Northeast Arc helps people with disabilities become full participants in the community; choosing for themselves how to live, learn, work, socialize and play.
Northeast Arc strongly stands against all forms of hate including anti-semitism and Islamophobia. We work every day to promote inclusion and ensure the human rights of those we support. All we can say at this time is that Paloma Vasquez is not employed by Northeast Arc.
Congratulations to Northeast Arc's Craig Welton who has been elected the new President of the Peabody City Council! We are so thankful to have Craig as part of our team, and appreciate his passionate committment to building inclusive communities for people with disabilities.
Some of our models, including
@SweetFeet_White
and Jenny Holaday, strutting their stuff during our inclusive fashion show at
@EncoreResortBH
! We raised more than $600,000 during An Evening of Changing Lives Under the Stars 🌟
Congratulations to Steven who was recently hired at
@WHVending
! He was referred to Northeast Arc by
@DDSmass
. Thank you to Wicked Healthy Vending for supporting employment opportunities for people with disabilities!
Breaking News- we have been ranked
#2
by the
@BostonGlobeMag
and
@TCI_Boston
on their list of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts! Thrilled to be in such wonderful company. Congrats
@JoAnnSimons
and our entire team.
Congratulations to Chris, who was recently hired at
@Starbucks
! Like many of the individuals we support, Chris was unable to work for much of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. As you can tell, he's thrilled to be back to work!
#NDEAM
Congratulations to Victor who recently started a new job as a grocery clerk at the
@MarketBasket
in Rowley! Victor was referred to us by
@MassRehabComm
. Say hi to Victor if you'll be shopping there!
Members of Northeast Arc’s Young Ambassador group visited the State House last week. The first stop for this group of advocates was a hearing of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities.
Stop into the
@Starbucks
on Route 1 in Saugus to see Nick! He recently started working there after being referred to Northeast Arc's Community Employment team by the
@MassRehabComm
. Way to go, Nick!
What a day!? Congrats to our Arc Tank 3.0 winning innovators Autism Works
@IMIhealth
, BEAT Rockers
@BEATGlobal_
, Creating Opps Thru Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
@CelebrateEDU
+ 4-A Club
@YachadNJCD
. Fan Favorite LA Lab for Entertainment Professionals w disabilities
#arctank
Mike Schifino, the owner of Holy Cow Ice Cream Café, visited Northeast Arc’s Breaking Grounds Café to drop off a generous donation! The donation will support the Project Perk Program which prepares individuals with disabilities for employment in the community.
Congratulations to Chris Brown who recently started his new job at Starbucks in Andover! Chris was referred to our supported employment team by
@DDSmass
and
@MassRehabComm
.
Our board member
@tjwinick
shines a light on the challenging reality for many special needs families during the
#coronavirus
. Please read his important piece in
@GlobeOpinion
:
🎉 Happy 5th anniversary to Breaking Grounds Café in Peabody! Since opening its doors in 2016, the coffee shop and Northeast Arc have provided valuable training opportunities that have enabled people with disabilities, like Whitney, to obtain competitive employment.
Good morning from the Northeast Human Services Advocacy Legislative Breakfast! We'll be using this thread to share highlights from our speakers who will be advocating for increased wages and support for human service workers.
#ItsNoJoke
#mapoli
Thank you so much to
@LifeTime_Life
for supporting employment opportunities for people with disabilities. This is what an inclusive community looks like!
The
@TheArcofMass
recently honored
@CindyFriedmanMA
and
@RepMichaeljfinn
as their legislators of the year, and the gifts they received were painted by ArcWorks artists. Friedman received "Starry Vase" by Meghan Scire, while Finn received "Purple Mountains" by Michael Butler 🎨
July 26 is
#DisabilityPrideDay
! This is a day where we celebrate the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, and it is also an opportunity to recognize the contributions of individuals with disabilities, while also working to reduce stigma around disabilities.
Thank you to everyone who attended our transition resource fair with
@PLANofma_ri
,
@BestBuddiesMARI
, and
@SpOlympicsMA
. Families with children approaching transition age were able to meet with representatives of each organization to learn about available services.
Congratulations to Antonio who recently started a new job at
@jerseymikes
! Antonio was referred to Northeast Arc by the
@MassRehabComm
, and will be working at the Jersey Mike's Beverly location two days a week.
Congratulations to Laura who recently started a new job at the
@marshalls
in Gloucester! She is a graduate of Northeast Arc's Project Parcels internships, where she received hands-on retail training in our store at the Liberty Tree Mall 🛍️
#NDEAM
Northeast Arc staff and residents attended the
#CaringForceRally
today at the Massachusetts State House! They joined other human service agencies in advocating for two bills that will ease the burden of student loans and ensure a livable wage for the human services sector.
Thank you to Nate, Stephen, and Alex from
@stjohnsprep
who volunteered to help with a clean out at one of our residential homes in Salem! Thank you to them for braving the traffic and bringing the muscle 💪
Congratulations to the Northeast Arc's Craig Welton who has been named to the
@BostonBiz
"40 under 40." Learn about Craig's commitment to helping individuals with disabilities by reading the great Q&A at this link:
What a night for Jaxson at Fenway Park! Jaxson is a six-month old boy with Down syndrome who receives services from Northeast Arc Early Intervention. He had a chance to meet
@Wally97
during the
@C21NorthEast
family night! Both of Jaxson's parents work for the company.
Thank you to all the legislators who joined us today to meet families impacted by long waitlists driven by staffing shortages. We appreciate their support as we fight to make sure all human service workers can earn a living wage.
#WeightOfWaiting
Some officers from
@SaugusPD
visited the Starbucks where Northeast Arc participant Chris Stark works and they enjoyed a cup of coffee together! Thanks for stopping by ☕
Congratulations to Brendan, who recently started a new job at the AMC Theatre in Assembly Row! Brendan was referred to Northeast Arc by the
@MassRehabComm
and will be working as a ticket taker.
Congratulations to Joshua who recently started his new job with
@CataldoAS
! Here is Joshua hard at work detailing a Cataldo Ambulance in Lynn. He was placed in his new job after being referred to Northeast Arc by the
@MassRehabComm
.
Exciting news! This week
@MassGovernor
signed a law that will provide law enforcement officers training for interacting with individuals with autism or other intellectual or developmental disabilities during crises.
Northeast Arc CEO
@JoAnnSimons
spoke with
@NECN
's
@BrianBNBCBoston
about our agency's response to COVID-19, the pandemic's impact on people with disabilities, and our groundbreaking new Center for Linking Lives.
We look forward to seeing New England Yachad positively disrupt conventional methods of providing services to persons with disabilities!
#ArcTank
#ThanksSteveRosenthal
This week we celebrate Direct Support Professional Recognition Week! We are grateful for our direct support professionals who provide outstanding care to the individuals we serve and for their vital contributions to our communities. THANK YOU!
#DSPRW2018
Now available for free download: The Down Syndrome Transition Handbook, authored by Northeast Arc CEO
@JoAnnSimons
. The Handbook helps parents prepare their child for independent adult life and we are excited to make it available for free download! Visit .
Thank you to volunteers from Next Step Ministries for doing this incredible job of cutting down and getting the roots out of these bushes at one of our residential homes . We know this wasn’t an easy job and we appreciate that they got the job done!
Thank you to
@EssexSheriff
for dropping off seatbelt covers that can be used to alert law enforcement and first responders to the presence of an occupant with autism. Pictured with Sheriff Kevin Coppinger are
@JoAnnSimons
and Journeys program participants Aly and Teddy.
Northeast Arc has been ranked one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts by
@womens_edge
and
@BostonGlobe
for the sixth straight year! CEO
@JoAnnSimons
celebrated with women leaders from across our agency. View the full list here:
#2023Top100
A giant thank you to
@CambridgeBank
for supporting under-resourced people with disabilities in meeting their goals for independence. Jamie Kelley, FVP, Talent Acquisition & Diversity Manager for the Bank visited with Craig Welton and
@JoAnnSimons
at the Center for Linking Lives.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Did you know that people with disabilities have a higher lifetime prevalence of experiencing abuse than people without disabilities? Learn more from
@NCADV
including ways to help.
For many people, April is known as Autism Awareness Month, but at Northeast Arc, we now choose to call it Autism Acceptance Month. Gloria Castillo, director of our Autism Support Center says that shift recognizes the need to create inclusive opportunities for people with Autism.
HAPPY NONPROFIT AWARENESS DAY! Today we celebrate all of the amazing organizations that change lives in the state of Massachusetts each and every day.
#MAkingadifference
@TheArcofMass
Our President + CEO
@JoAnnSimons
shares her thoughts on Down Syndrome Awareness Month + National Disability Employment Awareness Month💙“As a parent of a child with Down syndrome...I knew I had to advocate for Jonathan to give him a full and happy life.”
Welcome to one of our newest employees, Irwin, who recently started a job with Northeast Arc's housekeeping team. Irwin was referred to Northeast Arc by the
@MassRehabComm
. We're so glad to have Irwin working with us!
Congratulations to James White (
@SweetFeet_White
) on a great career with the
@Patriots
! We were honored to have James join us during An Evening of Changing Lives Under the Stars as a model during our inclusive fashion show. Thank you, James for being a champion for inclusion!
We're excited that Starbucks has hired another employee through our Supported Employment program! Ahmed recently started working at the Lynnway location after being referred to Northeast Arc by
@MassRehabComm
. Congratulations, Ahmed!
The waitlists for human services are longer than ever due to staffing shortages. On March 31, we’ll tell legislators that recruiting and retaining a robust and diverse workforce and paying them a living wage is critical to meet the demands of the Commonwealth.
#WeightofWaiting
We're getting closer to opening our new store, parcels, at
@ShopLibertyTree
! Thanks to the merchandising team from
@HomeGoods
for helping us display these beautiful products created by individuals with disabilities.
Congratulations to Northeast Arc's Rob Neal who is celebrating 4 years working at
@BVSL_Community
this month! Rob has worked for Brightview Danvers since 2019 as a dishwasher. Rob is pictured right next to David Caron, Brightview's director of dining services.
Congratulations to Corey who recently started his job at the Starbucks in Middleton! Corey is one of the graduates of our Project Perk program at Breaking Grounds Cafe, where he learned all aspects of working in a coffee shop.
#NDEAM
A wonderful article in the BBJ today about our President and CEO Jo Ann Simons. Her son Jonathan is not only her son, but a teacher and an inspiration.
“This has been an amazing journey. I can’t imagine my life...
Northeast Arc is thrilled to welcome Dr. Nate Bryant to its Board of Directors! Dr. Bryant has over 30 years of higher education experience and is currently Vice President of Student Success at
@SalemState
.
Some Northeast Arc residents and staff have started receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the Phase 1 rollout in Massachusetts! So we've been asking them why they got vaccinated. Check out their responses in the 🧵 below! And look for more stories in the days ahead!
Northeast Arc recently honored three employees celebrating 30 years of service with the agency: Suzanne Ryan, Martha Levine, and Katie Gauthier! Read more about these incredible women and their dedication to supporting people with disabilities.
Thank you,
@MassGovernor
for visiting our Center for Linking Lives at
@ShopLibertyTree
, and for doing some shopping at parcels! We are so appreciative of your support for human service organizations like ours.
We have another new hire to report from our incredible supported employment team! Frankie recently started working at
@RocksSalemMA
as a busser after being referred to Northeast Arc by the
@MassRehabComm
.
We want to recognize our newest Project Perk and Project Parcels internship program graduates! Alex and Elizabeth received hands-on training at Breaking Grounds Cafe and Northeast Arc Gifts respectively, preparing them for jobs in our community. Congratulations to both!
#NDEAM
As
@MLSudders
announces her retirement as Secretary of Health and Human Services in Massachusetts, we want to take a moment to recognize her incredible contributions to Massachusetts – and her dedication to supporting people with disabilities.
@MassHHS
Northeast Arc's Craig Welton and Suzanne Ryan helped pack thousands of healthy and delicious meals during a "Feed the Funnel" event at
@EncoreResortBH
! The event, hosted by
@thepackshacknwa
, helped provide meals to thousands of families in need throughout the Greater Boston area.
Northeast Arc has ranked ninth on the
@TCI_Boston
and
@BostonGlobe
list of Top 100 Women-led Businesses in Massachusetts. This is the third straight year Northeast Arc has been in the top 10! Congratulations to President and CEO, Jo Ann Simons, and the entire Northeast Arc team.
Thank you to this great group of students from St. John's Prep and Marblehead High School for spreading this huge pile of wood chips across our Learning Center play yard. It was a sorely needed project, and both the staff and children are so appreciative!
As
@MassGovernor
and First Lady Lauren Baker wrap up eight years in office, we want to thank them for their incredible support of people with disabilities and human services organizations like Northeast Arc.
Join us to positively disrupt disability services. What could you do with up to $300,000? Application deadline 10/4.
#arctank
made possible by
@StevenPRosenth2
,
@flutiefdn
, Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation + the State of CT Council on Dev. Disabilities.
VR is amazing technology, and
@IMIhealth
of San Diego, California has used it to create the Virtual Reality Functional Communication Activities & Training Seminars aimed at fostering social communication and addressing interaction deficits in people with I/DD
#ArcTank
Thank you to
@BishopFenwickHS
Best Buddies for hosting an incredible holiday party for our individuals! We particularly enjoyed a special visit from Santa 🎅
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and in our latest podcast we share the story of Stefani and Felicity Buonopane. In an honest and moving conversation, Stefani explains why raising a child with Down syndrome can be both beautiful and challenging.
🥇🏀 Congratulations to the Northeast Arc Magic for winning gold at the
@SpOlympicsMA
state basketball tournament earlier this month! The team won both of their games, defeating the Mass Mavericks and Milford Masters to take home first place.
We are so happy that Polyvios is part of our ArcWorks Community Art Center family 💙
"He found his own voice through art. And this year he published his first children’s book, “Sammy Smart Guy,” which follows the life of a character with autism who...
Congratulations to Northeast Arc's President and CEO, Jo Ann Simons, who has been named one of Boston's "Women Who Mean Business" by
@BosBizJournal
! Jo Ann will be honored during a special event on December 7. ?
💉 Today's the big day! We're now administering the COVID-19 vaccine at our headquarters to Northeast Arc employees and the individuals we serve. Antony, a long-time employee was the first to get the shot!
@DDSmass
@MassCouncil
@MassADDP
Craig Welton, Northeast Arc's chief development officer, had the chance to catch up with Matt Millett, an Arc Tank judge and Special Olympian, at the
@LETRforSO
in Peabody. The event, hosted at Analogic, benefits
@SpOlympicsMA
.
Adults with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or other intellectual + developmental disabilities served by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) are at risk to lose important services.
#dontcutusout
Planning to do some
#PrimeDay
shopping over the next couple of days? Don't forget to name Northeast Arc as your charity using Amazon Smile to ensure that a portion of each purchase you make is donated to support our programs and services. Just follow these steps to get started!
We're celebrating Autism Acceptance Month by partnering with
@salemnews
for a special essay contest! We're asking our community to write about their experiences living with, learning from, and loving someone with autism during a pandemic. Learn more:
Northeast Arc's newest resource, the Adult Autism Support Center, is now open and accepting referrals. Meet our team and complete a referral form here:
@TheArcofMass
@DDSmass
Great to partner with
@TheArcofMass
for a screening of the powerful short film, "The Weight of Waiting" for legislators and staff. The video highlights the impact of the ongoing workforce crisis on people with disabilities and their families.
All this month we've been highlighting the women who inspire us here at Northeast Arc. The list includes researchers, disability advocates, and our own CEO, Jo Ann Simons! Visit our website to see all the stories.
#WomensHistoryMonth
🎙Field trip to
@wbur
for Pathways to Opportunities! Students Tatiana and Wismicka were interviewed on
@RadioBoston
about their experiences alongside program director Maria Terris and Northeast Arc’s chief innovation and strategy officer Tim Brown.
Thank you to the Gordon College Men's Lacrosse team for helping us hang lights at some of our homes in Danvers and Gloucester! This really helps our residents get into the holiday spirit 🎄
Children from the Northeast Arc Autism Support Center enjoyed a fun day of kickball at
@AustinPrep
. Thank you for the students from
@BestBuddiesMARI
who were great volunteers and coaches!
Congratulations to Northeast Arc's CEO,
@JoAnnSimons
, who was honored today as one of the Boston Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business! Jo Ann was selected based on her professional achievements, leadership, entrepreneurial skills, and dedication to the community.
#BBJWWMB
Our recent legislative breakfast was an inspiring morning spent advocating for better compensation for our dedicated workforce. But recent budget news means that we still have a lot of work to do. Read how you can help us advocate for critical funding:
Project Perk intern Alex stands next to the brand new blender that just arrived at Breaking Grounds Cafe. The blender was purchased thanks to a generous donation from Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe, and will enable our interns to learn new skills. Thank you, Holy Cow!