The Arc of Halifax sure knows how to party! I joined this friendly group of advocates over cake and ice cream at the Southside Community Services. During this visit, members Marilyn Goode, Joel Cassada, Rhonda Inge, Betty Hudson, Hugh Haley, and Angie Easley shared with me their recent triumphs in promoting the quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Halifax County.

One way this local chapter is working hard to do this is by organizing a number of social events spread throughout the year. Some of the group’s most recent efforts have included a stew for their membership, an Easter Egg Hunt, and a Valentine’s Day Party. At this moment, members of The Arc of Halifax are busy gearing up a golf tournament in the fall. They are partnering with a local group of parents of children with Autism for this event and the fundraiser sounds like it will be a huge success!

The group shared with me that they felt it would be helpful to learn more about what other chapters are doing to promote “A Life Like Yours” in their communities. They said that increased communication between chapters would be beneficial to learn what is going on around the Commonwealth in regards to successes in relationship-building, creating awareness, and establishing partnerships. Members of The Arc of Halifax were in agreement that now is a critical time for local chapters of The Arc to work together to build a unified message that community based funding should be made a priority in order for Virginia to move forward.

The group pointed out that building a unified message begins with a strong and active membership. Members suggested reaching out to parents of school-age children about why their help is needed to ensure that their children will have access to “A Life Like Yours” when they graduate. Once again, communication among chapters was emphasized as being a critical element for chapters to build on each other’s efforts in this regard.

Many thanks to The Arc of Halifax for the opportunity to visit and I deeply appreciated the feedback you shared. I wish you all the best of luck in planning your golf tournament!