A Spooktacular Time at Nightmare on Amboy Avenue!

On Friday, October 21st, friends of ACI had a frightful good time at our Nightmare on Amboy Avenue Halloween event! The ACI conference room was transformed into a haunted forest with decorations put up by volunteers and staff. Special thanks to Patty for making some amazing backdrops! Everyone sat around a faux campfire and was sucked into stories about things that go bump in the night. Laughs and screams filled the room. The mood was lightened with a competitive game to see who could assemble a cut up picture of a black cat blindfolded. The night ended with a competition to see which team could make the best toilet paper mummy. Happy Halloween to all friends and family of ACI!

Lights, Camera, Scene It?

On Thursday, September 22nd, ACI hosted a movie trivia night using the poplar interactive DVD game Scene It? at the Mountainside Public Library. Participants cheered each other on and worked together to come up with the answers to the more difficult questions. By the end of the evening, participants were having a discussion about their favorite movies and actors. Another highlight of the night was two new participants joined the ACI family. Special thanks to the Mountainside Public Library director, Lynn Favreau and her staff for helping to make this event great!

Summer Series of Coloring for Adults Classes

The Coloring for Adults workshop completed its summer sessions on September 21st. The 4 week class offered an atmosphere where participants relaxed to music as they colored their picture of choice and shared individual techniques. The final session included a contest where judges choose the best artistic presentation. Congrats to Mariana Perez, who got 1st place and won tickets to box seats at a Somerset Patriots game! ACI plans on offering this workshop again this winter.

Disability Voter Registration Day

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As part of our Disability Voter Registration Day, ACI and REV UP NJ recently conducted a workshop on voter rights to participants at the Mount Bethel Village Day Program in Warren, Somerset County. 50 individuals learned about the process of voting, their rights as voters with disabilities and the 2016 presidential election. REV UP NJ voting t-shirts and buttons were given out as a reminder of the importance of the disability vote!

Voting education and registration activities of REV UP NJ and ACI are strictly non-partisan and are made possible through a grant from the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities.

World Renowned Origami Artists Hold Workshop at ACI

ACI welcomed internationally known origami instructors, Laura “Lauragami” Kruskal and Karen Reeds, for a night of folding fun! Participants followed Laura and Karen’s lead in making an origami dinner place holder, a letter folded into its own envelope, and a crown with the phrase “Love, Peace, Disability Pride” on it. The night was enhanced with Laura’s stories of her life traveling and teaching origami as well as a lively sing-a-long of the “International Origami Anthem” accompanied by Laura playing the harmonica.

REV UP Prepares for National Voter Registration Day

On September 8th, the REV UP voting campaign held a National Organizing Call in preparation for the upcoming National Voter Registration Day. You can access a recording of the call by clicking here.

Bob Kafka from REV UP Texas and Carole Tonks from REV UP New Jersey gave some great examples of how they are organizing in their states. They also shared some other ideas and resources for participating in National Voter Registration Day on September 27th.

For more info on National Voter Registration Day, please visit: nationalvoterregistrationday.org