Roberta has been volunteering at The Arc for as long as her son Luigi has been attending programs. She is one of the most reliable volunteers we have and a favorite chaperone for those participating in the activities. She was a lead organizer for the big trip to Nashville, TN and not only helped with planning, she also volunteered her time to chaperone the trip. If you haven't heard or seen the pictures, everyone had a great time. She chaperoned the Salem Halloween and the December Bright Nights Trips, and despite the weather being cold and rainy, she maintained a positive attitude and made the trips memorable for all those involved.
Even though her son is involved with the activities she does an amazing job of allowing him to make his own decisions and supports him from afar. Despite Luigi being her only child on the trip, many of the individuals have taken to calling Roberta “Mum” and have a better time because she is there.
The Recreation and Family Support program has seen many changes and Roberta has embraced them, never pulling back on her support. Through it all she maintained her involvement, always stepping up when needed, no questions asked. She volunteered all of her Thursdays to scoring for bowling and mini golf, was highly involved in Special Olympics and even coached, helped with practices, and did her best to collect money and paperwork.
As if that wasn't enough, Roberta attended all dances. She came early to help set up, helped hand out chips and sodas during, would always make sure to help clean up after and even offered rides homes to anyone who needed one just so they were able to attend the dance.
Roberta truly exemplifies what it means to be a volunteer at The Arc. It is because of volunteers like Roberta, that the Family Support and Recreation Department continues to be so successful.
Thank you Roberta!