The Massachusetts chapters of The Arc brought together a crowd of over 350 people to celebrate diversity and support community inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  This year’s theme, “We are ALL meant to Shine!” was truly celebrated with a beautiful, sunny day at the Boston Common.  Emcee Al Getler drew the attention of the crowd, welcoming supporters and program members of The Arcs, who created a sea of orange as they marched in and waved their flags to the inspirational song “We are marching on.” Introductions and speeches were given by Senate Majority Whip Karen Spilka, Self-Advocate Erin Power, Executive Director of The Arc National Peter Burns, and Bruce Bird.  Special recognition was given to statewide sponsors Comcast Business, Staples Advantage, Team Hoyt and lead fundraisers.  Center of Hope Foundation’s Special Olympics Cheerleading Dance Team brought the crowd to their feet with a cheer of enthusiasm and a dance to the new hit song “Happy”.  Everyone continued to mingle about, dance and soak up the sun with a fantastic performance from opening act Ash & Bloom, who accompanied our headline entertainer, Canadian singer song writer, Justin Hines.

The Center of Hope extends its deepest gratitude to its many local sponsors who made this day such a success, particularly Savers Bank, who hosted our sendoff rally and provided goodie bags for the day and to Pizza Chef, who provided a wonderful lunch for our program members and volunteers. Their generosity truly shined on this day!