Together, for Access, Inclusion, and Belonging
Many of you may be wondering what the proposed federal spending cuts to Medicaid could mean for individuals with disabilities and for our L’Arche community.
What Do Medicaid Cuts Mean for L’Arche NC?
They put inclusion, dignity, and access at risk—and we need your voice today.
Medicaid isn’t just a line in the budget. For L’Arche North Carolina, it’s over $280,000 in essential funding that helps keep our new home open, staffed, and thriving. Cuts to this support would directly threaten the services that allow people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in safe, supportive, and inclusive communities.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Medicaid provides vital health coverage to millions of people with disabilities. When that funding is reduced, so is access to care, housing, and community life.
We’re asking you to act today—because advocacy matters.
Use The Arc’s simple online form (linked below) to contact your representatives. Tell them why Medicaid matters to you, and why people with disabilities deserve continued access to the support and services they rely on.
Make Your Voice Heard – Take Action Now!
It only takes a few minutes—but your action can help protect what matters most.
#MedicaidMatters #InclusionMatters #AdvocacyForAll #BelongingForEveryone Click here to make your voice heard!
A Welcome Like No Other
Last month, I had the opportunity to visit L'Arche Atlanta for a couple of days. Before I tell you about this amazing community, I'd love to share briefly-ish how I came to work for L'Arche North Carolina.
What a Ball!
Our L'Arche Community is growing! We had some new friends and familiar faces gather at the Durham Bulls game on Friday, August 12. We had a total of 29 people join us as we cheered on the Durham Bulls! Our enthusiastic cheers helped the Bulls win against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Winning was fun, but the best part of the evening was getting to know new friends. The night ended with fireworks -- which was fitting because we all had a BLAST! This community gathering was made possible by grant funds from the NCCDD Summer Program Grant. We are grateful for the ways these funds have helped provide opportunities to be and learn together.
Sharing about L’Arche
We love visitng local congregations and organizations! Yesterday L'Arche was at Raleigh Mennonite Church. We visited with Liddy Grantland, who graduated from Duke University and now serves the L'Arche GWDC (Greater Washington D.C) community. She delivered a sermon during the service with L'Arche stories, reflections, and wisdom. You can listen to her sermon here. Through Liddy's stories, you can learn more about L'Arche. As she shares about her community, we invite you to consider supporting L'Arche GWDC, but in prayer and gifts. Likewise, as you listen, dream with us about the L'Arche Community we are building here in the Triangle Area. During the service, we also had the opportunity to share some of the gifts of L'Arche North Carolina. Kyla, a regular volunteer and participant of L'Arche NC, shared a poem and Laura provided image description of the slides. It's always a blessing to be in community with local congregations. We'd love to visit you and your religious, nonfaith, or civic group. Please email Laurasl@larchenc.org to plan a L'Arche NC visit to your club or organization.
What a SAILABRATION: a recap of our 2022 breakfast fundraiser
On Saturday, July 23 we held a L'Arche NC SAILABRATION Breakfast at Duke Memorial UMC in Durham. We had pancakes, music, and a mini boat regatta! This gathering celebrated our growing community. It provided an opportunity for friends (new and old) to come together for fun. Thank you to everyone who joined us. It was so much to create and watch the regatta race. Congrats to Kevin for winning the Fastest Boat Award and Dash for winning Best of Show. During our morning together, our Executive Director, Laura Steed Lorino, asked audience members, "What are you celebrating this month? There is always something to celebrate!" Some attendees shared of new jobs, others shared about their anniversary, while others focused on recent accomplishments. At L'Arche, we CELEBRATE! And, we continue to celebrate the community that is growing in the Triangle Area of North Carolina. THANK YOU for being a part of it. Our breakfast also meant that we could share more about the mission and vision of L'Arche NC. We are excited for our future! L'Arche staff, read more
Disability & Pride: Panel Discussion
On Thursday, June 30th, L'Arche NC hosted a panel conversation with L'Arche Tahoma Hope and L'Arche Portland. We were grateful to hear from keynote speaker, ChrisTiana ObeySumner, and panelists Azrael Burton, Deanna Parvin Yadollahi, Rebel Black, and Nicholas Herd. If you missed it, you can watch the recording below! http://youtu.be/L9mkmqvE9mc%20https://youtu.be/L9mkmqvE9mc
L’Arche NC’s Prayer Night with St. Thomas More Catholic Church
On Wednesday, June 8th, we hosted a hybrid L'Arche NC Prayer Night with St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill. We were excited to be able to host most of this service with Spanish translation, and reflected on the theme of "joy" together. One of the songs we sang was "Peace Like A River", led by one of our wonderful volunteers with a gift for music. We added hand motions throughout and encouraged everyone to join in the song however they wanted to express themselves: For a small group activity, everyone had the chance to choose an image from a selection which represented "joy" to them. We were then able to share with each other about the things that give us joy, and reflect on what joy looks like to each of us. Our scripture reading for the evening was also read in both English and Spanish. We reflected on the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-26: 22 En cambio, el fruto del Espíritu es amor, alegría, paz, paciencia, amabilidad, bondad, fidelidad, 23 humildad y dominio propio. No hay ley que condene estas cosas. 24 Los read more
Reflections on L’Arche NC’s May Musical Showcase
At our May 4th Virtual Musical Showcase, we had participants join us from coast to coast. One of those participants was Chris, a Core Member at L’Arche Wavecrest, in Orange County, California. Chris performed a wonderful rendition of the Disney song “When You Wish Upon A Star”. When asked how he felt about sharing his musical talent, Chris replied “I’ve been practicing my music and learning how to share it. I was proud of what I did.” Chris was one of eight performers who shared their musical gifts and talents that evening. One of our participants, Ricardo, who called in from Atlanta to listen, was blown away by the performances. “I really enjoyed listening to everyone’s musical talents, everyone has their own talents from ukuleles to piano playing… but the thing that I really really enjoyed, besides making new friends, was a version “Maybe” from the musical Annie performed by Mary Evelyn from North Carolina. For the rest of that night and the rest of the weekend I couldn’t get it out of my head! The way she delivered the song was incredible. I don’t know how I’m read more
If you missed the Disability Justice Panel…
If you missed the Disability Justice Panel, you can still watch the recording here! We are grateful to our panelists and poets for contributing so thoughtfully to this educational evening. http://youtu.be/ULNmAHOMx9M
