The Arc Mower County will host its 20th Annual Rose Sale starting Monday and going through March 13.

The proceeds will help fund programs benefiting children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including advocacy, Special Olympics and Our Place Recreation Center.

Red roses and multicolored “lollipop” roses will be offered. Purchase a dozen red roses for $17, or $23 with a vase included. Lollipop roses cost $19 a dozen, or $25 with a vase.

Order forms can be found by emailing office@thearcmc.org, calling 507-433-8994 or visiting our website at www.thearcmc.org. Orders can be taken until March 13 and pick-up and delivery is scheduled for march 31.

 ABLE signed into law

The Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act was signed into law on Dec. 19, 2014, after many years of advocacy and bipartisan work in both the House and Senate.

The law allows eligible individuals with disabilities the ability to establish “ABLE accounts” for qualified beneficiaries that resemble the qualified tuition programs, often called “529 accounts,” that have been established under that section of the tax code since 1996. The new ABLE accounts will allow more individual choice and control over spending on qualified disability expenses and limited investment decisions, while protecting eligibility for Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and other important federal benefits for people with disabilities.

Without these accounts, many people with disabilities have very limited avenues to save and allow for further independence.

 How soon will ABLE Accounts be available?

•Federal Regulations: The Secretary of the Treasury is required to issue regulations or other necessary guidance within six months of enactment of the law, which would require such regulations and/or guidance to be available by mid-June 2015.

•State Decisions: Each state will need to decide whether to offer a qualified ABLE program to its residents, and, if so, the state will need to decide whether the program will be state-run; whether to select another entity, such as a financial services firm, to run the program; or whether to contract with another state to allow its own residents to use the qualified ABLE program of another state.

 Upcoming Events

•Sweetheart Dance: 6 to 8 p.m., Friday

•Group Music Therapy for Youth: Thursday, April 16. This group is for children aged 12-18 and will focus on skills development involving socialization, communication, attention, and executive function training. We’ll be working on skills such as social interactions with peers, making decisions, planning, and organizing, all while playing fun music games middle school and high school kids will enjoy. The activities involve anything from interacting with partners, to playing many kinds of percussion instruments with the whole group.

See a complete list of activities at www.thearcmc.org