Weekend Activities for Easter and Beyond

There are lots of cool happenings this weekend. Check our what is going on around Harford County, MD!

Friday Night Full Moon Kayak

When:

4/19/19 from 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Price:

$12/person

Phone:

410-612-1688

Where:

Anita C. Leight Estuary Center , 700 Otter Point Road, Abingdon, MD

Website:

https://visitharford.com/event/Friday-Night-Full-Moon-Kayak/2019-04-19

Marsh Appreciation Pontoon

When:

4/20/19 from 9:30 am - 11:00 am

Price:

$10/person

Phone:

4106121688

Where:

Anita C. Leight Estuary Center , 700 Otter Point Road, Abingdon, MD

Website:

http://www.otterpointcreek.org/events/details/2182/

There are many Easter and general events this weekend including 'Breakfast with the Easter Bunny'. Some events are free and some are paid. Some events may require registration.  Please check each website for details.

Note: due to inclement weather conditions, some activities may be postponed or cancelled. Please call to check for availability.

http://www.explorehavredegrace.com/

https://www.restorechurch.net/egg-hunt

https://hulafrog.com/aberdeen-bel-air-md/easter-block-party-bel-air-1/

https://www.milburnorchards.com/easter-egg-hunts/

http://rockfieldmanor.com/events/

https://www.facebook.com/events/1062492833938500/

https://www.facebook.com/events/1955263417935262/

Good News!

1. One of our children received a personal letter from one of his teachers praising him for doing very well with his work and being such a great helper.

2. One of our children is running track. The coach came to the car when his foster mother picked him up and told her how good he is and how fast he runs.

3. One of our children now has his own apartment. He is  all "growed" up now and over-the-moon about his newly-found independence. We wish him the best of luck now and in the future.

Good News!

Several of our children have received positive office referrals and are doing well in school. One of our kids was in a video production at school

and it went very well. Her video was in the top 15 in Harford County.           

We have a few birthdays that we are celebrating. We hope that they had fun. One of our children had a recently had a Quinceanera (a coming-of-age party/birthday party). The Quinceanera was a

beautiful collaborative effort between the social workers, the biological family, and the foster family. Everyone went out of their way to make it special for her.

Another child is in the 60s club at school for knowing 60 sight words!

Two of our children were baptized last Sunday.

One child has gotten her driver’s license and has had no referrals, suspensions, etc. She is off probation and is doing very well.

We have had so much good news recently and we want to share it with everyone including our wonderful foster parents.

Training with APGFCU this Thursday February 7th

Please don’t forget to RSVP to our upcoming training with APGFCU 'Money Habitudes' and Banking 101'.

The training will be at The Arc  Northern Chesapeake Region on February 7th, 2019. Please contact the TFC department for more information and to RSVP!

Harford County events starting today!

There are lots of fun events and activities happening starting today!

Harford County Public Library

https://hcplonline.org/calendar.php

The Cultural Center at the Opera House

http://hdgoperahouse.org/event/

Live! At Harford Community College

https://www.harford.edu/community/Live-at-HarfordCC.aspx

There are also cool board games that you can check out at the Harford County libraries for FREE! The age range is 2+ so there is something for everyone!

https://hcplonline.org/juvboardgamecollection.php

Have you visited 'Schooner Cove' at the Havre de Grace Branch? It is perfect for little ones up to 6 years of age!

https://hcplonline.org/schoonercove.php

Spending the night in? Check out this link which allows access to FREE audio books and movies (free with your library card) right from your home computer!

https://hcplonline.org/digitallibrary.php

If you are looking for more fun and FREE activities for the family, check out The Arena Club in Bel Air, MD. They are offering a free 3-day pass!

https://www.thearenaclub.com/

Did you know that the new Jurassic Golf location is open in Bel Aid, MD? Check it out at:

https://www.playjurassicgolf.com/

Hungry? Check out these local family-friendly eats!

Cracker Barrel

Sunny Day Cafe

La Tolteca

Texas Roadhouse

Outback Steakhouse

Double T Diner

Cool Announcements

One of our foster children (teen) has a significant other, another just got her driver’s license and  another foster child is now on ‘Rainbow Status’ at school and is performing very well at school with 100 % on her exams.

Some of our children were in Christmas plays this holiday season as well. We look forward to hearing about their performances and how well they did!

Holiday Cheer

Our children and families had a blast at our TFC and Arc NCR holiday parties. They were so encouraged and appreciative! 

We would like to thank Gene Dobbins and Sam Laws at Mountain Christian Church in Abingdon, MD, The Scholz family and APG staff, Samantha Romero and the Bel Air High School Jazz Band for all of the amazing things that they have done to make the holiday special for our foster families!

Great News!

We have lots of great news and are proud of our foster families. Here are a few recent updates:

• A.C. went home – yay for him!
• The Kings achieved placement stability
• The Harvey’s are welcoming a natural parent into their home this year for Thanksgiving
• G.H. (Kindergarten) has mastered 20 sight words, knows her upper and lower case letters, and knows the sounds of 24/26 letters.
• AJ.C. was selected based on his achievements to attend an overnight two-day getaway that fostered his education, socio/emotional skills, and vocational desires.

Awesome News!

One of our foster care children has made significant progress!  Before coming into The Arc NCR it was challenging to regulate his emotions and behaviors and he had some difficulty interacting with others.

Since coming into care, he has made great strides towards his goals. His teachers report that he has been interacting more and has been making new friends. He is very helpful and is doing well in school overall. We are excited about this good news and are excited about his and our other foster children’s futures.

Our Annual Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner

We are happy that our foster parents had a great time at the Annual Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner. There were fun games, prizes, and raffles. Some of our parents received longevity awards and gift cards as well. We look forward to next year’s event. Stay tuned, we will be announcing an upcoming event for the Summer/Fall season as well. 

Do you have any ideas? Please feel free to let us know about some of the activities that you would like to participate in.

Way to Go!

One of our TFC children is graduating in June…congrats to him; the sky is truly the limit...good luck!

A TFC child went to regionals and another TFC child went to state regionals on their track teams. Some of our children and families were nominated for awards at different events.

Trauma and the Brain

On Wed. May 23^rd, there will be a free training at the Harford Community College Chesapeake Center. The training will be presented by Frank Kros. It is entitled Trauma and the Brain: The Developmental Impact of Trauma in Childhood.

The full details are as follows:

Wednesday May 23, 2018 from 8:00 am-3:00 pm

Harford Community College- Chesapeake Center

401 Thomas Run Rd., Bel Air, MD

You may pre-register at http://bit.ly/2FzDvvm

Would you like to attend an information session or learn more about our program? Please contact Karen Guilbault at kguilbault@arcncr.org or call the Treatment Foster Care Department at 410-836-7177.

Announcements!

In May, we will be hosting our annual Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner to celebrate Foster Care Awareness Month. The details are TBD. However, child care will not be provided so please plan accordingly.

One of our children has just started on the soccer team. He really enjoys it! We have a few new potential foster parents who are going through PRIDE training. We wish them all the best and look forward to welcoming them aboard.

Don’t forget that there is still plenty of time to win Compliance Rewards tickets!

We're Flying at iFly!

On March 5th, several of our foster kids had the opportunity to fly at iFly. Everyone had a blast and some even got over the fear of flying. 

Even our toddler had the opportunity to soar to new heights and enjoyed doing so! 

Thank you iFly Baltimore for donating tickets to our Treatment Foster Care children and our individuals. Thank you to Karen Guilbault, Nathan Rhodes, and staff for putting this event together. They will not forget this experience.

Check out the video here:

iFlY All Abilities Night

Announcements and good news

We hope that your holidays were merry and bright. For many of our foster children they were. However, there are still so many foster children who need loving homes. The holidays may be over but let’s continue the spirit of giving by opening our hearts and homes to those in need.

We have postponed out Foster Parent Support group which was scheduled for this Thursday January 4, 2018. We will have the group next Thursday January 11, 2018 from 5:30-7:30. If you are interested in attending any of our groups or an informational session, please contact the TFC department at 410-836-7177. Please see below for our current 2018 training schedule.

One of our foster children has been recognized and is receiving an award for helping others. We are encouraged by this young man’s heart and wanting to lend a hand.

2018 TFC Training Schedule

January 11, 2018 from 5:30-7:30 PM:

PRIDE Refresher/Arc Model of Trauma

There will be a refresher training on PRIDE concepts which will help our parents remain focused and sharpen their parenting skills. Included will be a presentation on the Arc model of trauma.

February 1, 2018 from 5:30-7:30 PM:

Flavors of Life: Diversity in an Ever-Changing World

Folashade Idowu will be presenting on diversity and why it is important to accept others’ differences even if we do not subscribe to their way of life. She will give practical advice on how to be inclusive and accepting of people from all walks of life.

March 1, 2018 from 5:30- 7:30 PM

Skillset part 1 (Internet Safety)

There will be a presentation on the importance of internet safety including keeping your personal information safe (social security numbers, addresses, etc.) and how to spot phishing websites that may compromise your information and overall safety.

April 5, 2018 from 5:30- 7:30 PM

Skillset part 2 (Social Media safety)

There will be a discussion on the importance of keeping certain information private, including names, locations, pictures, etc.

We will stress the importance of being careful about who we engage with online and why it is important to never meet strangers offline.

May 3, 2018 from 5:30pm-7:30 PM:

C.O.P.E -Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment

There will be a presentation on CBT techniques and learning techniques for behavioral crises and everyday stresses.  

June 7, 2018 from 5:30-7:30 PM

Sex Trafficking/Sex Addiction

Turnaround, Inc. will be presenting on Sex Trafficking and Addiction which will include what to look for and how to help combat the disturbing trend of Sex Trafficking. We will also explore what sex addiction looks like and how to treat it.

* Topics are subject to change

Low Budget Holiday Games and Activities

Are you strapped for cash this holiday season? Here are some low-budget games and activities:

Letter to Santa- Grab a regular envelope and decorate it and make an envelope with construction paper. Write a nice letter to Santa telling him what you want for Christmas.

** Make it a party- for added fun, bake some cookies (of course only parents or other adults should be around the stove), make hot chocolate with marshmallows, and put on Christmas music for a festive time!

Christmas lights tour- Do an internet search on different neighborhoods to see who has the best display this year. Hop in the car and take your family to that neighborhood to see nice holiday displays.

Holiday Pictionary- Check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhv3xzCORI

You can adapt the categories to holiday terms.

Create Your Own Ornaments- The cool thing about this is that you can make ornaments out of just about anything (cardboard, straws, soda tops, etc.).

Improv Carols- Get into 2-3 teams and come up with a Christmas carol in 5 minutes. Designate a person who will time and judge the carols. For added fun, allow the judge to pick what the carols will be about (gingerbread man, snowflakes, etc.)

Ugly Christmas Sweater Game Night- have everyone get an old sweater (or shirt if you don’t have a sweater) and decorate it with silly things (cotton balls, yarn, etc.). Make some hot chocolate, pop some popcorn and play board games together.

The Importance of Self Care

Last Thursday, we had a presentation on the importance of self-care. It can be difficult to juggle all the daily tasks involved when caring for children, especially treatment-level foster children since they may also have therapy and other appointments. 

No matter how busy life gets and how much we care for our children, we must always be sure to take time for ourselves. It is not selfish to want to recharge every now and then. This will ensure that we are being the very best that we can be for ourselves as well as our children. Remember, you are at your best when you are feeling your best!

It's a Foster Wear Party!

We are excited about an upcoming event. Several of our parents have agreed to host Foster Wear parties! The first party was today (Friday). The second one is on December 7^th. 

Prospective parents can come out to get real-world views from our awesome foster parents. If you would like more information on hosting a Foster Wear party, please comment below. Alternatively, you may contact our recruiter Karen Guilbault at 443-412-5425.

Halloweentown

Haven’t found anything to do for Halloween? Here are some local events that are sure to be a scream (pun intended):

Halloween in Harford and Other Counties (starting this Friday):

https://harfordsheart.com/calendar/

http://www.culturalartsboard.org/cultural-arts-calendar.html
http://www.marylandhauntedhouses.com/county/baltimore.html
http://www.marylandhauntedhouses.com/county/cecil.html
https://www.facebook.com/cecilcountymd/posts/465946713521739

Trunk or Treat
https://mountaincc.org/trunkortreat

Pumpkin Picking

http://www.applewoodfarm.org/fall.html

Legends of the Fog

https://www.legendsofthefog.com/attractions/

Corn Maze

http://www.bradsproduce.com/corn-maze

Do you have suggestions for events? Feel free to leave them in the ‘comments’ section below.