Convention Day Two: Honors, New Projects, and Reflecting on the Past and Future
The second and final day of The Arc’s 2010 National Convention wrapped up yesterday, and the highlights flowed all day. In fact, there were so many highlights, we’re putting them into a list! Here are the top five moments from day two at The Arc’s 2010 National Convention:
1. Paul Marchand, the longtime Director of the Disability Policy Collaboration, was honored for his three-decade-long career in the disability community. The Arc sent Paul off in style with a closing banquet that was attended by many of his colleagues, friends, and family. You can view a photo montage of Paul’s career here. Paul presented The Arc with a gift, the pen used by President Barack Obama to sign Rosa’s Law, framed and ready to hang in The Arc’s national office as a symbol of progress and inspiration.
2. Marty Ford, the current Acting Director of the Disability Policy Collaboration, received The Arc’s President’s Award for her work with The Arc’s public policy efforts.
3. Margaret-Lee Thompson received the Advocacy Matters! award, which was established in honor of the late Lorraine Sheehan. Margaret was chosen to receive the Advocacy Matters! Award because she exemplifies the spirit of Lorraine, who spent her life advocating for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
4. Ann Cameron Caldwell provided an overview on the exciting new Autism Now project, stemming from a $1.87 million grant awarded to The Arc by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities in September.
5. Sharon Lewis, Commissioner of the ADD and Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for the Administration on Aging, spoke at plenary sessions. Plus, Melody Musgrove, Director of the Office of Special Education, also took the podium at a plenary session.
For more photos of yesterday’s activities, see our Facebook page and our Flickr profile. And remember, you can get breaking updates from our Twitter profile, and follow the conversation via our hash tag: #thearc10.
