St. Louis Arc

Thank you to our friends at Bayer for sharing this wonderful story featuring one of the families in our Capable Kids & Families program. We were honored to be invited to Bayer’s kickoff for the 2024 United Way of Greater St. Louis campaign last week. The support of Bayer and the United Way of Greater St. Louis makes our services possible for 4,500 people in the St. Louis region. We look forward to doing our part to ensure the 2024 Campaign is a big success! #unitedwithus

In recognition of Direct Support Professional Week, we asked Arc families to share a few words about staff who make a difference in their lives. Melissa, whose daughter participates in CKF said: "Anne has been an amazing support for our family! In addition to bringing our family amazing toys and resources monthly, she went above and beyond and helped us to navigate our child’s IEP this past year. She sat with us through the IEP and made sure that we understood every step of the process, which was incredibly helpful! We are so thankful for her caring and kind nature as well as the way she shares her insights and resources with us!" #DSPRW2024

National organizations Relias and ANCOR host and promote a DSP Recognition Week, celebrating hardworking Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) nationwide every September. We are so proud of our exceptional Arc Direct Support Professionals! All this week, September 8-14, we’re celebrating them, their passion, and the work they do to support people with disabilities in our community. In part of this celebration, we asked family members to send a note of thanks or recognition to a St. Louis Arc DSP or team who have made a difference in the lives of their loved ones. Follow along as we share several of those testimonials this week! #DSPRW2024 Work For Us (Link-https://lnkd.in/eQGu4nEn) Join us in celebrating our DSPs and share your St. Louis Arc recognition below!

In partnership with the City of Ballwin, MSE Racing hosted the Ballwin Triathlon on Sunday, July 21 at the North Pointe Aquatic Center! The USA Triathlon sanctioned event involves a 300-yard pool swim, 9-mile bike, and 3.4-mile run. This race is very popular for newbies and veterans and fills up to capacity every year.    Remove the Limits had five teams in the event, with each team consisting of a combination of Arc athletes and community athletes completing the triathlon as a relay. Remove the Limits Team 2 placed first and Remove the Limits Team 4 placed second in the Sprint Relay category. A big thank you and shout out to former St. Louis Arc board member, Rich Elias, for bringing the Remove the Limits Triathlon opportunity to our Arc athletes! #RemoveTheLimits

Thank you to Ashley Johnson and our friends at Archford Capital Strategies for their volunteer and financial support for our School Supply Drive! With Archford’s help, 125 children received backpacks and supplies to ensure they were ready to start the school year. We are honored to once again be a beneficiary of the Archford Angels community support campaign!

Thank you, ASSET CONSULTING GROUP for inviting us to the kickoff lunch for your annual give-back campaign. We had a great time meeting you this week and sharing about our St. Louis Arc mission. We are honored to be your chosen charity and look forward to collaborating for a successful and impactful campaign.

The Arc’s Leisure Team hosted the Leisure golf program’s mini tournament on August 6. This year’s golf event was a culmination of weeks of golf, skill development, reconnecting with friends, and making new ones. The golfers, staff, and volunteers were ready to enjoy a day of 9-holes at the Creve Coeur Golf Course. They started with lunch in the clubhouse before heading out with their volunteer caddies. Caddies included family members, program volunteers, and a wonderful group from Spire. The event was a testament to the power of community, inclusion, volunteer commitment, and the unwavering spirit of the participants.

Thank you to Renewal by Andersen of St. Louis and The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum for hosting a family fun night for the Arc's Children's Services families. 380 people came to enjoy an evening of pizza and play.

Consider helping the St. Louis Arc's Annual School Supply Drive for Parents Learning Together and Capable Kids and Families programs. Parents Learning Together (PLT) exists to support men and women who have developmental disabilities and are raising children of their own. Many PLT families have few financial resources and struggle to pay for even the most basic necessities. School supplies are guaranteed to touch each child’s heart in ways we cannot possibly imagine. Capable Kids and Families program (CKF) supports families of children aged birth through six years of age with developmental delays and developmental disabilities in St. Louis City and County. CKF offers monthly in-home visits with a trained family support specialist who focuses on the needs of the entire family. Under the guidance of the child’s physical, occupational, speech, or developmental therapist, the support specialist brings along developmentally appropriate toys and therapeutic equipment, which the family can then borrow for as long as needed. The PLT and CKF School Supply drop-off site is at the St. Louis Arc Family Center at 1177 N. Warson Rd., St. Louis, MO 63132. You are welcome to stop by between the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday to drop off supplies or monetary donations to the School Supply Drive we also encourage you to visit our Amazon Back to School Wish List. Supplies need to be dropped off by August 9 so that we can distribute them to the children on August 14. Use the QR Code for Amazon Wish List or link: https://lnkd.in/gMutTuJJ

Happy National Internship Day! To celebrate this day, we would like to thank the students who have shared their internship experiences with the St. Louis Arc. We are grateful to host students within various programs and with opportunities that can lead to lasting careers. Several St. Louis Arc staff started their careers as interns with the Arc. Here are just a few who now work in various program with the Arc.