Dancin' With The Arc

I serve on the board of directors for an agency that advocates for and with people with developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc Hamilton County is the oldest Arc in the country with a sixty year history. Our Arc was started by three Cincinnati mothers who, six decades ago, made the decision to go against all the conventional thinking, and keep their children at home. Out of their determination and collaboration, a nationwide movement was born. Throughout all the intervening years, our agency has worked to create the sort of community that welcomes and values all its members -- where people with developmental disabilities can participate fully, and be assured of full rights.

On Friday, October 3, The Arc Hamilton County will hold a community gathering that we are calling "Dancin' With The Arc." It should be a delightful evening of fun and dance and coming together as the city of Cincinnati to declare that we share a common vision of our life here.

Everyone is invited to participate in Dancin' With The Arc. We'd all be thrilled to have a broad spectrum of the community take part in this event. Here's the information you will need if you are interested in attending. Consider yourselves invited!

The Arc of Hamilton County presents Dancin’ with the Arc Friday, October 3 at the 20th Century Theater in Oakley (http://www.the20thcenturytheater.com/). With the seven-piece Airwave Band, heavy appetizers, a silent auction and an open beer/wine bar included (full bar available), Dancin’ with the Arc offers a fun and unique night out for couples and groups of friends while supporting the core mission of The Arc (http://www.archamilton.org/). The Arc is the premier umbrella agency providing targeted services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We believe in an inclusive society and full participation of self advocates in everyday life. The mission is to advocate for the rights and full participation of all people with intellectual or developmental disabilities through targeted services. The Arc provides many targeted programs and services to our constituency such as Self-Advocacy Education and Training, Public Policy Advocacy, Information and Referral/Individual Case Advocacy, Family Support Services, Covenants of Support groups, Quality of Life Monitoring and Community Building. Dancin’ with the Arc aligns with our mission and values apropos to the clients that we serve while offering an entertaining night out for all. The event will begin at 7:30PM and continue until 12:00AM. The Airwave Band (http://www.airwaveband.com/), Bob Herzog from Channel 12 as MC, heavy appetizers, elegant desserts, open wine and beer bar included, and the “Say Cheese” photo booth will be just some of the highlights of the night. A Silent Auction with memorable prizes such as a Spa Day, show tickets, art work and much more will take place. Valet parking will be available. Self advocate admission is $15 and the general public is $85 per person. Registration information can be found on the Hamilton County Arc web site: http://www.archamilton.org/. Dancin’ with The Arc will be a social evening of dance, inclusion, fun and celebration of the gifts that we all bring to the community, so mark your calendar now, and register on line or at the door. Corporate sponsors for the event include: the Pulse – Downtown and Around Town, Channel 12, Cincinnati Public Radio, Proteon Software, Cincinnati Bell, Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors, Tim and Holly Freeman, Kroger Company, Luxottica Retail, Rippe and Kingston, City Beat, Butler County MRDD Board, Clermont County MRDD Board, Folkers Associates, Hamilton County MRDD Board, Huntington Bank, MicroPress, PHC Group, Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Blue Chip Mailing Services, Deloitte, Mutual of America, Paul Nidich - Attorney at Law, Richard Dusterberg - Attorney at Law, The Crowell Company, USI Midwest and UBS Financial Services. Joel Kaplan, Development Director, can be reached at 513.821.2113, ext.119 for questions or to discuss the various other levels of support and sponsorship for the evening’s festivities.