Benson Burdock Festival & Family Day
We had a great time at the Benson Burdock Festival & Family Day on Sunday, Aug. 2nd! This year ARC’s Aktion Club attended with their homemade items. We were all so proud of our display! Many people came to visit and most of them made a purchase, or left a donation. Terry was our lead salesperson for the day and Colleen assisted with her great record keeping skills!
We all enjoyed Benson’s unique small town parade, delicious barbeque, mini-golf, the book sale, wonderful vendors and more… Thank you to our Aktion Club and SABE-R members that came to enjoy the morning with us. This group pic is a keeper!
Sincere thanks to our event hosts that did their best to make us comfortable and a very special thanks to the Wheel Inn who made sure there was parking for our Bus!
ARC / Kiwanis Club Family Fun Day
Despite the rainy weather on Saturday, July 18th, ARC members had a good time at our 2026 ARC/ Kiwanis Club of Rutland, Vermont Family Fun Day at the Pittsford Recreation Center. We had a BBQ lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs, potato chips, and a variety of soft drinks and individual brownie/cakes and pies for dessert – all courtesy of the Rutland Kiwanis Club. After lunch, members enjoyed singing karaoke, playing bingo, and socializing with friends.
We are so appreciative of the Rutland Kiwanis Club for sponsoring and volunteering their services at this annual event. Thank you also to all who stepped out to help out at this event.
ARC 2026 Summer Splash – Sponsored by Come Alive Outside
We had a beautiful day and a great time at our ARC 2026 Summer Splash on Sunday, June 28th at Lake Bomoseen State Park. ARC members enjoyed a BBQ lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs, with a variety of salads, fruit, and cookies and brownies for dessert. After lunch, members played games of twister, corn hole, and bingo. There was also a limbo contest; congratulations to Caroline who took 1st place! 2nd place to Ellie and 3rd place to Kelia!!!
We extend our sincere appreciation to Come Alive Outside for sponsoring this annual event and to all the volunteers at the event.
Rutland City Mayor Tom Donahue Met with the ARC SABE-R Group
On June 9th Rutland City Mayor Tom Donahue came to visit us at our monthly Self-Advocates meeting. It was interesting to find some similarities between the mayor’s job and that of our self-advocates. The mayor gave our self-advocates some tips on presenting to an audience, such as sticking to the top 2 or 3 points you feel most important. It was a great visit and we are very grateful that he was able to make time for us. You can view a video of this presentation in three segments on PEGTV: Segment 1 Rutland City Mayor Visits ARC Self Advocates, Segment 2 Getting Your Message Out, and Segment 3 Mayor’s Priorities
ARC AKtion Club Fundraiser
Some of our ARC AKtion Club members attended the Fair Haven Spring Fling event on Saturday, May 23rd to sell the craft items the club has been making. They had a successful and fun day! The AKtion Club donates all the proceeds from their fundraisers to local nonprofits at Christmas time.
GMSA Voices and Choices Conference
On Tuesday May 12th, members of ARC’s SABE-R group along with staff attended the GMSA Voices and Choices Conference at the Double Tree by Hilton in Burlington. There they participated in various workshops related to self-advocacy and life skills. They also enjoyed a nice lunch. Congratulations to April Gilman on being chosen as our SABE-R group’s 2026 Self Advocate of the Year!
ARC 2026 Spring Fling Dance
ARC’s 2026 Spring Fling Dance was held on Sunday, May 3 at the Castleton American Legion. A lunch of sandwiches with vegetable and fruit platters and various salads was served courtesy of the Castleton American Legion. Followed by dancing and catching up with friends. Members of the Fair Haven Police Dept. stopped in for a visit and dance.
ARC extends its sincere appreciation to the Castleton American Legion for hosting and sponsoring this event; and to all who volunteered at the event.
ARC Members Attend Project Vision Meetings
Stephanie and April accompanied Tia to the Project Vision meeting on April 7th. It was Stephanie’s first time at Project Vision and she did a great job introducing herself to the audience. After the meeting they were able to speak with Rutland City’s new Mayor Tom Donahue and new Chief of Police, Matthew Prouty.
ARC Spring 2026 Life Skill Courses
The ARC Life Skills courses Budgeting Part 2, Feeling Through Art , Reading for Joy, and Eating Well for Myself wrapped up in April and May. Congratulations to our recent graduates! What a great time we had during these life skill courses.
Budgeting Part 2: Left front: Tiffany B., Patty C., Ellie A. – Back row left to right: Jennifer McNeil, Instructor; April G., Terrell O. and Lester C.
Feeling Through Art: Front, left to right: Annaliese B., April G., and Patty C. – Back row left to right: Tia Poalino, Instructor and Lester C.
Reading for Joy: Front, left to right: Stephanie L., Patty C. – Back row left to right: Tiffany B., Ellie A., Lester C., April G., and Diane Drake – Instructor.
Eating Well for Myself: Front, left to right: Tiffany B., Patty C., Karoline G. – Back row left to right: Diane Drake – Instructor; April G., Lester C., and Terrell O.
In June, the Safety and Prevention and Holistic Health courses were completed. Congratulations to these graduates:
Safety and Prevention: Back row – left to right: April G., course facilitator, Tia Poalino, Lester C. Front row – left to right: Ellie A., Patty C., Stephanie L., Annaliese B. Front on knees: Tiffany B.
Holistic Health: Back row – Left to right: Ellie A., Lester C., April G. Front row – Left to right: Patty C., Tiffany B. and course instructor, Lisa Lynch
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month March 2026
March 11, 2026 was Disability Advocacy Day at the Vermont State House. Our members Patty Czarnecki, April Gilman and Caroline Gillen represented ARC Rutland Area in the Card room at the State House. This group engaged with their representatives – William Canfield, Christopher Howland, Mary Howard, Jim Harrison, Chris Keyser, David Bosch, and Patricia McCoy. We want to thank each one of them for taking the time to look at our table and discuss important topics like transportation!
On Tuesday, March 24 ARC’s Self Advocates Becoming Empowered – Rutland (SABE-R) group presented their Disability Advocacy presentation to the Fair Haven Police Department at the Fair Haven Municipal Building. In attendance were members of the Fair Haven Police Department, Pawlet Constable, community members, and other representatives of local emergency response teams.
ARC SABE-R members Patty Czarnecki, April Gilman and Stephanie Lovelette provided excellent presentations. In addition, we enjoyed an engaging, open, and vibrant discussion about developmentally disabled adults transitioning from high school into adults as community members. The discussion included perceptions and relationships with local law enforcement officials.
Hannaford Community Bags
ARC Rutland Area was honored to have been selected as a Hannaford Community Bag Program Nonprofit Partner for the month of March 2026! ARC received $333 – $1 for each $2.50 reusable Community Bag sold during the month of March at the Rutland VT store. Thank you to Hannaford and to all who purchased reusable Hannaford Community Bags in March in support of ARC. Every donation helps and is greatly appreciated.
ARC 2026 Valentine’s Dance
ARC’s 2026 Valentine’s Dance was held on Sunday, February 8th at the Rutland Elks Lodge #345. The Elks provided a meal of hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni salad, and chips. Cake and dancing followed. Thank you to the Elks for their generous support. Thank you to all the volunteers who assisted at the dance and to all who braved the frigid cold weather to attend.
Lawson’s Finest Liquids Sunshine Fund Award to ARC
ARC was honored to have been chosen to be the partner “On Tap” Sunshine Fund award recipient at Lawson’s Finest Liquids Taproom during December 1 – 15, 2025. During that time, 100% of the donations received from Taproom guests were allocated to ARC Rutland Area.
In January, the staff of Lawson’s Finest, presented ARC with a check for $8,323.83! We are beyond grateful for this incredible support. A huge thank you to #lawsonsfinestliquids and to everyone who donated at their Taproom.
ARC Rutland Area 2025 – Year in Review
ARC 2025 Annual Membership Meeting & Holiday Dinner Dance
We had a wonderful time at our 2025 ARC Annual Membership Meeting and Holiday Dinner Dance on Sunday, December 14th at the Rutland Elks Lodge #345.
At the meeting, Exec. Dir. Diane Drake reported on ARC’s 2025 happenings and financials. Highlighting the hiring of a program director and the five new life skills courses offered this year. The membership approved the 2026 slate of board officers: Melissa Stevens as President, Tim Wing as Treasurer, and Jennifer McNeil as Secretary; and John Wing and Loren Roth as board members.
Jordan Jankus, Melissa Stevens, Jess Corey, Stephanie Lovelette, Terry Stevens, Bobby Poquette, Stacy Shields, Aaron Lethbridge, and Jeanne Bradley all received certificates of appreciation for their volunteer work at ARC this year. Special Valued Partner Certificates were awarded to the Rutland Elks Lodge #345 and The Bus.
Following the meeting, we enjoyed a delicious pasta meal courtesy of the Rutland Elks Lodge #345. After the meal and dessert of cake, Santa and his reindeer passed out gifts to ARC members. Then the dance floor was opened up.
ARC Board and staff extend our sincere appreciation to: Rutland Elks Lodge #345 for hosting this event and providing the meal; and to those who helped out at the dance: Jennifer McNeil, Jess Corey, Stephanie Lovelette, the Chamberlands, Patty Czarnecki, Wyonna Powell, Annaliese Bieg, James Fowler, and the Elks member volunteers. And thank you also to those who shared their photos from the dance with us: Jen McNeil, Nellie Beliakova, Jennifer Brown Strangeway, and the Chamberlands.
ARC AKtion Club and SABE-R Group Give Back to the Community
ARC’s AKtion Club and Self Advocacy group were pleased to give back to the community by donating $250.00 to the Rutland Boys and Girls Club and $250.00 to the Rutland Humane Society in December. The groups worked hard to raise this money through various fundraisers throughout the year – a car wash, an art show and sale, and making suncatchers and snowflake wreaths to sell.
2025 GMSA Mini Conference Know Your Rights! Speak Up!
Some ARC members attended the GMSA Mini Conference: Know Your Rights! Speak Up! in Manchester, VT on Tuesday, Nov. 18th. The conference reviewed 12 rights of those living in a home-share or in housing run by an agency. All enjoyed the conference.
For a complete list of our meetings, events, and activities, please see our Calendar page.