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The Resource Center receives $26,000 grant

Submitted Photo Marcia Restivo, left, The Resource Center’s guardianship coordinator, and Joan Yost, right, a longtime member of TRC’s guardianship committee, share a moment with Elizabeth W., one of the people for whom TRC provides guardianship supports.

The Resource Center has been awarded $26,000 in grants from the Trustee Management Board of NYSARC Trust Services to support TRC’s guardianship and recreation programs.

NYSARC Trust Services administers supplemental needs trusts and pooled trusts that improve the lives of people with disabilities by enabling them to maintain eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested government benefit programs. For 2020, NYSARC Trust Services fulfilled its commitment to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities by awarding $2,636,000 to chapters of The Arc New York statewide.

The Resource Center received $14,000 to provide guardianship services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who would not otherwise have a legal guardian or advocate. Supported by TRC staff and community volunteers, The Resource Center’s guardianship program provides guardianship supports and services to three people and is ready to assist one more person as an alternate standby guardian. TRC’s guardianship program supports these people by giving them a sense of family and belonging, conducting person-centered planning and advocating on their behalf. TRC’s guardianship committee oversees their care and assists with making critical medical decisions and ensuring that the people receive needed care.

“The guardianship committee, which is comprised of deeply engaged volunteers and a portion of one paid staff member, is exceedingly grateful to NYSARC Trust Services for their continued financial support of the guardianship program,” said Marcia Restivo, TRC’s guardianship coordinator. “We truly are a surrogate family to the people we support.”

Besides the grant money, there is no funding for TRC’s guardianship program. As a result, TRC relies on financial support from families, particularly the families of those for whom TRC serves as standby guardian. For more information about the guardianship program, call 661-1069.

In addition to the guardianship money, NYSARC Trust Services awarded The Resource Center $12,000 to support recreational opportunities for people with disabilities. Uses of the money include paying for an outdoor basketball hoop and an accompanying concrete slab; buying a film projector and screen; and enabling people to attend summer camp.

“It is truly amazing to see the joy on each person’s face when participating in any one of these activities,” said Mary Jo Hamilton, director of intellectual and developmental disability services. “We are so very thankful for this grant opportunity.”

The Resource Center has supported people with disabilities and their families in Chautauqua County since 1958. To learn more about the services TRC provides, phone (716) 483-2344 or visit www.resourcecenter.org.

NYSARC Trust Services has administered supplemental needs trusts since 1972, helping thousands of people with disabilities protect their eligibility for government benefits and improve their quality of life. NYSARC Trust Services’ programs give people with disabilities the opportunity to remain in their communities with greater comfort and independence while providing peace of mind to their family and loved ones.

NYSARC Trust Services administers 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, and protect unexpected monetary windfalls. NYSARC also administers Medicare Set-Aside accounts for people who use a pooled trust to protect settlement proceeds. To learn more, call 518-439-8323 or visit www.nysarctrustservices.org.

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