The crisp, sunny Thursday morning marked the second day of the 2024 Legislative Session. The air was buzzing with excitement as legislators briskly walked across Lawyer’s Mall to the State House for the morning Sessions in the House and Senate Chambers. Amidst the bustle, advocates from Arc chapters throughout the State rallied together on the Mall to prepare for a day of advocacy and education.

Every January, The Arc Chapters across Maryland assemble in Annapolis on the second day of the Legislative Session to raise awareness and advocate for the rights and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The Arc Maryland has branded the day Calendar Day. Each chapter visits the legislators that represent their region, distributing calendars that contain stories of the impact of The Arc throughout the State by highlighting people with IDD and their families. Additionally, the calendar includes holidays, special chapter events, legislative events, and – a staff favorite – legislators’ birthdays.

Calendar Day is a tradition that captures the essence of The Arc. Since its founding, The Arc has been a grassroots organization with its core mission to advocate for better lives for people with IDD. Calendar Day is a chance for The Arc community to advocate for political and social change.

On Thursday, 15 members of The Arc Central Chesapeake Region gathered to distribute calendars to The Arc’s legislative representatives from Anne Arundel, Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Worcester, and Wicomico counties.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region’s calendar story highlighted our groundbreaking work in Behavioral Health, as well as the naming of Clara Baker to Governor Wes Moore’s Maryland Commission on Behavioral Health Care Treatment and Access. You can read more about Clara here.

The Maryland General Assembly is the elected legislative body that represents the people of Maryland. The State has 47 legislative districts represented by 47 Senators and 141 Delegates. The General Assembly meets at the same time every year for 90 calendar days beginning the second Wednesday in January to act on more than 2500 pieces of legislation and the State’s annual capital and operating budgets. The role of The General Assembly includes passing laws that benefit Marylanders and proposing amendments to Maryland’s constitution.

You can find The Arc’s 2024 public policy priorities here as we continue the legacy of advocating for people with IDD.

If you have any questions about the legislative session or The Arc’s public policy priorities, please do not hesitate to reach out to Greg Snyder, Vice President of Engagement, at gsnyder@thearcccr.org.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) held a ribbon cutting for its new behavioral health suite at the organization’s regional headquarters. Joined by elected officials, community advocates, and people The Arc supports, the ribbon cutting represents a key milestone in the growth of The Arc’s behavioral health program.

The program began in 2020, growing out of an initiative focused on supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to process their emotions around the pandemic. The group sessions allowed for deeper conversations and created a platform to feel welcomed and supported. Recognizing that people with IDD lacked access to services that sustained these conversations, The Arc began building and expanding a permanent behavioral health program to provide tailored mental health support.

Seeing the importance of this work and the clear need it addressed, Senator Ben Cardin and State Senator Pam Beidle partnered with The Arc to provide funding that allowed the organization to hire additional clinicians and renovate the behavioral health suite located in its Linthicum headquarters. With the updated suite’s unveiling, the program’s rapid growth is now housed in a facility that matches the holistic, person-centered approach the program’s clinicians provide.

The Arc President and CEO, Jonathan Rondeau, issued the following statement on the ribbon cutting: “The rapid growth of this program and our organization is leading to exciting, important new work. As our physical presence across the region expands, we are including behavioral health counseling suites at each of our locations. This means that more people throughout the region can easily access tailored mental health counseling. As word of our behavioral health program continues to spread, more and more people are contacting us about our services. Our vision over the next few years includes expanding services to support the mental health of children and youth with IDD who are also in need of holistic services.”

The Arc hopes the ribbon cutting reinforces how vitally important and actively sought these services are for the IDD community and that the community deserves mental health solutions that are tailored and personal. It is proud to continue leading the way in supporting the community and advocating for an expansion of the support.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) is pleased to welcome back Becky Peter as Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) this week as Scott Reifsnyder, who has been The Arc’s CFO since August 2022, prepares to depart. Becky is returning to The Arc at a critical moment in time as the organization continues its pattern of constant growth.

“Becky worked at The Arc from 2019-2022 and her financial insights and dedication to our mission helped create the growth The Arc is still experiencing today,” says Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO of The Arc. “Becky is a leader who already understands our processes, our culture, and our strategic focus. I am looking forward to working with her closely again.”

Becky previously led The Arc’s Corporate Finance team for years before retiring in early 2022. Coming out of retirement to support The Arc while a national search for a permanent financial leader is underway, a process that typically lasts several months, shows her unwavering support for our organization.

“I’m excited to be back as we head into what is arguably one of the most important times of year for Corporate Finance teams,” says Becky. “As we prepare FY2025 budgets, conduct audits, and prepare tax documents for 2023, I’ll be working with many of the same people I hired when I worked here previously, and I’m eager to come back home to The Arc, whose vision and mission are what motivate me to achieve here.”

The Arc is grateful for Becky’s ongoing support as we continue to innovate and expand our services throughout the region, find new ways to promote financial health and flexibility as an organization, and enter into the new year with a fresh perspective for the fiscal year ahead.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) congratulates Clara Baker on being named a member of Maryland’s Commission on Behavioral Health Care Treatment and Access by Governor Wes Moore.

Clara receives services from The Arc Central Chesapeake Region in Caroline County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and she will serve on the Commission on Behavioral Health Care Treatment and Access for the next four years.

“We are thrilled that Clara has been recognized for her commitment and advocacy around equitable access to behavioral health for Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD),” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO. “I am excited to see the positive impact in our communities that will come from Clara being appointed to the board.”

People with IDD often have mental health diagnoses in addition to their disabilities, but finding supportive resources and comprehensive services can be difficult. The Arc’s Behavioral Health program seeks to bridge the gap for people with IDD seeking mental health care so they can have the holistic, trauma-informed counseling and support they deserve.

“There is so much more that needs to be done for people with IDD in our communities who are searching for behavioral health care,” said Greg Snyder, Vice President of Engagement at The Arc. “Representation is an essential starting point for making change in our communities, and I know Clara will be a part of that change on this Commission.”

Clara’s trial term began in June of 2023 and she was officially named to the Commission in October. Over the next four years, Clara will continue to pull from her expertise and lived experience as she advocates for the well-being of all Marylanders. Many congratulations to Clara on this new opportunity.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) is pleased to announce that Corvette Annapolis donated the $9,000 raised during their annual Corvette on West Street Show this year to The Arc, the largest single donation the club has ever given to an organization.

The money for this gift was raised at their recent Corvette Show on August 13, an all-Corvette show with a stunning line-up of 85 show-quality vehicles from the past and the present, dating from 1953 to 2023. The event was attended by John Davis, host of the nationally syndicated Motor Week TV show, and the Show Chairs for the event were Carroll Hynson Jr., Paul Acito, and Todd Patterson.

“We are honored to be the recipient of the largest-ever donation from the Annapolis Corvette Club,” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO of The Arc. “We are excited to use this funding to continue our good work in the community by providing high-quality services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

In addition to the $9,000 raised during the Carriages on West Street event, another $1,000 was also donated to The Arc thanks to the Corvette Club’s partnership with JBA Chevrolet, bringing the total donation amount received from the event to $10,000.

“It is incredible to have such a meaningful, impactful relationship with an organization like Corvette Annapolis,” said Taryn Chase, Development Officer at The Arc, who attends the club’s monthly meetings. “I am continually impressed with the Annapolis Corvette’s dedication to The Arc’s mission and am excited to see the ways this donation makes an impact in people’s lives in the local community.”

In addition to this gift, Corvette Annapolis also has a history of generously supporting The Arc’s Holiday Giving program, which provides holiday gifts and grocery store gift cards to hundreds of local children and their families during the holiday season. The Arc is grateful for their ongoing support as we continue to innovate and expand our services throughout the region.

About Corvette Annapolis

Corvette Annapolis was founded in 1991 and is dedicated to the promotion of America’s sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, and the camaraderie among Corvette owners in the greater Annapolis area. Corvette Annapolis is a member of the National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) and regularly hosts events, rallies, car shows, brunches, and dinners. For more information, visit https://www.corvetteannapolis.com/

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) congratulates Taryn Chase, Development Officer, on her acceptance to the Leadership Anne Arundel Class of 2024. Over the course of the next year, Taryn will complete the professional development program dedicated to developing meaningful connections among prominent local leaders for the good of Anne Arundel County.

The Arc provides many key services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and their families living in Anne Arundel County as well as Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and Taryn is eager to make connections, inspire conversations, and increase awareness of how issues impact people with IDD.

“There is so much more we can be doing as a community to support people with disabilities to live the lives they choose for themselves,” said Taryn. “I am excited to work with my classmates to create more opportunities to connect people with disabilities to the community.”

Taryn has worked at The Arc for one year and has been pivotal in increasing engagement, building new funding relationships, and sharing the mission and vision of The Arc with the greater community. She is excited to bring her expertise and experience to Leadership Anne Arundel.

As The Arc continues to expand and support more people throughout the region, building strong connections with like-minded change-makers is a key step.

The Arc congratulates Taryn on this recognition of her leadership and success in her career, along with all other members of the Leadership Anne Arundel Class of 2024.

About Shore Leadership

Leadership Anne Arundel (LAA) is the nexus of leadership in Anne Arundel County, connecting business, nonprofit, government, and individual community leaders. LAA’s mission is to provide people of diverse

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) is pleased to announce that the Rural Maryland Council, in partnership with the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF), has awarded The Arc a $200,000 grant toward the construction of Port Street Commons.

Out of 192 applications for this year’s Rural Maryland Council grants, The Arc was one of 98 awardees and received the seventh largest amount of grant funding from the Council among other large health and human services providers.

“We are honored that the Rural Maryland Council has entrusted us with this grant and believes so strongly in the mission and vision of Port Street Commons,” says Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO of The Arc. “We are excited to use this funding to invest in Easton, MD and bring a meaningful, profound impact to the region.”

Projected to open in the fall of 2024, Port Street Commons will be a first-of-its-kind community space in the redeveloped Port Street district in the heart of Easton, MD. This innovative building will house both The Arc at Port Street, the new, permanent Eastern Shore Headquarters for The Arc, as well as The Residences at Port Street, developed in partnership with Chesapeake Neighbors, to include an attached wing with nine affordable apartments.

The RMPIF grant program is designed to facilitate significant investments in economic and community development programs in rural areas, and initiatives like Port Street Commons represent the kind of impactful, innovative projects that will bring increased development and opportunity to the region.

“A project like this is not possible without a wide network of partners, donors, and grants to support it, and we are grateful to have the Rural Maryland Council’s support,” said Greg Snyder, Vice President of Engagement at The Arc. “This grant is not just about buying bricks, tiles, and paint—this grant means increased opportunity and community for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on the Eastern Shore.”

For more information about the future of The Arc and Port Street Commons, please click here.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) congratulates Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO, on being recognized as one of The Daily Record’s Influential Marylander honorees of 2023. The award recognizes Maryland leaders for their significant contributions in their fields, such as civic leadership, philanthropy, real estate, and business.

Jonathon’s forward-thinking leadership over the last six years has brought profound, lasting impact to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across Anne Arundel County and Maryland’s Eastern Shore because of the ways his leadership has expanded access to meaningful, holistic supports and services.

A dynamic and collaborative leader with a deep commitment to excellence, Jonathon has brought significant growth to every service area The Arc provides, including bringing new services like Behavioral Health and 2Gen Initiatives to the community. Last year alone, The Arc created over 1,255 opportunities through our Arc-facilitated services and currently supports over 2,000 participant employers in Self-Directed Services who boast almost 6,000 employees.

“We talk a lot about growth at The Arc,” said Jonathon, “but we are never growing just to grow. Our primary motivation is to make sure we are rising to meet the real needs of the community in real-time. When the community says We need more, we make sure our growth strategies here at The Arc align to meet that need.”

To best support the community, The Arc has needed to grow in countless ways. Over the last five years, for example, Jonathon led the way as The Arc saw 144% growth in the number of vehicles we have to support people in services, 146% growth in the grant money we have available to give to families of children with IDD, and over 400% growth in our Holiday Giving program. The Arc currently has 4 regional offices but will begin construction on a new headquarters for the Eastern Shore called Port Street Commons this summer, and there are plans to add another regional office for the Lower Shore as well.

“Jonathon is a tenacious leader who leans into the nuances and complexities of providing services in our modern world,” said Greg Snyder, Vice President of Engagement. “All of this growth and success is thanks to Jonathon’s persistence and steadfast commitment to The Arc’s vision and mission.”

Jonathon’s leadership is influential in countless ways, and his decisions at the helm of The Arc impact over 500 Arc employees, thousands of people with disabilities, and tens of thousands of other community members who are family, friends, direct support professionals, support brokers, service coordinators, vendors, and community organizations at large. A true leader, innovator, and humanitarian, Jonathon’s impact in the community is beyond influential.

Influential Marylander honorees will be celebrated with a reception hosted by The Daily Record at The Grad Lodge in Cockeysville on Thursday, September 21, 2023. The Arc congratulates Jonathon on this recognition of his leadership and success in his career, along with all other Influential Marylander nominees.