When I think of someone who exemplifies The Way of The Arc, I think of Glizelia. Glizelia is the Family Support and Recreation Coordinator, which is a shorter way of saying she does many things. She is a facilitator, runs self-advocacy groups during the day and evenings until 7 p.m., sometimes waiting for rides, and is a party planner and starter. At the October Dance, you could have found her Going the Extra Mile dressed as a sea creature to kick off the Halloween Dance. Most recently, if you attended the auction, you would have seen her driving the shuttle bus. The auction is especially important to the Family Support and Recreation Department because it receives very little to no funding. This fundraiser helps to create funds and opportunities for those we support. Despite being in the van for 4 hours and never seeing the inside of the event, Glizelia remained positive and Practiced the Human Touch with everyone who got on her shuttle. After the event, she said, “It sounded like it was a great event by all of the positive stories people shared with me.” This is just another example of Glizelia Going the Extra Mile to make the auction an enjoyable experience for all of those attending. Her bilingual skills have opened doors for the number of families we can support. She has taken a Spanish speaking family onto her caseload and has diligently worked to provide information and resources to improve their quality of life. Time and time again, Glizelia is flexing her schedule to make sure that the needs of the program are met. She Keeps Things Fun and remains positive through the long nights and weekends that she works. She is truly an asset to the Family Support and Recreation Department. For these reasons and more, I nominate Glizelia for The Way of The Arc Champion.
Intellectual Disability (ID) is a lifelong condition where significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior emerge during the developmental period (before adulthood).