Our mission is to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities to achieve their potential based on personal choices, abilities and interests...

Westchester Arc
The Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center
265 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.949.9300
info@westchesterarc.org

24-hour
Crisis Intervention:
914.949.8200

Información en Español

Sign Up for News & Updates

» back to home

Westchester Arc Hosts Gateway Center Tour

Envision Possibilities of People with
Developmental Disabilities

Joining in the ceremonial ribbon cutting are, from left, Beth Beck, capital campaign co-chair; Marc Brandt, NYSARC executive director; John Israel, Westchester Arc consumer; Justin Israel, agency pioneer whom the building was named after; Anne Majsak, Westchester Arc president; and Ric Swierat, Westchester Arc executive director.

Click below to read press coverage: (pdf)

» “Westchester Arc Opens New Hawthorne Facility” — The Examiner

» “New Arc Center” — Westchester County Business Journal

Westchester Arc opens its new Gleeson Israel Gateway Center in Hawthorne, New York. Five years in the making, the Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center symbolizes the potential and rising expectations of people with developmental disabilities who seek greater roles in community life. It is devoted to providing expanded resources to help people with developmental disabilities make residential, career and recreational choices consistent with personal needs and desires.

“The Gleeson Israel Center Gateway is more than just a building,” commented Ric Swierat, Westchester Arc executive director. “It represents a dramatic shift in delivering services to individuals with developmental disabilities— moving away from center-based programs and sheltered workshops to providing more opportunities for full community inclusion. Through art galleries, a theater and state-of-the-art meeting areas, our Gateway Center stands as a constant reminder of the contributions individuals with developmental disabilities make to the community every day. We believe this progressive approach will greatly benefit our consumers and families, and hope it inspires other agencies to apply similar methods in serving people with disabilities.”

Justin and Emel Israel

Justin and Emel Israel take a proud first look at the Gateway Center's entrance and the sign that recognizes their continued committment to the lives of those we serve.

The center is a major improvement to the World War II munitions plant in White Plains that the agency occupied for over 45 years. It provides the “gateway” to person-centered services, support to families, advocacy and leadership which together inspire the community to value the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities.

guests at ribbon cutting

Celebrating the opening of Westchester Arc’s Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center are, from left, Jason Kingsley, Raymond Frost Jr., self-advocates; Ric Swierat, Westchester Arc executive director, Yaniv Gorodischer, self-advocate; Anne Majsak, Westchester Arc president, and Emily Kingsley, former board member and longtime agency supporter.

Dr. Beth Mount, Westchester Arc consultant,
and Patsy Ginese, president of the agency’s Customer Service Council, dedicate the
building’s water wall to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

One of the event highlights was the dedication of the building’s water wall.

“This water wall—a direct request from the individuals with developmental disabilities we serve— represents renewal, refreshment and the contributions they feel they make to the greater community,” commented special guest Dr. Beth Mount, a nationally recognized expert in person centered planning and longtime consultant to Westchester Arc. “The structure represents personal dreams and desires and will serve to inspire Westchester Arc staff as they support these folks in fulfilling their goals and achieving their true potential.

gleeson-israel gateway center

The new building features art galleries and meeting spaces that celebrate the accomplishments of individuals with developmental disabilities and serves a “gateway” for community inclusion.