Lead Stories, News

Arc Westchester awarded $197K in grants

The Arc Westchester, a not￾for-profit organization support￾ing people with developmental  disabilities in Westchester County, has been awarded $197,688 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 dramat￾ic improvements to the lives
of people with disabilities by enabling individuals to maintain financial eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested gov￾ernment benefit programs. For 2024, NYSARC Trust Services is proud to fulfill its commitment to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities by awarding a
total of $2,697,508 to The Arc New York Chapters statewide.

In 2024, The Arc Westches￾ter’s corporate guardianship program received $183,650 from NYSARC Trust Services. The funding is used for program operations including dedicated staffing and training opportu￾nities for staff and members of our guardianship committee.
Currently we are assisting 60 individuals in the role of guardian and successor guard￾ian. We returned to in-person events and celebrated togeth￾er for an annual BBQ held at Macy Park in June. In Decem￾ber, we hosted a holiday party with dancing and a photo booth
to capture our memories. Indi￾vidualized gifts were purchased for all in attendance.

The guardianship staff con￾tinue to be a resource to local school personnel, care coor￾dinators and families seeking assistance with future planning including guardianship and supported decision-making. Periodic seminars are offered to assist with the completion of guardianship petitions for the Surrogate Court. NYSARC Trust Services also awarded The Arc Westchester $14,038 to support new recre￾ational opportunities and enrich the lives of the people it serves.

The Arc Westchester used the recreation grant funds to develop additional wellness and fitness activities, explore the community through recreational day trips, and enhance pro￾grams at their summer college experience and camp excur￾sions. These opportunities pro￾vide independence, happiness and education for the people the organization supports. The popular “daycation” program including aquarium visits, art centers, paint classes, bowling, baseball, football, basketball games and pizza nights are just some of the activities that support a full and happy life.

To learn more about The Arc Westchester, visit their website at http://www.arcwestchester.org.