-01.png)
-02.png)
PANDEMIC
UPDATES
Virtual Adventures
Our ACTIVITIES 4 U link and our COMMUNITY RESOURCES link are two places to find important information. You can always access them here on our PANDEMIC UPDATES PAGE
and on the HOME PAGE of our website. We add information regularly and welcome your ideas.
From
Our Family
to Yours
Monday, June 22, 2020
A Message from Kathleen Stauffer,
CEO of The Arc Eastern Connecticut
Hello Everybody,
I hope you all enjoyed a great Father’s Day weekend. A big shout-out to all our Dads!
Last week began Phase II of Connecticut’s re-opening, in which several new categories of businesses were allowed to reopen, including museums, libraries, gyms, and amusement parks. For a complete list please visit the Governor’s website.
The Arc ECT’s Reopening Committee includes Board members, leadership team members, IT and facility team members, and direct support team members. All are working on a strong and solid plan that follows CDC and DDS health and safety recommendations. As I write this, COVID-19 cases remain on the rise in Eastern Connecticut. Please remember that social distancing and masks save lives! The people we serve and their families, you – our team members – and your families continue to be The Arc ECT’s #1 priority.
An important aspect of reopening is completion of the bathroom renovations at Mechanic Street. This huge undertaking began late in 2019 and included conversion of the existing bathroom area into three accessible rooms offering privacy, increased space, and shower and changing facilities.
Supervised and socially distanced face-to-face family visits continue to be popular during this transition time, as our talented staff develop creative remote programming to keep everyone engaged. Community Life & Advocacy is now hosting virtual advocacy meetings, and everyone is looking forward to having a calendar of virtual activities in the near future.
Congratulations to all our athletes who participated in this year’s Special Olympics Virtual Summer Games on June 12 and 13: Sonja, Steve, Abby, Eric, Aaron, Shannon, Britney, Kinsley, Julia, Coleen, Tyesha and Megan. Everyone excelled in their chosen sports of Track and Field and Soccer. NBC Universal was at the games and interviewed some of the athletes, including Aaron, who’s a Special Olympics’ Global Messenger. You can catch the action by visiting the Special Olympics Facebook page or at SOCT.org
I’m also happy to announce that the Emporium Thrift Store on Rt 171 in Woodstock is now accepting donations of clothing and small items on Fridays from 10am-2pm. We’re not yet open to the public for shopping, but hopefully that will be right around the corner.
Thanks to each one of you for taking care of one another!
Sincerely,
This Week's Recipe
Blueberry Dutch Baby
Breakfast has never tasted so good!
This blueberry-studded baked pancake is rich and satisfying but surprisingly light tasting. The true magic of a Dutch Baby is the contrast of texture between the crispy, crusty outside and the soft, custardy, fruity center. It’s not only gorgeous and delicious, but it's fun and simple to make! There's no sugar in the batter, so all the sweetness comes from the berries and the powdered sugar. For a sweeter version, serve with maple syrup like regular blueberry pancakes.
Ingredients
-
1 cup packed all-purpose flour
-
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
-
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-
6 large eggs, at room temperature
-
1-1/3 cups milk, at room temperature
-
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons clarified butter, melted*
-
2/3 cup fresh blueberries, or more to taste
-
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
-
1 lemon, juiced
-
3 tablespoons and 2-3/4 teaspoons powdered sugar, or to taste
*Clarified butter is butter that you’ve melted and skimmed off the milk solids from the top, which leaves just the pure butterfat
Directions
-
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
-
Combine flour, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, and milk in a high-speed blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth and very thin, about 1 minute. (You can use a regular blender but it will take a bit longer.)
-
Heat a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet over high heat. Pour clarified butter into the skillet and use a pastry brush to grease the sides. Heat butter until just starting to smoke.
-
Quickly and carefully pour the batter into the center of the skillet, then sprinkle blueberries over top. Transfer skillet to the center of the preheated oven and bake until browned and nicely puffed, 20 to 25 minutes.
-
Carefully remove from the oven and immediately brush the top with melted butter. Squeeze lemon juice.
-
Cut in wedges to serve and drizzle with maple syrup if you like.