Vanguard, Spring 2004

A letter from your president

Dear Arc-South Bay members, consumers and advocates of people with developmental disabilities:

It is that time of the year when the weather is changing and the days are getting longer. And, just like the weather, things in Sacramento keep changing.  As of yet we still do not know what impact the budget shortfall is going to have on The Arc.  But even with all of these challenges we face, we are able to maintain solvency in our budget and programs.

Some tough decisions have had to be made by management, such as cuts in staff and voluntary vacation days.  I would like to let everyone know that if it were not for staff, we would not be making strides in a positive direction.  Staff has made the cuts seem virtually unnoticeable to members of our community and their parents.  Although we face difficult times, I believe that we are moving the right direction.

In fact, we just had a success with our Super Bowl Drawing, due to the hard work and creativity of Warren Kelly, Jim Donatelli, Florence Bagbsby, Bobbie Hedges and Judy Senter.  Along with the support of the Daily Breeze and some local businesses we were able to make a respectable profit.

We also owe a great deal of gratitude to former Board member and President Lyn O’Neill-Burton for all of her efforts; she has truly been a gift to The Arc-South Bay.  She gave so much of her time to attend critical meetings that had a great impact on the direction the Arc is going, and we will miss her when she moves away.

I would like to welcome Jack Stuckey to our Board of Directors; he comes to us as an executive in the advertising business.  Jack is very active in the community and has donated his time to many foundations. We are very fortunate to have him as a board member.

Finally, I would like to thank the staff and Board of Directors for their continuous commitment to excellence, and all of the people who give their time, labor, and hard-earned money to make the quality of life better for those whom we serve. 

How is your lawn doing?

Could it use a little help from our friends in the Arc’s community employment program? We have crews of adults with developmental disabilities who, under supervision, mow, rake, edge, weed, and cleanup  - and all for low monthly rates, too.

Consumer Russell Lamey fires up the edger and Darnell Hayes (below) shows off his raking style.

If your lawn doesn’t need help, how about your floors or bathrooms? We also have several janitorial crews who will clean residential or business buildings. For more information, or for a free estimate, call our Community Employment Services Manager, Derek Benton at
310-532-6333, x 232.

The Arc marches on for St. Paddy!

On March 13th, Past President Paul Flahive and grandchildren rode in his convertible in the Hermosa Beach Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Paul’s convertible had a sign on each side identifying the entry as The Arc-South Bay’s. Thank you Paul for helping with our community visibility! 

Need packaging help? Small-parts assembly?

Don’t forget our Southwest Industries! We can do all sorts of jobs for you while reducing your overhead. Some of the tasks we can do are: shrink wrap, blister pack, skin pack, repackaging, labeling, assembly, sorting, collating. While doing your job for you, our consumers are learning work skills and earning a pay check. Our prices are competitive and we have free pickup and delivery. Call our Production Manager Dawn Sanchez for more information, 310-532-6333, ext. 229.

You and your discards

Don’t know what to do with your household discards now that we no longer have our Value Village? Well, you can “patronize” the Arc in Long Beach – they have a Value Village thrift store and do pickups in the South Bay area now. So, when the solicitor calls and says she is from Value Village, make sure it is Arc-Long Beach.  There are quite a few agencies out there who are soliciting pickups, and we of course endorse Arc-Long Beach over the others, since we believe in their work. The Arc -Long Beach has stores in three locations: Long Beach, Bellflower and Fullerton.

Meanwhile, down at the beach…

…at our Adult Development Center in Hermosa Beach, consumers are learning computer skills.  Every consumer gets a chance to go once a week to Harbor Regional Center in Torrance for computer classes. The computer lab is furnished with accessible equipment so that even if the consumers cannot use a keyboard, there are accommodations for them to use the computers. They are able to play learning games such as matching colors and shapes, alphabet games, creating cards, etc. They really enjoy the experience, according to staff at Hermosa. 

An additional benefit of the trip is that they can practice their mobility skills, as they go on the RTD.  If time permits, they can eat lunch in one of many eateries near the Regional Center, before they head back to the Center in Hermosa Beach.

Thanks to staff efforts, all consumers at Hermosa now have passes for Access, RTD and the blue line, so that they can travel back and forth without paying. Way to go!

Welcome, new board members!

Welcome Jack Stuckey, to our Board of Directors.  A resident of Hermosa Beach, Jack is in the advertising business and has been active with the Hermosa Art Foundation. He was appointed for a term ending October 1, 2004.

And, we welcome back Paul Kang for a one-year appointment, as well as Bobbie Hedges and Paul Flahive for three-year terms.

At a recent Board meeting, members share cake with outgoing members Florence Bagsby and Lorenzo Ybarra (at the end of the table). Other Board members from left to right are: Tom Wong, Sylvia Cameron, Paul Flahive and Bobbie Hedges.

A little bit of Paradise for Pledge prize winners

When member Don Kuehnle called to fnd out why he didn’t win the Super Bowl, I had good news for him…although he didn’t win the Super Bowl trip, he did win the pledge drawing, entitling him to lunch for two at the fabulous Paradise Café in Gardena. Thanks to manager Harvey Kano for providing the gift certificate for us.

And a lot of Houston for Super Bowl winners!

It was a tense moment as the winning ticket was drawn for the Super Bowl trip, and everyone waited with baited breath for the outcome.  After much drum rolling, consumer George Dawson pulled the winning ticket, and it turned out to belong to Ernie O’Dell, Treasurer of the City of Redondo Beach.

Executive Director Richard Pierce (rt) and Committee member Florence Bagsby (left) congratulate Ernie O’Dell and hand him his Super Bowl tickets.

Other winners were: $50 Costco gift certificate, Courtney Campbell of Ryder Transportation; Whole Foods gift basket, Ed Gohn of Torrance; Trader Joe’s gift basket, Ed Ayer of Torrance. In addition, Judy Senter won a Cross pen and pencil set for selling the winning ticket; and Board President Jimmy Coleman won dinner for two at the Outback Steakhouse for selling the most tickets.

Thanks again to our committee members: Warren Kelly (chair), Jimmy Donatelli, Florence Bagsby, and Judy Senter. Special thanks to Bobbie Hedges for obtaining the donated prizes, and to all who contributed to the success of the event. We netted approximately $2,000 from the drawing.

Wheelchairs from Canterbury

Thanks to an anonymous fan of ours “up on the hill,” we were able to receive three used wheelchairs from The Canterbury, a skilled nursing facility in Rancho Palos Verdes. Their manager called and said that a “great fan” of ours had put in a good word for us, so he called to see if we could use the chairs. Well, the answer was yes. Now ADC-Gardena has two extra chairs for taking consumers to and from the busses and around the facility, and we have a spare for ill consumers at Southwest Industries. Here’s a big thanks to Manager Dave Rickets at The Canterbury for rounding out our wheelchair inventory.

FINANCIAL AND STATISTICAL REPORTS

Twelve Months Ending September 30, 2003

YEAR-END BALANCE	SERVICE REPORT
Functional Support and Revenues: Total of All Funds	Consumer Program Enrollment
Program Activities $2,310,771	Leisure Services 168
Supporting Activities $13,361	Residential Services 6
Administrative and General $51,346	Work Activity Center 152
TOTAL $2,375,478	Adult Development Program 143
	Supported Employment Program 28
Functional Expenses	Total Individuals Served (unduplicated)
Program Activities $2,102,187	497
Supporting Activities $885	Services Provided Oct 1, 2002 - Sept 30, 2003
Administrative and General $376,207	Information and Referral 167
Depreciation $36,255	Individual Advocacy Contacts 29
TOTAL $2,515,534
Excess (Deficiency) of Support and Revenue Over Expenses $140,056

Other Changes in Fund Balance

Fund Balance, Beginning $625,645

Fund Balance, Ending $485,589