Community Members Honored by The Arc of Washington County

As part of the annual membership picnic, The Arc of Washington County honored six individuals and two businesses who have had a significant impact in the lives of individuals with disabilities this past year.

Community Service Awards

Meritus Health and the Washington County Health Department received the Community Service Awards, in recognition of their partnership through COVID. Meritus Health provided expedited testing to help The Arc-WC track and reduce COVID exposures, while rapidly vaccinating our frontline workers as soon as vaccines were available. The Washington County Health Department played a critical role, advising safety protocols and best practices throughout the pandemic while orchestrating a massive vaccination clinic for direct support professionals and people supported across the county.

COVID Hero Awards

New this year was the COVID Hero Award, given to Elizabeth Farmer, Jennifer Miller, and Amanda Royal. As Direct Support Professionals, these three individuals work on the front lines caring for individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities. It is an essential job, and they stepped up with unwavering commitment to the people they support. Jennifer even moved into one of the residential houses for two weeks to care for people supported who had been exposed to COVID.

For pictures of the picnic and awards ceremony, click here.

Volunteer of the Year

Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Laura Herrera and Taylor Bowen. Both contributed their skills to The Arc-WC’s Empowering Lives Capital Campaign, which kicked off in Spring 2020. This campaign was led by Blackie Bowen, who received the President’s Award for his campaign leadership. Through a global pandemic, these individuals orchestrated a capital campaign raising more then $6 million!

This has been a challenging year and the need across the county has been significant. The Arc-WC wants to recognize and congratulate the outstanding service of those who have given their time, faced the challenge head-on and made a significant impact on the lives of people supported. We are so appreciative of their service to our community.

To learn more about membership opportunities with The Arc-WC, click here.