RyeCity REVIEW THE
December 11, 2020 | Vol. 8, Number 50 | www.ryecityreview.com
The Arc Westchester awarded $209K in grants
(Moved) but not forgotten On Dec. 3, Westchester County George Latimer hosted a ceremony to honor those that have been lost to COIVD-19 and moved a recently established memorial indoors to the county government offices on Martine Avenue in White Plains. The outdoor memorial was initially constructed at Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers, overlooking the Hudson River. For more, see page 6.
Westchester postmasters support USPS Operation Santa Westchester postmasters are helping raise public awareness that the USPSOperationSanta. com website is active and ready to welcome potential letter adopters to help make the holiday season special for deserving children and their families.
Thousands of letters are written to the USPS Operation Santa program every year in hopes of being adopted by kind and generous people across the country. These letters are opened by Santa’s Elves and, for safety reasons, all personally identifiable information of the
letter writer is removed (i.e. last names, addresses, ZIP codes) and uploaded to USPSOperationSanta.com for adoption through Dec 15. Potential adopters can visit USPSOperationSanta.com, read through the letters, pick one or
more wishes that they’d like to fulfill, and follow the directions on how to grant that special wish for a child. For security reasons, potential adopters must be vetted by going through a short registration and ID verification process before being allowed to adopt any letter.
To participate in USPS Operation Santa as a possible recipient of holiday gifts, write a letter, put it in a stamped envelope with a return address, and send it to Santa’s official workshop address: Santa Claus 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888 Extensive USPS holiday information, including shipping deadlines and the history of USPS Operation Santa, can be found at usps.com.
The Arc Westchester, a notfor-profit organization supporting people with disabilities in Westchester County, has been awarded $209,000 in grants from the Trustee Management Board of NYSARC Trust Services to support The Arc Westchester’s guardianship and recreation programs. NYSARC Trust Services administers supplemental needs trusts, SNT, and pooled trusts that can make dramatic improvements to the lives of people with disabilities by enabling individuals to maintain eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested government benefit programs. For 2020, NYSARC Trust Services is proud to fulfill its commitment to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities by awarding a total of $2.6 million in grants to The Arc New York chapters statewide. This year, The Arc Westchester received $197,000 to provide guardianship services for people with developmental disabilities who would not have otherwise had a legal guardian or advocate. Supported by the chapter staff and community volunteers, The Arc Westchester’s Guardianship Program currently provides guardianship supports and services to 100 people and is ready to assist more as needed. The amount received in 2020 was $197,000. The funding was used for program operations including personalized gifts for birthdays and holidays. Staff assisted five families with successor guardianship petitions. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on outings, meals were purchased and delivered to individuals in lieu of in-person
gatherings. The Arc Westchester will continue to offer remote training opportunities to review future planning and guardianship services. NYSARC Trust Services also awarded $12,000 to develop recreational opportunities to enrich the lives of program participants. The Arc Westchester used the recreation grant funds to defray the cost of activities in 2020 that were able to take place either remotely or safely in-person when restrictions were lifted. In the fall 2020, in-person activities and outings were able to resume. Fees for activities were waived or reduced for community activities. The Arc Westchester, established in 1949, is the oldest and largest agency in the county supporting children, teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including individuals on the autism spectrum, and their families. More than 850 employees provide more than 2,000 individuals throughout the county with a broad range of innovative and effective programs and services designed to foster independence, productivity and participation in community life. Our mission is to provide innovative supports for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families, to build independence, achieve personal goals and strengthen community participation. Our vision is a world of opportunity where people with developmental disabilities live, work, learn and contribute. The Arc Westchester is a chapter of The Arc New York and The Arc of the U.S. (Submitted)