Hundreds Attend Inaugural Arlington PRIDE 2022 Celebration

The city of Arlington celebrated its first ever PRIDE celebration on Saturday, June 4th, at Legion Memorial Park. Hundreds of community members attended the event.

This inaugural celebration was organized by Arlington, WA Pride, a nonprofit organization, dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.

The event featured a panel discussion, performances, interactive activities and a Pride walk. Everett Herald reporter Jacqueline Allison wrote that attendees shared how this year’s Pride event “felt historic for their small, rural communities.”

Teri McKeehan, The Arc’s own Community Connections Coordinator, also attended the Arlington event, representing The Arc of Snohomish County.

Erica Knapp, an Arlington, WA Pride board member and Arc Leader, shared with the North County Outlook about the drive behind creating the event as an annual celebration. In a June 7th news article, NC Outlook reporter Christopher Andersson wrote:

“About a year ago local community members began forming the non-profit Arlington WA Pride for local LGBT people.

‘We saw a need in the community,’ said Knapp. ‘There was a social media post about how there is ‘no unicorns in Arlington’ and we have set to prove that wrong.”

Click here to read the full news article.

Arlington, WA Pride members plan to host a number of smaller community events throughout the year and will be back again next June for the 2nd Annual Arlington Pride event. (Find information about upcoming events at arlingtonwapride.org/calendar.)

Click here to read more about the Arlington Pride event, as well as a neighboring celebration on Camano Island.

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Whitney Stohr is the Leadership & Independent Living Program Manager at The Arc of Snohomish County. She is passionate about advocating for medically complex children and children with disabilities and their families. She is a mom and medical caregiver herself, who is energized by working closely with other parent/family caregivers. She lives with her spouse and their four-year-old son Malachi in Lynnwood. Connect with her on Instagram @rollin.w.spinabifida. Contact: whitney@arcsno.org.

Thank you to Arlington, WA Pride and Arc Leader Erica Knapp for allowing use of the images seen in this post.

Upcoming Leadership & Advocacy Training Opportunities

The Arc of Snohomish County will offer a number of opportunities in the coming months to brush up on your leadership and advocacy skills, and to gain new skills, as well!

Everyone is welcome to participate and engage — Whatever your current level of experience or confidence in leadership. We know you are a leader! We know you have what it takes to be an engaged and effective advocate. We are here to help you develop skills, grow your knowledge base, and flex your leadership muscles. These opportunities are made for YOU!

Leadership & Advocacy Workshop

Saturday, July 23rd | 10 AM - 2 PM | Zoom

Register at tinyurl.com/3sj2mdxy

The Arc of Snohomish County invites you to build leadership skills, identify your disability advocacy goals, and connect with fellow leaders at our inaugural Leadership & Advocacy Workshop. Participants will receive a “2022 Arc Trained Leader” certificate and support in taking their next steps in leadership and advocacy for the disability community. Questions? Contact Rachel Kube at rachel@arcsno.org.

This training is designed for everyone! This includes parents and family caregivers, siblings and self-advocates, providers and disability rights allies.

Self-Advocacy & Leadership ZOOM Workshop

August 4th | 1 - 3 PM | Topic: “Self-Advocacy 101” | Register: tinyurl.com/32br2pmw

August 11th | 6 - 8 PM | Topic: “Self-Determination 101” | Register: tinyurl.com/yckvs8yu

The Arc of Snohomish County is hosting a leadership focused training to teach young adults, ages 18 & older, to be effective self-advocates. This is an opportunity to empower individuals to develop advocacy and leadership skills and set lifetime goals for employment, recreation, independent living and community involvement. Questions? Contact Jessie Moore at jessie@arcsno.org.

This training is designed for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Conference Stipends Available: People First of Washington 2022 State Convention

October 7th - 9th, 2022 | Hybrid Attendance in Ocean Shores, WA, or remotely via Zoom

Apply at tinyurl.com/23u9ksmc

The Arc of Snohomish County is excited to offer stipends for remote attendance to the People First of Washington 2022 State Convention. People First of Washington is a self-advocacy organization by and for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Questions? Contact Kylie Walsh at kylie@arcsno.org.

Self-Paced Leadership Training

Register at tinyurl.com/2p9x8srf

Become an Arc Trained Leader and gain foundational knowledge and skills to support your legislative advocacy and community leadership goals. Program courses include:

• Community resources for developmental disabilities
• Family resiliency and sibling supports
• Government resources for developmental disabilities
• History of developmental disability
• Disability and intersectionality
• Legislative advocacy and self-advocacy
• Special Education
• Trauma informed approaches and self-care

Questions? Contact Rachel Kube at rachel@arcsno.org.

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Whitney Stohr is the Leadership & Independent Living Program Manager at The Arc of Snohomish County. She is passionate about advocating for medically complex children and children with disabilities and their families. She is a mom and medical caregiver herself, who is energized by working closely with other parent/family caregivers. She lives with her spouse and their four-year-old son Malachi in Lynnwood. Connect with her on Instagram @rollin.w.spinabifida. Contact: whitney@arcsno.org.

AROUND THE ARC: NEW HIRES
Tara Hand — Parent to Parent / Sibshop Coordinator

The Arc of Snohomish County welcomes Tara Hand to our team!

A personal introduction from Tara:

My name is Tara Hand and I have just started as a Parent to Parent Coordinator with The Arc of Snohomish County.  I currently live in Lynnwood but was raised in Eastern Washington.  I have 4 kids ranging in ages 5 -13 years old, and ranging in diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder to ADHD.  

I have previously worked in many areas from a non-profit animal shelter, opening MoPop, building stages for concerts and setting up large corporate events.  After my oldest son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I really wanted to find a way to help other families learn about resources available and just have support, so I am very excited to be working and supporting the community in Snohomish and look forward to connecting with families. 

Connect with Tara by email, at tara@arcsno.org, or by phone at 425-258-2459 x122.

A “Klee Cats” Project for Arc Siblings

The Arc of Snohomish County was thrilled to welcome Ms. Lori from Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to host a special Sibshop event on Thursday, May 12th.

Participants used an oil pastel medium to create a feline inspired masterpiece in the style of artist Paul Klee (b.1879 - d.1940).

Look at those works of art!

Aren’t they just PURRRRFECT?!

Sibshops are designed for children, ages 8 to 12, who have siblings with developmental disabilities. The Arc of Snohomish County also offers a Teen Sib Connection program, for youth ages 13 to 18. Learn more about the national Sibshop movement at siblingsupport.org.

A BIG thank you to Imagine Children’s Museum, our community partner, and museum educator Ms. Lori, for leading this very special event. Learn more about Imagine Children’s Museum at imaginecm.org.

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Whitney Stohr is the Leadership & Independent Living Program Manager at The Arc of Snohomish County. She is passionate about advocating for medically complex children and children with disabilities and their families. She is a mom and medical caregiver herself, who is energized by working closely with other parent/family caregivers. She lives with her spouse and their four-year-old son Malachi in Lynnwood. Connect with her on Instagram @rollin.w.spinabifida. Contact: whitney@arcsno.org.