Doug Payne, The Greater Richmond ARC
Director of Communications
(804) 358-1874
(cell) 714-6259
After-school Recycling Program at Greater Richmond ARC Benefits All
–Year round program encourages children to preserve planet’s resources(RICHMOND)– School-age children with special needs enrolled in The Greater Richmond ARC’s after-school program are learning how to help save the environment one piece of paper, plastic, and can at a time.
A year-round recycling program shows children in the after-school program ages five to 22 the importance of preserving the environment by separating disposables in containers at ARCenter, 3600 Saunders Avenue. Twice a month they also travel with ARC staffers to Wise Recycling Center to watch the cans being crushed and recycled. The purpose of the activity is so after-school participants can witness firsthand the importance of “going green” and preserving our natural resources, says Camesha Peters, ARC’s after-school coordinator. “We are all really excited that good habits are being instilled by learning to recycle,” she says.
The recycling program is just one of many activities held at the organization’s ARCenter facility at 3600 Saunders Avenue, where students attend full days during the summer and then from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. once public school begins. Students attending ARCenter’s after-school program come from Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties and the city of Richmond.
The Greater Richmond ARC’s Camp Baker in Chesterfield, a year-round program on 22-wooded acres near Pocahontas State Park also provides after-school care from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. Activities there include nature walks, arts and crafts, and quiet time relaxing at the Camp’s sensory garden that features colorful flowers and aromatic herbs.
ARCenter and Camp Baker’s after-school programs are open Monday through Friday and during scheduled school holidays. For more information about fees and schedules, call 358-1874 or 748-4789 or visit richmondarc.org for more information.
Licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, The Greater Richmond ARC’s after-school programs are Medicaid waiver providers. Camp Baker is also accredited by the American Camping Association.
