Today, we participated in open discussion with many others in our community during the United Way of Marion County’s (UW) annual meeting.   Since the UW has changed their focus areas to education, income and health, it has been tough for ARC Marion to fit into any of the molds they are shaping.  A lot [...]

ARC Marion client, Richard Kennedy, wants people in Marion County to donate new shoes for children in Honduras.    On Friday, August 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Payless Shoe Source on 4920 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala, Richard and other friends from ARC Marion helped Carmen Brown of The Joy FM [...]

My mother works in administration at a University that trains students in all sorts of fields of study including special education.  In her 20 plus years there, she’s had a few chances to share a parent’s perspective of the special needs education system to prospective teachers.  One such opportunity came this week. 
Working with the developmentally and [...]

Last Thursday, clients and staff at ARC Marion were going about their morning, business as usual, when the unusual happened.  While on break, a client in the Adult Day Training (ADT) job skills program got choked on a piece of food and started turning blue.  Staff immediately sprung into action preforming the Heimlich maneuver, life saving training each of [...]

“Tis the season to be merry and bright, so here are a few of the smiling faces seen at the recent ARC Marion client Christmas party.   May they bring you joy and happiness.  We hope that you and yours have the most blessed of Holiday seasons.

I posted on Tuesday that we were going to limit blogging to once a week and only for very pertinent topics of interest… then I opened the local newspaper!  Headline reads in today’s Ocala Star Banner: “School district: Teacher and aide verbally abused disabled student.”  The 7-year-old child’s mother caught the whole thing, at least one day of [...]

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s truly a time for us to count our blessings. For those friendly faces, for the kind deeds both big and small, for the support and hand shakes, for the contributions both financial and voluntary, for the advocacy and assistance…. for all you have done for special people [...]

Hot off the presses, or at least new to a Web site near you is the current issue of ARC Marion and the Heart of Florida Hope Foundation’s The Point newsletter.  Please check out what all is going on with our great organizations by clicking here.  If you would like to be on our regular email [...]

A few weeks ago, I alluded to the fact that I’m not much of a reader, but I have found that once a good book gets in your blood, the interest in more good books sort of just keeps flowing.  When my husband suggested we go browse the Clearance racks at our local bookstore after [...]

For those of you out there who might follow this blog on a regular basis, you have probably noticed that we took a one week hiatus without any new posts last week.  My sincerest apologies to anyone who enjoys seeing our bi-weekly updates.  In the past twelve months, it’s the first time we’ve “goofed” quite [...]

For news you can use, you might want to have a little more information about ARC Marion, and what’s been going on in our neck of the woods.  Sure we post blogs on here all the time about various pertinent and not so important things, but if you want to take the time to see [...]

Day in and day out I have the opportunity to witness little miracles, and by “little” I mean in the literal sense as the children about whom I’m speaking are all under the age of three.  In the ARC Marion Early Intervention Program(EIP), children with varying intellectual and developmental disabilities attend classes five days a [...]

An annual treat at ARC Marion is the “costume parade” of the children in the Early Intervention Program.  Many of the children come dressed in costumes for the special day, but the EIP program also has an assortment of dress-up clothes for those who aren’t already in fun attire.  The children go to all of the [...]

I have a board member who is also a parent of an ARC client.  She’s been on my board for the past two years and has added a lot of insight to fundraising during her time with us.  However, this year she’s energized and empowered in a way I’ve never seen her.  When I asked [...]

Recently I was talking with the Director of the Early Intervention Program at ARC Marion and mentioned to her a very vivid memory from my childhood about my sister.   When she was born, she had very limited movement and couldn’t rollover or sit up or stand because her little legs weren’t strong enough.  She also [...]

At this very moment, the Senate Finance Committee is working on a bill on healthcare reforms.  As a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, I have learned that there are at least 25 proposed amendments that would cap the value of the charitable deduction. This cap would create a huge disincentive for charitable giving!
Currently, taxpayers earning [...]

Imagine living with a nonverbal developmentally disabled individual who has no means of communication whatsoever.  She crawls around the house, eats at the dinner table, plays with some toys and goes to school on the short bus every day without any way to tell her family what she wants. Ever. Then picture the day when [...]