Recreational Grant

Mountain Lake News | February 2023

Mountain Lake Services a not-for-profit organization supporting people with disabilities in Essex County has been awarded $21,207 in grants from the Trustee Management Board of NYSARC Trust Services to support Mountain Lake Services’ recreation opportunities and enrich the lives of more than 300 individuals it serves. These funds were used to enhance our current recreation program. The grant money this year improved our Therapeutic Recreation Center and garden program. In 2012, with the use of funds from this same recreation grant we established a Recreation Center in Elizabethtown.

Each year, grant funds received through the Trust Services allow for the addition of events and activities at this location, which benefit individuals in our residential, day, and community-based programs. Many items for art and crafts were purchased including; materials for canvas painting, jewelry making, beading, clay sculptures, sketching, baking, and cooking. Also purchased were supplies for wreath making, music therapy, and resin crafts. The grant money also enhanced our outdoor recreation opportunities by supporting our water activities, such as boating, kayaking, and canoeing, as well as an outdoor basketball hoop for the ball court at the Elizabethtown location. Our garden program purchased a new greenhouse and gardening supplies.

At the end of 2022, the grant helped support our Holiday Spirit Week. We were able to host a local musician to perform carols and magic tricks as Santa Claus both in person and via zoom to reach everyone who wanted to attend. A new tradition was formed, and our Executive Leadership team came together on a two-day Holiday Cheer Bus. We were able to bring the holiday spirit to everyone across the agency serving people we support, our employees, and a few neighboring community members treats from the bus. The recreational grant funds allowed us to partner with Send Me Waffles a small business in Clifton Park to serve Belgian liege waffles to everyone we visited. In addition to the waffles, bulk hot cocoa supplies were purchased and we served warm cocoa as we spent time thanking everyone for a great year.

NYSARC Trust Services administers supplemental needs trusts (SNT) and pooled trusts that can make dramatic improvements to the lives of people with disabilities by enabling individuals to maintain financial eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested government benefit programs. For 2022, NYSARC Trust Services is proud to fulfill its commitment to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities by awarding a total of $3,189,968 to The Arc New York Chapters statewide.

Mountain Lake Services is the Essex County Chapter of The Arc New York. Their mission is to partner with people of all abilities to live their very best lives. By offering a comprehensive range of services, they ensure that we are indeed meeting the needs of the individuals we support, their families, and our communities in Essex County. Mountain Lake Services provides job opportunities to people from varied backgrounds and with a diversity of skills to thrive within its culture.

NYSARC Trust Services provides administration of first- and third-party pooled supplemental needs trusts to help families plan for the future of a loved one with a disability, preserve income and assets for Medicaid planning purposes and long-term care needs, and protect unexpected windfalls of money.

For more information, please call (518) 439-8323 or visit us online www.nysarctrustservices.org.

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