DELMAR, NY (03/22/2012)(readMedia)-- Formally kicking off on Monday, March 26, the NYSARC Gives Back President's Project is a week-long collaborative effort of the non-profit organization's 55 Chapters and the Food Bank Association of New York State to give back to the community through volunteer programs. Providing essential supports and services to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families, NYSARC Chapters routinely participate in volunteer programs throughout the year and this effort is an opportunity to connect those activities statewide during a single week.
The President's Project, an initiative of the Organization's year-long NYSARC Gives Back project, was developed and championed by NYSARC President and Canandaigua native, John A. Schuppenhauer, Esq.. "NYSARC Chapters routinely give back to their communities," Schuppenhauer commented. "The President's Project is an opportunity for this Organization to demonstrate just how much we give back by connecting all of those activities during the last week in March."
NYSARC Chapters have been busy making preparations for President's Project week. For example, at the Organization's St. Lawrence County Chapter, preparations are underway for more than 25 volunteer activities. At PARC, NYSARC's Putnam County Chapter, volunteers will serve Meals on Wheels, organize local recycling projects, and deliver food to pantries and soup kitchens. The Genesee County Chapter has partnered with FoodLink, Food Bank Association of New York State's Rochester-region bank, to organize a food drive, and the Steuben, Schuyler, and Chemung County Chapters are collaborating on a food drive with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.
"By having NYSARC Chapters participate in volunteer activities across the State during one week, our collective mission is made abundantly clear to the public," Schuppenhauer explained. "For more than 63 years, NYSARC, Inc. has dedicated itself to providing supports and services for people with developmental disabilities, like my daughter, Hilary. But more importantly, every single one of our 30,000 staff members and the 60,000 people receiving services are members of their local communities and, throughout those 63 years, have always found a way to give back. The President's Project is really a celebration of our mission, of our communities, and of the strong partnerships we have built over our many years."
For more information about the volunteer programs being organized in a specific County, NYSARC encourages you to use the "Find your Chapter" tool on the NYSARC website, www.nysarc.org/members
About NYSARC, Inc.
NYSARC, Inc. is the largest not-for-profit organization in New York State and the United States supporting people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families. The 55 Chapters comprising the family-led Organization provide services in every County in New York State. NYSARC, Inc. supports over 60,000 individuals, employs 30,000, and has a membership of nearly 87,000.