Albany ARC Announces Fourth Annual Mexican Fiesta May 17th
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
On May 17, the Albany Advocacy Resource Center will hold its Fourth Annual Mexican Fiesta, one of the largest fundraising events for the agency. Scheduled from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the new Nelson Tift Building in downtown Albany, the Fiesta will feature live and silent auctions as well as traditional Mexican cuisine provided by Moe's Southwestern Grill and the music of Dr. Jose Tongol and his band.
"Last year we had about 400 people attend the Fiesta and the outcome was a great success," said Laura Calhoun, development director for Albany ARC. "We hope the local business community will support us again this year."
All funds raised from the Fiesta and auctions support consumer programs at Albany ARC, which is the leading provider in southwestern Georgia of services for individuals with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. Established in 1963, Albany ARC currently serves approximately 1,200 clients with residential, day services, supported employment and empowerment programs.
According to Calhoun, opportunities to support the Fiesta include $250, $500 and $1,000 sponsorship options as well as auction item donations, particularly bigger ticket items. Individual tickets to the Fiesta are available for $25 per person.
Meeting a Growing Need
Albany ARC is consumer-driven, adding and expanding programs based on the demands of the people it serves. The most recent addition to its programming is the Albany ARC Center for the Blind, which opened over one year ago.
"There simply was nothing in place south of Atlanta to serve these clients," said Eddie McCarty, marketing director for Albany ARC.
"In its first year, the Center for the Blind has help 30 to 40 people with programs that teach mobility and independence or provide educational services to enable clients to enter the work force."
The Albany ARC gains a significant portion of its funding through the state of Georgia. The remainder comes from fundraising events like the Annual Mexican Fiesta and through individual memberships.
"We're in the process of developing corporate-level membership packages that we hope to make available in 2013," McCarty said.
Seeking Volunteers
Beyond fundraising, the Albany ARC is also continually seeking volunteers to support its individual programs. In addition to the Center for the Blind, other programs include preschool, adult day and independent living, vocational training, high school enrichment, Special Olympics, Judevine training for families dealing with autism, residential, leadership development and treatment programs for inmates and parolees with disabilities.
"The more volunteers we have, the more opportunities we can offer our clients," McCarty said.
"For example, if we have more volunteers in our adult day and independent living program then we can offer more recreational opportunities. The same holds true in our preschool program. And we can always use volunteers to help with parties around the holidays."
More information on Albany ARC, the Fourth Annual Mexican Fiesta and volunteer opportunities is available at www.albanyarc.org.
