The Arc of Benton County

The Corvallis Summer Club visited OSU's Wave Lab! It's the largest one at an academic institution in the U.S., attracting researchers from all over the country. We had the privilege of touring the facility and watching wave simulations with LEGOs acting as buildings. How cool!

Saturday is Thrift Store Day, and we're giving away two $50 gift certificates (one to each of our stores)! Here's how to enter for a chance to win one:

1. Take a photo at one of The Arc Thrift Stores on 8/16 or 8/17
2. Share the photo to Facebook or Instagram and tag us in it. In your post, tell us which store you visited.
3. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram (wherever you shared the photo to)

Our Facebook handle is TheArcBenton and our Instagram handle is thearcbentonthrift.

Deadline to enter is 8/17 @ 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen on 8/19.
No purchase necessary. One winner will be chosen for each thrift store (Corvallis and Philomath). You will be entered for a chance to win a gift certificate for the store you visited. Gift certificates may only be used at the store they were won at.

Something fun is happening at The Arc Thrift Stores tomorrow and Saturday! We'll be posting information about it later tonight. Stay tuned!

Today is ABLE Savings Day, which recognizes the 10th anniversary of the ABLE savings program! Oregon ABLE accounts let people with disabilities (and/or their families) save money without it affecting their eligibility for benefits.

Learn more about this program here: https://www.oregonablesavings.com/resources

As a friendly reminder, The Arc Achievement Program (TAAP) must be listed on your ISP before attending our activities. This includes Game Night and Movie Night.

Please reach out if you have any questions regarding this!

Here's a friendly reminder from the home décor section of The Arc Corvallis Thrift Store!

This platform lets people with disabilities and their loved ones comment on how accessible businesses are, nationwide. How cool is that?!

Yelp-Like Platform Empowers Disabled Community Individuals with disabilities and their families are a significant market for goods and services, yet they are often overlooked. Find stores that go the extra mile.

The answer is YES! As a person with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, you have the right to vote in any election.

Learn more about voting rights from Disability Rights Oregon: https://www.droregon.org/voting-rights

Can people with intellectual disabilities vote in Oregon? In many states, people with intellectual disabilities are denied the right to vote. Paul Collins, an English professor at Portland State University, explores this issue in a new article. He joins us to talk about who votes and why it matters.

Do you know someone who has completed our ETP volunteer program and is now looking for paid employment? We're looking to fill two spots in our ETP job training program! These participants will be working in the toy section of The Arc Corvallis Thrift Store.

For more information, contact Krystina at [email protected]

Today is an ArtFocus day! On Wednesdays, we paint, draw, and hang out with our friends.

ArtFocus is an activity offered through The Arc Achievement Program (TAAP), For more information on TAAP programs, contact Jonah at [email protected]

It's Tuesday again, which means it's time to build with LEGOs at The Arc Achievement Program (TAAP)!

For more information on this program, contact Jonah at [email protected]

Are you joining us for Game Night this Thursday at The Arc Corvallis Thrift Store? We'll be meeting in the art gallery for two hours to play our favorites. See you there!

When we play with clay, the possibilities are endless! Our participants make ceramics on Thursdays at 1:30pm.

To sign up for this class and others through The Arc Achievement Program (TAAP), contact Jonah at [email protected].

Here's a fun fact about cacti: some can live for up to 200 years, and some can survive for a year or two without water!

The Corvallis Summer Club brings our participants closer to their community and to each other. On Wednesday, we took a tour of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. We're so excited for the activities we have planned for the next couple of weeks!

August is National Wellness Month! Self-care can help us become healthier and happier, even when things aren't going so well.

What do you do to take care of yourself?

Get your water, sunblock, and sunglasses - it's going to be HOT outside today!

If you or someone you love is vulnerable to the heat, make sure you have everything you need to stay cool, including a fan or air conditioning if available. If you don't have access to cool air, visit a nearby cooling center: https://health.bentoncountyor.gov/warming-cooling/ -corvallis

Do you love dancing? So do we! That's why we have a music and dance class on Wednesdays at 12:30pm.

For more information and to sign up for our day programs, contact Jonah at [email protected]

Today is International Day of Friendship, but at The Arc of Benton County, we celebrate friendship every day.

Our friends had a great time at our dance and ice cream social, hosted with Kiwanis Club of Corvallis at the Corvallis Community Center. We hope to see you the next time we host an event!

Thanks to Guardian Games in Corvallis for letting our Summer Club test out some of your demo games!

The Arc's Corvallis Summer Club visits cool places all over town from Monday-Thursday. For more information, visit https://arcbenton.org/summer-club/

Did you know: our ArtFocus students sell their work at our InSight Gallery, hosted at The Arc Thrift Store in Corvallis? They get 80% of the profit, while the other 20% goes towards supporting the gallery. Stop by to support our artists today!

It's a Farmer's Market day!

The Corvallis Summer Club visited the Wednesday market this week, and we had a blast! We sampled cheeses, ate some cookies, and explored the different booths set up by local producers.

What's your favorite thing about the Corvallis Farmers' Market?

Time and time again, people with disabilities and their family members have been discriminated against, devalued, discounted, put down, and more. And time and time again, people with disabilities, their families, and allies have shared their stories, educated others, and rallied behind the fact that disability rights are human rights. We’ve come a long way, and we have more to do.

Share if you agree—Disability Rights are Human Rights.

Today is Nature Day at the Corvallis Summer Club! We spend the day gardening, engaging in horticulture therapy, and making crafts.

Today is National Intern Day, and we're happy to announce that we're looking to bring on some college students for Fall 2024! Want to boost your resume while supporting a nonprofit? Read on for more info!

Emergency Preparedness Internship: Emergency preparedness for people with developmental disabilities. May involve leading focus groups and gathering input from the community and creating kits/training to be used in an emergency.

CommCard Support Internship: May involve organizing records and creating website and promotional materials. Learn more about our CommCard program at https://arcbenton.org/programs/the-commcard-program/

Video Production Internship: May involve creating videos of people with developmental disabilities sharing their stories.

At this time, these opportunities are unpaid. We are experienced with helping interns earn college credit, and we're happy to work with you and your academic institution to make that possible.

For more information, please contact Misha at [email protected]. We hope to hear from you soon!

Most clothing can be recycled and instead winds up in the landfill. Donating your pre-loved clothes to The Arc Thrift Stores can reduce your carbon footprint while supporting our programs!

Looking for a part-time retail job at an awesome nonprofit organization? The Arc Thrift Store in Philomath is hiring a sales associate! If you have experience in retail or customer service, we invite you to apply.

Visit our website for more information: https://arcbenton.org/get-involved/jobs/

July is National Fragile X Awareness Month, and today is National Fragile X Awareness Day. Learn more about this gene mutation that some people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live with.

Today is National Ice Cream Day, but that's not what we're most excited for! We have a dance and ice cream social at the Corvallis Community Center this Friday the 26th. This event is 18+ and costs $5 per person.

This is an opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to hang out with their friends and make new ones. Of course, it's also a chance to enjoy some yummy ice cream.

We hope to see you there!