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For Immediate Release Contact: Bill Furgueson The Arc Eastern Connecticut bfurgueson@thearcect.org 860-889-4435 x118 TheArcECT.org May 5, 2021 Chelsea Groton Foundation Assists The Arc Eastern Connecticut’s Future Bakery Location The Chelsea Groton Foundation has awarded The Arc Eastern Connecticut $1,952.99 to create counter and display space for its cookie production micro-enterprise, which provides on-the-job vocational training to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). “In 2016 we set out to prove that a business can pay people with IDD minimum wage and realize a profit,” notes Kathleen Stauffer, CEO of The Arc Eastern Connecticut. “Our chocolate chip cookies, made by the people we support, are not only in over 20 stores throughout the region, they’ve also given people with IDD the opportunity to go on to secure permanent employment with area businesses.” With the expansion of the bakery into a larger space at The Arc’s facility in Woodstock, which also houses The Emporium Thrift Store and bottle/can redemption center, the micro-business allows for increased production, employment and training opportunities. “We are so grateful to community partners like the Chelsea Groton Foundation,” said Stauffer. “Their belief in our mission and their commitment to access, equity and inclusion is crucial to the career success of people with IDD in Eastern Connecticut.”