ARC 2026 Summer Splash at Bomoseen State Park – Sunday, June 28 , 12 – 3 pm RSVP by Tues. June 23 to 802-775-1370. Sponsored by Come Alive Outside – hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks provided. Please bring a dish to share. Transportation Available.
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 12, 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.
A Safety and Prevention course will run on Wednesdays, May 13 – June 10. This course includes class sessions with the Rutland City Fire & Police Departments as well as time with professional nurses from our Public Health office. They will address questions about what to do in an emergency.
And Holistic Health will also run on Wednesdays, May 13 – June 10 – with Lisa Lynch teaching you about how your body reacts to physical & emotional stress and what you can do to help your mind and body feel more relaxed and healthier.
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.
ARC 2025 Halloween Dance
We had a wonderful time with many in great costumes at our ARC 2025 Halloween Dance on Sunday, Oct. 26th at the Rutland American Legion. Our members enjoyed Domino’s Pizza and cake for lunch followed by dancing and socializing with friends. The winners of our costume contest were: David Garvey as Shrek for most original costume; Greg Elnicki for funniest costume in a technicolored suit; and Amanda Shea for scariest costume as a dead senorita. Our deepest appreciation to the Rutland American Legion for providing the venue and to Domino’s Pizza for providing the pizzas. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with set-up and who picked up the pizzas and cakes.
ARC in the 2025 Rutland City Halloween Parade
ARC members, with their Magical Forest float, were excited to participate in the 2025 Rutland City Halloween Parade on Sat. Oct. 25th. A huge thank you to Nellie and Dmitri Beliakov for the photos.
ARC’s Artists First: Art By Any Other Name art show at the VTSU Castleton Bank Gallery
ARC Self-Advocates, AKtion Club, and the VTSU Castleton University Bank Gallery were proud to present “Art by Any Other Name,” a group exhibition of art created by ARC “Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered – Rutland and AKtion Club”. The exhibition ran from Sept. 18 – Nov. 1, 2025. The show was well received with several of their pieces being purchased.
This new Inclusion project, made possible by a Stewarts’ Grant, offered both groups the opportunity to create and share their artwork with the community. ARC extends our sincere gratitude to our member artists, Stewarts’, the VTSU Castleton Bank Gallery, Ginger Morrigan who facilitated this opportunity for our members, and to TeeJay Morrigan who built a ramp to make the art gallery accessible to all.
For a complete list of our meetings, events, and activities, please see our Calendar page.