Dutchess County Executive's Arts Awards 2022
New Horizon Resources, Inc.
ThinkDIFFERENTLY
in the Arts
The arts can expand one’s reach through critical thinking, problem solving and the stoking of a boundless imagination.
New Horizons Resources in Pleasant Valley, which strives to enable people with developmental disabilities to achieve fulfilling lives, takes it all one step further.
“We have enabled people from all over the community to express their feelings on inclusion, diversity and equity in America,” said New Horizons Executive Director Samuel Laganaro. “People who may not express themselves easily with words can explain their thoughts and feelings through art. The IDEA art exhibit offered all people in New Horizons the opportunity to create art, music or written work that expressed their thoughts and feelings.”
Added Sam, “New Horizons serves people of all abilities and the arts enable people of all abilities to express their feelings and emotions in both serious and fun ways.”
The IDEA art exhibit is a shining example of why New Horizons has received the 2022 Dutchess County Executive’s Arts Award in the category of ThinkDIFFERENTLY in the Arts.
Launched by Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro in 2015, the “ThinkDIFFERENTLY” initiative seeks to “change the way individuals, businesses, organizations and communities relate to our neighbors with all abilities,” according to DutchessNY.gov, the county website.
“We are humbled and grateful,” said Sam. “It is an honor for our agency to be recognized for doing something positive for the community.”
New Horizons provides homes for adults in Dutchess and Ulster counties. Residential options include traditional group homes and supervised/supportive apartments for individuals and groups of up to three people. All told, New Horizons operates 30 houses and 15 apartments, as well as two day habilitation centers.
And the arts help support the foundations of the New Horizons operation.
The arts are important, Sam said, because “They inspire people. They can entertain. They are another way to communicate. The arts also bring the community together and support the local economy.”
And leading the charge in the Hudson Valley is the Dutchess County arts community, which, Sam said, is “open to everyone in the community and provides an outlet for us to better understand and respect one another.”
