It's safe to say that our sold out disco-inspired event Groovin' For Good was a hit! Everyone had an amazing time showing off their moves and their costumes. Thanks to all who came out and to those who helped put this event together. We reached our friend-raising goal to bring in many new friends to The Arc Montgomery County network!🕺

Get ready for The Arc Montgomery County’s Multicultural Senior Services Fair! This FREE event is designed to connect seniors and caregivers with essential community resources in a welcoming, culturally inclusive environment.

Attendees will have access to informational booths, engaging presentations, and support services tailored specifically for seniors. To ensure accessibility for our diverse community, in-person interpreters will be available, and materials will be provided in multiple languages including Spanish, French, Amharic, Chinese, Russian and Tagalog. We can't wait to see you there!

Date/Time: Tuesday, May 12 from 10 am-2 pm
Location: Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 20877

May 4 - May 8 is Teacher Appreciation Week! It's a time dedicated to honoring educators for their hard work in shaping their students' lives. We appreciate everything that our educators do in our Children & Youth Services Programs to help make this a more inclusive world.

May 6 - 12 marks Nurses Appreciation Week, honoring their dedication, skill, and impact on healthcare. The Arc Montgomery County is lucky to have nurses at our inclusive childcare center, KFICCC, giving us the opportunity to enroll students with medical needs, and nurses for our adult programs. Thank you for all you do!

It’s always a special thing for teachers to be able to see what their former students are up to. Some never get that opportunity, but we are lucky to be checking in with Irene Figueroa.

Irene was a student at KFICCC, then After All, and went on to volunteer at KFICCC. She won a President’s Volunteer Service Award and was honored at The Arc Montgomery County CEVA ceremony in 2019. So, what’s the 29-year-old up to these days? Well, she’s busy!

Irene does Zumba twice a week and karate 4 times a week. She is a student at Master Method Karate in Rockville, MD and currently holds a brown belt and is working on her black belt. Irene’s mom Carlita says she’s “very happy with it” and wants to pass on what she’s learned about focusing one’s mind and body and how to be stronger to a younger generation…possibly even the teens currently enrolled at After All. She wants to teach others to achieve their goals, just as she is doing.

Carlita says she’s grateful to The Arc Montgomery County’s Children & Youth Services and how much the program helped Irene learn and grow with her disabilities.

The teens from After All Kensington had an incredible time at Nationals Park for the Nats' home opener against the Dodgers. Students enjoyed the iconic ballpark franks, music, and The Washington Nationals Racing Presidents. The mascots are fan favorites and race at every home game.

We would like to thank Tower Federal Credit Union (TowerCares Foundation), RMA Chauffeured Transportation, Nationals Park for the accessibility, and our amazing After All employees!

Upgrades for one of our homes in Gaithersburg! Over the course of a few days, volunteers painted, power washed, repaired the driveway and cleared away branches and natural debris from the yard. Inside, painting was done as well as new shelving created and installed in the kitchen.

Behind this effort was Rebuilding Together Montgomery County, which works to provide free critical home repairs, energy efficiency upgrades, and accessibility modifications for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.

Rebuilding Together worked in combination with Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church with a skilled group of volunteers selflessly donating their time to improvements on this home.

A massive thank you to both Rebuilding Together and Gaithersburg Presbyterian!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month with this year's theme being More Good Days, Together - encouraging people to reflect on what a "good" day looks like and using that to connect people to the right support at the right time. 

Small moments can make a difference, so try checking in with yourself, pausing for a few deep breaths, and/or taking a break and time to reset.💚

The Butterfly Experience at Brookside Gardens is well-known in Montgomery County and this month there's a sensory-friendly opportunity when it comes to this popular exhibit.

Designed to be less overwhelming by reducing the number of visitors, it also has natural lighting and fidgets will be provided.

Date: May 12 from 9 am-10 am

Cost: $15.99 (Ages 13+), $10.99 (Ages 3-12), & Free Under 3

Montgomery Parks is offering Therapeutic Recreation Kayaking lessons on Little Seneca Lake. These lessons are designed for adults with IDD looking to build skills and confidence, with instruction focused on developing the skills needed to kayak independently. Each registrant can bring one person with them.

Date: May 6 from 10 am-12 pm.

Cost: Free!!

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is one of the first airports in the world to introduce new assistive technology aimed at making travel easier for flyers with low vision.

Through a partnership with ReBokeh Vision Technologies, BWI is offering free, unlimited access to the company’s mobile app for travelers. The app is designed specifically for people with low vision, allowing users to customize how they see their surroundings in real time using their phone’s camera. Features include adjustable contrast, color filters, zoom, and lighting enhancements to help users better interpret their environment. ✈️

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