Friday, March 31, 2017

Fitu the Poet

Fitu has been coming to The Arc San Francisco's ArtReach Studio & Gallery for eleven years now. During his time at the Studio, Fitu has loved making friends with other artists, learning new art techniques, and developing a more professional portfolio for his work.

Fitu is both a painter and writer. He first started writing poetry in 2005 and says, “It changed my life.” Through poetry, Fitu is able to express his voice and feelings. He shares his poems on his blog Peace Be The Journey.

Currently, Fitu is working on a collage in memory of a dear friend that recently passed away from cancer. Below are two of the poems he has written and will be including in his collage.


“You Are The Song, The Melody”
Happy Friends That We Were
Song Ballads That We Became
Blue Skies That We Stayed As
You Are The Song, The Melody In My Heart

Memorable Tunes We Didn’t Forget
Sad memories That Ended Our Relationship
Tomorrow’s Schedule We Should’ve Known
You Are The Song, The Melody In My Mind

Two Of Us We Met At The Hospital
Mail We Spent Our Days Helping Out
No Drama We Didn’t Have To Deal With
Only Cause God Took Care Of It Himself

Two of Us We Enjoyed The Afternoon
Mall We Spent Our Days Eating Alone
No Worries We Didn’t Have To Deal With
Only Cause God Took Care Of It Himself

Cold Breeze That It Kept Us Awake
Crunchy Snacks That It Kept Us Entertained
Volunteer Job That We Were Blessed With
You Are The Song, The Melody In My Life

Bus Ride That It Made Us Tired
Train Ride That It Made Us Feel Better
Clear Window That We Could See Brighter
You Are The Song, The Melody In My Faithfulness

“Only You”
Eternity We Always Spent
Spent On This Earth Forever
Unity We Always Share
Only You Can Make Me Smile Again
Relationship We Always Kept
Kept Till The Break Of Dawn
Faithfulness We Always Respect
Only You Can Make Me Smile Again

We Stayed As Friends
Not Just We Didn’t Care
We Stayed As Friends
Cause We Went To The Movies Once In Awhile

We Stayed As Friends
Not Just We Wanted To Get Away
We Stayed As Friends
Cause We Ate In The Food Court Once In A Blue Moon

Music We Love To Sing
Sing As We Left The Mall In The Afternoon
Chatting We Love To USe
Only You Can Brighten Up My Soull

Art We Love To Create
Create As The Morning Was Getting Started
Lunch We Love To Eat
Only You Can Help Me Grow Fast Again

We Stayed As Friends
Not Just We Was Feeling Tired
We Stayed As Friends
Cause We Rode The Bus Back To The Art Studio

We Stayed As Friends
Not Just It Rain And Poured
We Stayed As Friends
Cause We Rode The Bus Back To The Bart Station

Monday, March 20, 2017

Volunteer Program Spotlight


Volunteers at The Arc San Francisco bring our mission to life every day. Whether you are looking for a place to share your artistic skills each week or a wonderful location for team-building through a done-in-a-day group project, The Arc has something for you. Volunteer by yourself, with a friend, or as a group; we welcome your fresh ideas and diverse talents.
To learn more, check out this fantastic spotlight on The Arc SF's volunteer program and its Development & Volunteer Manager Giovanna Erkanat at volunteermatch.org.
Interested in volunteering at The Arc San Francisco? Visit thearcsf.org.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

International Women's Day

International Women’s Day highlights the importance of many issues that affect women from equal pay to access to education to healthcare. The Arc San Francisco would also like to highlight the importance of supporting women with disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports almost 27 million women in the United States as having a disability. Despite progress, there is still a long way to go in providing access to healthcare for women with disabilities, but at The Arc SF, we are seeing better outcomes through our one-to-one advocacy and our outreach to education and health care partners regarding better care for this population.

The Arc SF is working hard to close the gap in health care education and access for women with developmental disabilities. Due to cognitive challenges, fear, or a lifetime of inconsistent care, many female Arc clients experience health conditions that, if identified sooner, can be addressed with positive outcomes.

The Arc’s Health and Wellness services ensure medical access and continuity of care for our clients. Through our comprehensive community-based case management services, Arc clients of all ages as well as individuals with developmental disabilities in the community get support to live healthier lives with the help of a dedicated health advocate, a part-time nurse, health case management, and healthy living classes. Our Health Advocates assist clients in doctor-patient communication, provide helpful health history, ensure clients get timely screenings, follow medical treatment plans, and get the proper primary, vision, dental, and podiatry care necessary.

Interested in learning more? Visit thearcsf.org!