Newsletter: January 2000

Greetings of the New Year to all of our wonderful members. We thank every one of you for supporting our consumers in their life journeys and wish you the very best of new years and a fantastic New Millennium.

The Arc state convention is coming right up February 24-26 at Bakersfield, just a three-hour drive. The convention theme is “Connecting the Past with the Future.” Workshops include a three-part session on SSI, Future Planning, Supported Employment, Drugs and their interactions, Self-Determination and Advocacy, Internet and e-commerce and more. Special attractions include a visit from Robert Beltran, actor on “Star Trek Voyager,” a dinner outing at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace and a golf outing at Riverlakes Golf Course. One-day registration is $75; full registration is $145 (includes breakfasts and some lunches/dinners). For more information, call Sharon Wheat at (661) 327-8531, or visit our website at www.lafn.org/community/arcsobay and click on “News.”

Sadly, several of our consumers who attended the Adult Development Center in Gardena passed on in 1999. They are: Willie Burks, Sharon Cook, Curtis Higuera and Laura Tak.

Also in 1999, we lost longtime volunteer and employee Estella (Ruiz) Zamora. She had worked for Value Village for many years, and was the aunt of members Sylvia Cameron and Fran Carr.

In January, the Arc bowling community lost a good friend in Jean Jordan, who had coordinated the MRC bowling tournaments for many years. Known as the “bowling lady” to our consumers, she will be missed.

To all the loved ones of the above, we offer our sincere condolences.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could shop at a mall where a portion of every purchase went to The Arc? And how about if that mall were in your home! We’re talking cyber-mall here, folks. For those of you who are online, read on. The name of the mall is www.iGive.com, and every time you visit (once you are registered), the Arc earns money. If you make a purchase at the mall, we make even more! It doesn’t cost you any extra and you don’t even have to drive. The iGive mall features such big name “etailers” as Amazon, eToys, Barnes & Noble, Petsmart, Dell, CDnow, Avon, JCPenney, Disney Store, REI, SelfCare, J Crew and Hallmark, to name a few! All you have to do is log onto the iGive site, select The Arc-South Bay as your charity (Cause #8112) and then go shopping. Once you make a purchase, be sure to forward your order confirmation to iGive (they’ll tell you how), and that’s all there is to it. We have already received two checks from them, so I know it works.

Visit us on the web at www.lafn.org/community/arcsobay

Coming Up:

• February 12th, MRC Bowling Tournament, Covina, pre-registration required.
• February 21st, President’s Day, all Arc programs closed.
• February 24-26, Arc state convention, Bakersfield.