaningful contributions to their community."  For more information on the foundation, click here.

First In Families of the Sandhills is in the process of identifying children of families we have supported this past year that may be in need of assistance for the holiday season.  Children complete their "wish lists" for Santa and Operation Santa, with the help of Beverly Davis and volunteers, distributes these lists among the faith and business communities along with interested individuals in order to assist the parents that are struggling financially to be able to provide a brighter Christmas for their children.

Please email Beverly Davis if you or your church, business or civic organization would like to help us fulfill the wish lists by purchasing gifts or making a donation to this effort!  First In Families will accept donations of developmental toys such as large-piece puzzles, toys with sounds and/or lights, children's books, art sets, baby dolls (all ethnicities), and board games for children.

The Empty Stocking Fund project was discontinued last year which left many families in Moore County without assistance during the Christmas season.  To help fill the void, DSS has coordinated an effort with other service agencies in the county to try to establish a list of names of families in need.  

Families are invited to apply for assistance on the following dates and locations:  August 27th (Thursday) from 5-8pm at Old West End School Gym, August 29th (Saturday) from 9am-12pm at Moore County Agricultural Building in Carthage, and September 1 (Tuesday) from 5-8pm at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Southern Pines.  Families will be asked to provide financial information along with other information regarding their family's needs and wishes for Christmas. 

Application forms will then be sent to a Review and Distribution Committee to be processed and provided to businesses, organizations and individuals in the area that are interested in helping families in need.

For more information, contact John Benton at the Department of Social Services at 947-2436.

As you can see, The Arc of Moore County has been busy providing needed services and new and exciting activities for individuals and families in the Moore County area.  Thanks to all for your continued support by way of membership, donations and volunteerism!  

Sincerely,

Wendy Russell, Executive Director

The Arc of Moore County