This school year, Just Kids, a before and after school care program, has partnered with New Jersey Audubon to expand its curriculum. An environmental educator, Emily Wilmoth, from New Jersey Audubon has visited each of the twenty-one Just Kids’ locations to work with Just Kids staff, to provide exciting, engaging hands-on curriculum. Activities were designed specifically for the varied learning opportunities available in the environments around each school building. Some students learned about the diversity in nature through exploration, by getting to be detectives and discovering nature’s superpowers. They then saw how these same characteristics of nature are seen in superheroes. Children also observed birds outside of their schools and learned about migration, nesting and raising young birds. The kids then used things found in nature to build nests, just like birds do.

The Non Profit Development Center of Southern New Jersey (NPDC) honored Archway Programs’ Board Chair, Tim Titus, at their 2019 Annual Non Profit Organizations Awards Celebration on March 7th, 2019 which was held at Adelphia’s in Deptford, New Jersey. Titus was named ‘NPO Co-Trustee of the Year’ and was recognized for his outstanding contribution and impact on the community.  Executives and members of both leadership teams from Archway Programs and Woods Services joined Titus and others throughout the community to celebrate this special honor.

On Wednesday, March 20th, 2019, Archway Programs celebrated the launch of its first social enterprise, Blue Violet Flowers and Gifts, at a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening event. Waterford Township officials, Archway employees, clients, customers and local community members joined together to unveil the new retail flower shop located on the White Horse Pike in Atco, New Jersey. The new flower shop creates custom floral arrangements for all events and holidays, and provides fresh flowers, as well as a variety of hand-crafted items and unique gifts from other local South Jersey businesses. What sets Blue Violet Flowers and Gifts apart is that it employs individuals with disabilities, promoting inclusion and supporting the community.

Archway Programs is preparing to launch its first social enterprise, Blue Violet Flowers and Gifts, a retail flower shop located in Atco, New Jersey. The nonprofit is hosting a grand opening event next month to celebrate this new initiative and will be announcing more details soon. Blue Violet Flowers and Gifts will employ adults with disabilities throughout South Jersey, giving each individual an opportunity to work in an integrated setting to gain skills, readying them for future employment opportunities in the community and increasing their independence. Blue Violet Flowers and Gifts will create custom floral arrangements for all events and holidays, provide fresh flowers, as well as offer a variety of hand-crafted items and unique gifts from local South Jersey businesses.

Youth from Archway Programs, a local nonprofit, filled the service bay at Honda of Turnersville on Wednesday, December 12th, as the South Jersey dealership hosted its sixth annual holiday party for children and teens from Archway’s HOPE and DISCOVER programs. Each year, Honda of Turnersville staff and families volunteer to host the highly anticipated event, which gives children the opportunity to take a break from the daily challenges they face and just be kids. General Manager Min Chin had a few tricks up his sleeve this year, too. As the kids anxiously stood in the Honda dealership looking out the windows for Santa to arrive, the dealership announced that Santa needed a little help. That’s when the Phillie Phanatic came running into the dealership to surprise the kids. The expressions on the kids’ faces were priceless, and they could hardly believe that they got to meet the Phillie Phanatic himself. With help from the Phillie Phanatic, Santa arrived on a decked out firetruck escorted by volunteers from the Whitman Square Fire Company of Washington Township.

Archway Programs has been selected as one of South Jersey Biz Magazine’s Nonprofit Stars of 2018. Award recipients consist of leading nonprofit organizations in the South Jersey area that go above and beyond in the community and make an impact in the lives of individuals who need care and support.  There are a total of seventeen Nonprofit Stars of 2018, which were nominated by South Jersey Biz Magazine’s editorial team. This is an annual nonprofit feature, highlighting the top nonprofit organizations throughout South Jersey who are making a difference in their communities. South Jersey Biz Magazine distributed their November 2018 issue on November 27, 2018.

In an effort to help support another nonprofit serving young children from birth to five years old, Archway Programs opens its doors to 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, a nonprofit which provides a nationwide early literacy program to thousands of  children. This new pilot program will launch its first satellite location at Archway Programs’ location in Washington Township, New Jersey. The new program will be dubbed “1000 Books Reading Nook” and will open its doors for the local community prior to officially opening for a special celebration. Staff from both organizations will celebrate alongside the local community at an open house on Friday, November 2nd, 2018 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. noon.

Archway Programs hosted its 8th Annual Cancer Awareness Walk on Wednesday, October 17th. This is a community-wide event where individuals served throughout all programs at Archway participated, as well as staff members and their families, to show their support.

Archway Programs held its 8th Annual Cancer Awareness Walk. Each year, the goal of the event is to educate others about cancer and raise funds to support individuals facing the fight against cancer. This year, the reason is a little more personal for Archway employees. The money raised will directly help support Archway employees and their families impacted by cancer and related medical issues they may be facing.  When Archway Programs employees learned that some of their colleagues had been diagnosed with cancer, they donated their time and money to support fundraising efforts in addition to this annual event. The community effort may have seemed like just another fun awareness event but seeing the level of support of those who showed up and helped contribute proved that every penny raised was not just going to a research fund. Awareness was certainly brought, conversations were sparked, but the reactions of those supported by the event showed that Archway Programs employees have a strong bond, much like a family, and everyone came together for all of the right reasons.

Archway Programs has partnered with Voorhees Pediatric Rehabilitation Services, in association with Voorhees Pediatric Facility, to expand its early intervention program, Step By Step, serving children from birth through three years old. This collaboration with Voorhees Pediatric Rehabilitation Services will give Archway Programs the opportunity to provide additional supports to children with special needs. This will allow staff from Voorhees Pediatric Rehabilitation Services to support Archway’s Step By Step Program and get out in the community to help more families. Both organizations began discussing the opportunity back in May and expect to start working together early September 2018.