A Message from Kathy Walsh, Incoming President/CEO

Some sixty years ago a letter written by a Teaneck mother, Laura Sparks Blossfeld, appeared in the Bergen Evening Record which suggested the formation of an organization of parents. On June 10, 1947 the first general meeting was held at the YMCA in Paterson. Parents from a wide area were invited and forty-one attended. The Arc movement in New Jersey was born.

These early parents were true pioneers. This was a time when people did not speak about disability except in a whisper. Parents faced the journey alone. Children could not go to school, work, play or live in the community. Families had no options other than following their physician’s advice to "put their child away" in an institution or keep them "shut- in" at home.

It took courage to submit a public letter to the newspaper, it took courage for parents to write in response, and it took courage for them to come out to a meeting not knowing what to expect. However they did, and in doing so changed the course of disability in this country forever.

But the story doesn’t end there. The work of The Arc continues on. The banner has been passed to the next generation and in accepting it, we cradle the legacy of these brave pioneers in our hearts and nurture it through our work. Every day as we go about our lives, we honor them and their struggle by keeping the fire for change alive. When we see the person and not the disability, we honor them; when we focus on strengths rather than weaknesses, we honor them; when we get angry at injustice, we honor them; when we are intolerant of abuse, we honor them; when we fight for more supports, more opportunity, more freedoms, more inclusion and more dignity for those we serve, we honor them.

As The Arc of Bergen and Passaic Counties embarks on its 61st year of service, we re-dedicate ourselves to nurturing the legacy of the early pioneers. We invite everyone in The Arc family - staff, volunteers, self advocates, members and families to join us in this mission, by getting up every morning and facing each new day with passion for the cause of a better life for people with disabilities and their families; together we can change the world.