 
Senate Resolution No. 1665
 
BY: Senator DEFRANCISCO
 
        COMMEMORATING  the  66th  Anniversary  of  Arc  of
        Onondaga
 
  WHEREAS, It is the custom of the Legislative Body to recognize those
established organizations within our communities that, year after  year,
diligently work to improve the quality of life for its citizenry; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and  in  full  accord  with
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
commemorate  the 66th Anniversary of Arc of Onondaga to be celebrated at
its 2017 Achievement Awards Dinner on Thursday, June  8,  2017,  at  the
Marriott Syracuse Downtown; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Arc of Onondaga, a Chapter of NYSARC, Inc., is the largest
not-for-profit in New York State dedicated to serving  individuals  with
developmental and other disabilities and their families; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The 48 operating Chapters comprising NYSARC, Inc., such as
Arc of Onondaga, support and serve people of all ages with developmental
disabilities,  including  those  with  Down  Syndrome,  cerebral  palsy,
autism,    and   neurological   impairments;   NYSARC,   Inc.   supports
approximately 60,000 individuals and  employs  close  to  30,000  people
statewide; and
 
  WHEREAS,  NYSARC,  Inc. was founded in 1951, when a group of parents
with children with intellectual or other developmental disabilities were
determined to change society's traditional disregard for  the  needs  of
their  children, so they banded together to fight for the recognition of
their children's special needs; and
 
  WHEREAS, For more than six decades, NYSARC  and  its  Chapters  have
been   working   to   support   people   with  developmental  and  other
disabilities; and
 
  WHEREAS, Under the able leadership of Executive Director  Ms.  Ellen
Gutmaker, Arc of Onondaga is one of the largest providers of services to
people  with  developmental  disabilities  in  Onondaga  County, serving
thousands of individuals and their families, and employing more than 500
dedicated and caring individuals; and
 
  WHEREAS, With nearly 40 different sites throughout Central New York,
Arc of Onondaga provides a wide array of services including  residential
and   day   services,   employment   and   clinical  opportunities,  and
recreational programs; and
 
  WHEREAS, Arc of  Onondaga  also  operates  two  major  subsidiaries:
Parkside  Children's  Center, an inclusive preschool, and Monarch, which
is a vocational program and outsourcing company with corporate  partners
throughout the region; and
 
  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  sense  of  this  Legislative  Body  that when
organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to  our
 
attention,  they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 66th Anniversary of Arc of Onondaga; and be it further
 
  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to Ellen Gutmaker, Executive Director, Arc of Onondaga.
Commemorating the 66th Anniversary of Arc of Onondaga

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