THE ARC

CARROLL COUNTY

SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:
Social
Club;
Thurs.
March
26th
Creative
Writing;
Mondays,
6:30-8pm
Job Hunters; Thurs.
& Tues.
10-11:30
am
BarrierFree Theatre; Fridays, 6:308pm
Autism 5K;
Sat. April
25th at
8am

Autism in Motion
V O L U M E 2 ,

I S S U E 3

M O N D A Y ,

M A R C H

2 ,

2 0 1 5

AIM with US
Welcome to The Arc Carroll
Countys adult autism newsletter, Autism in Motion.
Happy March, Everybody!
When you dream, what do
you dream of?
Dreams are our ambitions
about what we want to
achieve in life. Sometimes
dreams take the forms of
loved ones, past experiences,
and ones aspirations to accomplish a certain goal. When
we were children and young
at heart with innocence, our
parents would dream for us a
brighter future; not for
themselves alone, but for
their children. But as we get
older, we look into the future
and have different expectations about how to live the
dreams our parents once had
for us.
When I dream, it IS for a

brighter future, but a future

to where people find the
kindness, compassion, and
the ability to understand
each other in a way that is
not judgmental. Right now, I
am just one person. One person may or may not be able
to change the course of history, but one thing is certain;
I do have the ability to inspire and to influence others
around me to make a difference in my world.
I used to have this dream
inside me and discovered that
expressing this dream is not

an easy task unless you encounter someone in your life

that can help you reflect back
on your true ideologies. Initially, that was my parents,
but the truthfulness of my
dreams came from someone
who touched the deepest
positive and negative aspects
of myself. When discouraged
about whether or not I am
making a difference in the
world or whether or not Im
changing one small piece of
my world, I reflect back to
my one support system that
has helped me redirect my
discouragement into positive
energy and helped me reconnect with the dreams I once
had. We can make a difference. I can make a difference.
-Melanie Milberger
Creative Writing student

PAGE

Social Club
On the last Thursday of
every month, adults with
autism participate in a social activity of their choosing. This is an opportunity
for individuals on the spectrum to develop a rapport
with one another and to
strengthen bonds between
the classes in which they
are involved.

Mardia Gras
mask making.

Past outings include ice

cream, bowling, mini golf,
ghost tours & pizza, a
Thanksgiving Potluck, a

holiday gift exchange party,

Mardi Gras, and a dinner
theatre!
AND...our next Social Club
is Thurs, March. 26th at The
Greene Turtle in Westminster, MD from 6:30-8pm.
We will be meeting at The
Greene Turtle located on
830 Market Street. There,
we will be voting on the
best T-shirt design for the
AIM 5k.

ever you order, you pay!

RSVP by March. 19th to
Britt Burr, Assistant Director of Autism Services, at
(410) 848-4124 ext. 139 or
email her at
bburr@arccarroll.com.

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!

The cost of this Social Club

is what you make it! What-

When I dream, it

Job Hunters

is for a brighter
future. A future

Last year we successfully

helped Conner develop his
skills in acquiring a job at
the Westminster HomeGoods for the holiday season. Now, Conner is currently residing in Japan
looking for work teaching
English to Japanese students. Job Hunters is a
course specifically designed to develop job
skills, job research, cover
letter and resume writing,

where people
find the kindness,
compassion, and
ability to
understand each
other without
being
judgmental.

dressing for success, and

other informative exercises
in aiding adults on the spectrum in entering the workforce. This class does not
end at the 10-week mark.
Beyond 10 weeks, we continue to work with you until
you become successfully
employed! We can do this if
youre ready to commit!
Job Hunters is offered Tuesday and Thursday mornings
at The Arc Carroll County

from 10-11:30am. The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) has approved

this for their fee schedule.
If you or someone you know
has DORS funding, check
with them to see if you
qualify! Contact Britt Burr,
Assistant Director of Autism
Services, at
bburr@arccarroll.com, for
more information.
Dont pass up this
opportunity!

Creative Writing
Explore your imagination
through the use of fictional
and non-fictional works!
Here we learn how to write
biographies, short stories,
plays, & poetry! This class
was in high demand among
our group! We will get a
chance to share our creations with one another and
have our Barrier-Free Theatre class bring some of

Melanie & Kristen conversing over their

About Me assignment
in their Creative Writing
class.

AUTISM

IN

MOTION

these stories to life! By

working in conjunction with
other classes, we can build
even bigger and better ties
with one another. Creative
Writing is offered Monday
evenings at The Arc Carroll
County from 6:30-8pm. The
front of this newsletter was
written by Melanie Milberger, one of our current
Creative Writing students!

For questions regard the

class contact, Britt Burr,
Assistant Director of Autism
Services, at (410) 848-4124
ext. 139 or email her at
bburr@arccarroll.com.

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ISSUE3

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Barrier-Free Theatre
Barrier-Free Theatre
Autism Intern, Lindsay Bullock,
portraying a pirate
Photo Credit: Dylan Slaglestaff

Imagine a mystery, fantasy, and

comedy set in the future about
regular people who travel to the

past (which is our current now)

to prevent the test trials of a
serum that prevents a child
from having autism while simultaneously stopping the overproduction of cloning because evolution has kicked in and no
longer creates humans with the
capability to reproduce. Now,
humans have to design a time
machine to go to the past in
order to save our future. Wow!
Welcome to Barrier-Free Theatre!
BarrierFree Theatre is an all-

inclusive theatre program for

adults on the spectrum that
come together to create original one act plays. Through the
use of improvisational exercises, participants develop
themes, plots, characters, settings, conflicts, and solutions to
formulate a short story. From
this short story, the group
translates that story to script.
At the end of this 11-week program, actors will perform this
for their friends and families.
Classes are Fridays 6:30-8pm.

On the horizon...

NEW!!! Find Autism in Motion (@aim_with_us) on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter!

The Arc Carroll County's Mission, Vision, and Values

Our Mission
To support people in their individual pursuit of a fulfilling life.
Our Vision
We are a leading organization that champions for and supports people with developmental disabilities, while
cultivating relationships that enrich our community.
Our Values
Innovation
Our founders pioneered the opportunities that exist today for people with developmental disabilities. We build on
their courageous tradition of innovation and creativity in the design and delivery of our services.
Integrity
We operate with integrity in all that we do as a service provider, as an employer, and as members of our
community.
Respect
We treat everyone with respect. Dignity, choice, ability, privacy and opinion are fundamental principles of who we
are.
Quality
We embrace the highest standards in all that we do. Quality in service and character drives our actions and
attitudes.
Caring
We act with a genuine spirit of caring. A sincere interest and concern for the complete well-being of all people
define our actions.

The Arc Carroll County

180 Kriders Church Road

Westminster, MD 21158
www.arccarroll.com
Phone: 410.848.4124
Fax: 410.876.5317
E-mail: bburr@arccarroll.com

Achieve with us.

The Arc Carroll County was founded in 1955 by a

small group of parents of children with
developmental disabilities. At that time, these
children were excluded from public education and
there were no structured social, recreational or
educational activities.
This group of parents was committed to forming a
community-based system to provide necessary
services for their children. That first year special
education programs were established in the
basement of the Davis Library on Main Street in
Westminster and in the Mount Airy American Legion.
Since that time, The Arc has advocated for and
worked to provide support to people with
developmental disabilities and their families. Today
The Arc is one of Carroll Countys largest non-profit
organizations serving nearly 700 adults and children
with intellectual and developmental disabilities.