With most of Virginia going into Phase One of reopening this week, perhaps we have reason to be cautiously optimistic. It's been difficult hearing how the information regarding COVID-19 changes almost daily. It's been hard keeping up with and comprehending all the "dos and don'ts" that change, too. So many unknowns, still. So, maybe being "hopeful yet wary" is exactly where we are.
Here are a couple of announcements:
Here are a couple of announcements:
First of all, a hearty thank you to all who were able to make a donation to The Arc of Greater Williamsburg on Give Local Day. We set a goal of $2020, but raised $3095!
Betta fish are in! Devin's parents, Scott and Roxanne, will be coordinating their work schedules and getting with Lisa to set up delivery to those of you who are adopting, so stay tuned. Thank you, Bobowicz Family, for creating this experience for some of our guys. It's a generous gift that will bring a lot of joy to them! We will look forward to pictures of our fish, soon!
Enjoy these glimpses into the goings on of the Arc of Abilities gang from Week 9!
During Tuesday's Zoom session we had a guest visitor! Christina from the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg stopped by with an update and said the museums miss us! She and museum staff have done a lot of virtual outreach during the shutdown, and we enjoyed one of her masterpieces.
In a series of "Pop! Culture Challenges," Christina finds nifty items from the collections at the museums, and links them to nifty items from today's pop culture scene. We listened as she made a connection between the boy's clothing in the portrait below, with the clothing of a young Padawan from Star Wars! Want to know more?! Watch it for yourself at this link:
Thank you, Christina, for being with us on Tuesday and sharing all the interesting updates and this fun video. We enjoyed meeting your daughter, Cate, too! We can't wait to get back to our visits with you at the Art Museums of CW!
Later on Tuesday, a few AoA families gathered at the JCC Rec Center to watch the Virginia FlyBy, a salute to frontline workers. Laura's mom, Lisa, clued us in on this gathering spot, and they were here (we don't have their picture) along with Liz and her parents, Carol and Matt, and Lisa and Alexis. We spotted Devin across the parking lot, too!
Laura decided to watch from the car window, but she was there!
The demonstration included the Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor Demo Team and the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation. They flew from Richmond to Virginia Beach, flying over hospitals, police stations, and fire stations.
It was a pretty cool demonstation, and we at the AoA join with them in saluting and thanking the COVID-19 frontline and essential workers!
See the sweet lady surrounded by the yellow box?! That's the Arc's Bette Faye and we celebrated her birthday on Thursday! We appreciate all Bette Faye does as Activities and Volunteer Coordinator. We can't wait until we can get back to enjoying the many fun events she plans for all Arc clients! Happy Birthday, Bette Faye (on Sunday)! May all your wishes come true! And speaking of wishes, we have been wishing that our AoA friend Chloe would return to the gang, and on Thursday, she did! That's her smiling face just below Bette Faye. Welcome Back, Chloe! It's SO wonderful to see you again!
Thursday was also National Chicken Dance Day, one that the AoA gang has fun celebrating each year! So, of course, we all joined in on the Chicken Dance, and then we had an educational lesson about chickens. We learned many cool facts including that the mother hens talk to their eggs before they hatch, chickens have a great memory, they have full-color vision and dream a lot (like humans), AND, they are the closest living relative (along with ostriches and other birds) to the T-Rex! Who knew? We do!
Cameron and his dad, Brian, got outside for a walk, and Cameron wore his dad's cool shades! You both look pretty cool to us!
Kevin enjoyed coffee on his back porch again! How do you take yours, Kevin?! Very seriously, it seems! 😋
We just love this family picture of Kevin's mom Debbie with her family on Mother's Day. We hope all of our moms, grandmoms, and those who are like moms enjoyed quarantine-style Mother's Day this year!
Drew and Meemaw got to visit with each other on Mother's Day. We bet it made Meemaw's day! It was the first time they had seen each other in two months. We're so happy this reunion could happen! You two look very fashionable in your masks! We miss you, Meemaw. 😍
Alexis applied gaskets to 451 "circle" parts from Eaton this week! Nice work, Alexis!
Friendly Arc driver Wayne Jackson worked solo on Friday. It was a very warm afternoon for loading and unloading, but he was just as good-natured as could be after dropping off lots of boxes at Lexi's house!
We heard that Liz also applied 451 gaskets, only she was working on lids! Here, she helps Mr. Jackson load them up for delivery to James at Eaton. Great work, Liz!!
Sam worked on hundreds of these parts, snapping off the tabs on the sides. Laura and Carol then took the tabs and added screws into each hole. Thank you, Sam, Laura, and Carol! Jorie reported this week that the Eaton crew is very appreciative of our ability to work from home. It's a big help to them!
Here's Laura adding the screws to each side of the small tab. Most of our guys know this is one of our most challenging Eaton tasks. We are thankful to Laura's mom and dad for giving her some extra help on this job!
When he's not busy with Eaton work, Coach Teri says she thinks Sam is becoming a cocker spaniel! He loves to jump in the car and go for a ride. He looks out the glass, but never gets out! (At least he doesn't get his drivel all over the window!) 😂
Kevin and his family ventured down to the OBX where they have a beach house in Duck. He explored the beach on a very pretty afternoon!
Kate also explored the beach. She was at the James River and found pretty shells.
Kate was also back in the kitchen this week. This time she helped cook dinner for her family! Yum!
Over at the WISC complex, Liz and Miss Rose spotted some very pretty wildflowers in bloom during one of their walks!
Our friends at James City County Parks & Recreation, including Inclusion Coordinator and Arc Board Member Tracy Newsom, have been compiling an amazing list of virtual programming. It's updated weekly and includes activities in arts, games, media, wildlife, therapeutic recreation, and more. 😮 WOW! Click the link below to check it out! Thank you, Tracy, and team, for your hard work in providing these engaging and fun activities. 👏👏
Finally, we want to announce that Mystery Doug is going live again on Thursday, May 21st. This time, he will have an astronaut as his guest! That sounds very interesting!! Tune in by clicking the link below Doug's picture.
Until next week, stay safe, stay healthy...stay sane! We miss you!
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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