Please note there are different entrance requirements for each ARC Program. Some programs may have a waiting list.
The day always begins with an exercise workout -- either aerobics class, treadmills and stationary bikes, weight training, yoga, stretching, or the "walking club." Students then proceed to a structured educational program consisting of reading and writing, socialization skills, mathematics, typing, computers, money skills, science, ceramics, geography, history, health, hygiene, poetry, art, drama, music, dance, sign language, Chime Choir practice and Bell Choir performances, and more. Sometimes, at the end of the day we even have softball or basketball team practice, games, billiards, air hockey, dancing, music concerts, and more!
The LAUSD (North Hollywood Polytechnic Community Adult School) provides a teacher 5 days a week with classes in Independent Living Skills.
Each day Independent Living Skills and Basic Life Skills are taught through classes and projects involving gardening and yard care, house care, personal care, laundry, sewing, cooking, menu planning and even pet care. Special projects this year included home decorating and furnishing, recycling, and the ARC monthly newsletter and calendar.
The Chime Choir practices each and every week for 2 hours during the Day Program, and is available for performances. The Chime Choir had many wonderful public performances this year:
ARC’s Holiday Musical Benefit, Valley Palms Convalescent Home, Briar Oak Convalescent Home, Leichman School, St. Elizabeth’s Church Senior Group, Fairwinds Retirement, Sunrise Assisted Living, Sherman Oaks Health and Rehab Center, Valley Care Center, and Lake Balboa Care Center.
Field trips and special events, of course, are always a special part of our monthly schedule:
- Movie Day
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Los Angeles Valley College Music Concerts
- Bowling at Pinz
- A day at Viewpoint School
- Disneyland
- Los Angeles Marathon EXPO
- North Hollywood Park Walking Trail and Library
- The Los Angeles County Fair
- Griffith Park Nature Center
- Chinatown via Metrolink
- Lake Balboa Walking Course
- Louisville High School Girls Volunteer Days
- Marymount High School Girls Volunteer Days
- Cooking class
During the summer months we also go swimming at the Harvard/Westlake pool and the new ARC Pool.
Each Saturday, for 5 to 7 hours, ARC Saturday Camp provides therapeutic recreation and socialization, swimming, basketball teams, softball teams, special field trips, dancing, Special Olympics training, arts and crafts, music and more. Clients learn how to get along with others and how to make good use of their leisure time.
The Harvard/Westlake School is our main meeting place, available to ARC for its Saturday Camp year-round, rain or shine, and for all age groups. Harvard/Westlake has an Olympic-size pool, rubberized track and field, new turf football/soccer field, two gymnasiums, large eating areas, etc.
Saturday Camp provides respite care for parents and family members, giving them a few hours on Saturdays to care for other siblings, shop or attend activities which may not be appropriate for some of our clients. Mostly, Saturday Camp provides the opportunity to make long-lasting friendships, go special places, and have a very special Saturday every week.
In addition, the ARC Saturday Camp has many "special events":
- Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific
- ARC Christmas Party with the North Hollywood Police Dept. and families
- ARC Halloween Party with Magician
- Live Steamer Trains at Griffith Park
- LMU Special Games (3 Saturdays)
- Annual Reischl Memorial Picnic
- Tri-Valley Special Olympics Meet in Glendale
- Griffith Park Travel Town and free Carousel rides
- NoHo Children’s Poetry and Art Festival
- Birthday Parties
(ARC Apartment and Wilkinson House)
Adults with developmental disabilities are learning to live on their own, with assistance from ARC Staff. We are very proud of the progress they have made in learning the challenges of money management, shopping, laundry, banking, cleaning, home responsibility, personal care, safety, and getting along with roommates and neighbors.
Using learned socialization skills, we attend concerts, movies, dances, shows, plays, BCR or New Horizon Dances, Birthday Parties at the Center, Hollywood Bowl music concerts in the summer, Universal City Walk, Disneyland, just about anything fun! It is usually supervised by volunteering parents, staff or friends.
Special Activities for YAC and ALS Programs:
- Family BBQ, Swim &Dance Party
- Birthday Pizza Party
- Hollywood Bowl Concerts
- Drum Circle
- Griffith Park "Festival of Lights"
- Family Halloween Party
- New Horizons and BCR Dances
- Backyard BBQ Birthday Party
- Casino Trip
- Pantages Theatre Show
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. until, sometimes 6:00 p.m. Respite Care includes morning "jobs," indoor plant care, recycling, gardening, Field Trips, Bell Choir practice, Bowling at Pinz, morning exercise, air hockey tournaments, and many, many Birthday Parties hosted by parents, family members and friends.
10 days at Camp in a beautiful nature setting: Loch Leven Camp, Pine Summit Camp at Big Bear Lake, Lazy W Ranch
These are rustic "get away from the City" camps with big beautiful streams, plentiful trees, "swinging bridge", big lodge, cozy cabins, great food and lots of TLC! We have had so many happy memories there. We will always look forward to sharing fun time together: dancing, swimming, hiking, Bingo & games, skits and stories, songs and musical surprises, ping-pong, softball, horseshoes, sports, nature appreciation, socializing with friends, and so much more!
The ARC Bell Choir shines with success! We were asked to perform again this year as part of the Los Angeles County Arts Holiday Celebration on stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown L.A.’s Music Center. It was televised live on KCET. Wow! We felt like movie stars! (Watch us on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.)
The Bell Choir has performed for so many different causes, for so many different reasons, and in so many different places that ARC feels very happy to have created a media situation that has had such a tremendous impact on both the performers and the audiences.
The Bell Choir members practice every Monday afternoon for two hours. There are 21 musicians, with about 45 performances annually. The Choir handles "behind the scenes" work such as washing and matching gloves, music equipment loading/checking and set-up, and bell polishing (which is quite an arm chore!).
Clients are encouraged to improve their musical ability, to improve their performance behavior, and to improve social skills necessary to work together with the other Bell Choir members in practices and rehearsals. In addition, the Bell Choir music is written in such a way that it requires much focus by the individual, eye-hand coordination, and good attention to the music director in order to play well and sound good!
IF YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OUR CHOIR, PLEASE COME TO OUR ANNUAL HOLIDAY MUSICAL BENEFIT IN DECEMBER
Following are some of the many HAND BELL CHOIR performances over the past year:
- Accessible City Expo Community Resources Employment Fair
- Agular School, Rancho San Antonio
- American Airlines
- Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
- ARC’s Annual Holiday Musical at Harvard/Westlake School
- Briar Oak Convalescent Home
- Child Education Center in La Canada
- Christian Church, La Crescenta (Pastor Galen Goben)
- Councilmember Wendy Greuel Reception
- Dearborn Elementary School
- El Cariso Park Community Fair
- Elks Club, Simi Valley
- Erwin Street School, Residents’ Assoc. (Mary Schallert awarded Citizen of the year)
- Girl Scouts Olympic Games in Sylmar
- Help Youth Foundation (Creston Club)
- Biosense Webster / Johnson & Johnson Company
- KCET TV Show at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion -- L.A. County Arts Holiday Celebration
- L.A. County Social Workers’ Conference
- Lockheed Retirement Club at Jocelyn Center
- Lowman Elementary School
- McKinley Children’s Center
- Monrovia Community Center Senior Club
- Mount Sinai Memorial Park
- No-Ho Children’s Art and Poetry Festival
- O.N.E., Encino
- Prudential (John Aaroe and Associates)
- Reseda Women’s Club
- Roosevelt Elementary School
- Silgan Containers
- Sober Day Festival & Van Nuys Parade
- Sulphur Springs School
- Tri-Valley Special Olympics Ceremony
- Van Nuys Parade
- Van Nuys Women’s Club
- Verdugo Life Member Club
- Veteran’s Club, Glendale
- Viewpoint School
- Vikings Annual Party at Peterson Auto Museum
- Wilshire Grand Hotel (City of Hope)
- Women’s Club, Van Nuys
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