By Jay D. Taylor

Special to the Post

I am writing this letter to express my gratitude for the Rowan County United Way and for The Arc of Rowan County and all the wonderful programming that they have in place to help both children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

I have the distinct privilege of serving on the board and I am so inspired by the people who work there and all they do for our community. I would like to inform the community that The Arc is set to launch an after-school care program for school-age individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The program hours will be 2:30-6 p.m. on school days, and the program will run on the same calendar as the Rowan-Salisbury School System. The cost for the program is $5 per day. This program will help working parents who seek after school care for their son/daughter with an intellectual/developmental disability that are in middle school or high school, and give them the peace of mind that their child is in a very welcoming and nurturing environment.

The next program I would like to bring to your attention is our Summer Day Program.  This program takes place from June 27 to Aug. 4. This is a six-week program through the summer that provides structure and support to families with children ages 5-21. The program operates Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This program will assist students and young adults with their social skills, self-help skills, coping skills, fine and gross motor skills, and academic skills. The program offers field trips and indoor and outdoor activities to promote exercise and physical activities.

The final program that I would like you to know about is our Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness program. Through the Rowan County United Way, The Arc of Rowan County has made a deliberate effort to gain access into the public school setting to inform students about the dangerous effects of using alcohol while carrying a child. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a totally preventable form of Intellectual/Developmental Disability.

The Rowan County United Way and The Arc of Rowan County have been on the cutting edge to establish programming that will assist our population that is diagnosed with an intellectual or developmental disability and I am excited to see what is coming next!

Jay D. Taylor is a member of The Arc of Rowan Board of Directors.