The second, and final day of The Arc’s 2010 Convention wrapped up yesterday, and the highlights flowed all day.

In fact, there were so many highlights, I’m putting them into a list! Here’s the top four moments from day two at The Arc’s 2010 Convention:

Paul Marchand was honored for his career with The Arc. He presented a gift to the organization, the pen President Barack Obama used to sign Rosa's Law.

1. Paul Marchand, the longtime Director of the Disability Policy Collaboration, was honored for his three-decade-long career in the disability community. The Arc sent Paul off in style with a closing banquet that was attended by many of his colleagues, friends and family. You can see a photo montage of Paul’s career here. Paul gave The Arc a gift, the pen used by President Barack Obama to sign Rosa’s Law, framed and ready to hang in The Arc’s national office as a symbol of progress and inspiration.

Marty Ford, the current Acting Director of The Disability Policy Collaboration, received The Arc’s President’s Award

2. Marty Ford, the current Acting Director of The Disability Policy Collaboration, received The Arc’s President’s Award for her work with The Arc’s public policy efforts.

Margaret-Lee Thompson, of The Arc of King County, won the 2010 Advocacy Matters! Award.

2. Margaret-Lee Thompson received the Advocacy Matters! award, which was established in honor of the late Lorraine Sheehan. Margaret was chosen to receive the Advocacy Matters! Award because she exemplifies the spirit of Lorraine, who spent her life advocating for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

3. Ann Cameron Caldwell provided an overview on the exciting new Autism Now project, stemming from a $1.87 million grant awarded to The Arc by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities in September.

Sharon Lewis, Commissioner of the ADD, spoke at one of the plenary events.

4. Sharon Lewis, Commissioner of the ADD and Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for the Administration on Aging, spoke at plenary sessions. Plus, Melody Musgrove, Director of the Office of Special Education, also took the podium at a plenary session.

For more photos of yesterday’s activities, see our Facebook page and our Flickr profile. And remember, you can get breaking updates from our Twitter profile, and follow the conversation via our hash tag: #thearc10.

Actresses Robin Trocki and Lauren Potter from the hit show Glee received The Arc's Inclusion & Image Award at the 2010 Convention in recognition of their achievements in television for breaking down barriers, increasing awareness and challenging stereotypes.

Yesterday turned into one of the most memorable days in The Arc’s history. The Arc’s celebrated its 60th year with an opening day at its annual convention that included a sneak peek of our new brand and logo, to be revealed to the public in March, and a visit by Actresses Lauren Potter and Robin Trocki from the hit show Glee.

The stars received The Arc’s Inclusion & Image Award in recognition of their achievements in television for breaking down barriers, increasing awareness and challenging stereotypes. They answered questions from the audience, signed autographs for people and posed for pictures with fans. Both ladies said they love acting and being on the show Glee. They even answered the tough questions, like “Do you have boyfriends?” The answer from both? A resounding yes.

But all fun aside, both ladies, and their family members, emphasized the importance of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities embracing a life full of determination, advocating for themselves all along the way. Their example is an inspiration to many.

For more photos of yesterday’s activities, see our Facebook page and our Flickr profile. And remember, you can get breaking updates from our Twitter profile, and follow the conversation via our hash tag: #thearc10.

Whether you’re attending this year’s convention or not, there’s plenty going on that you’ll want to keep up with. Following all the happenings is easier than ever, thanks to the web and social media.

1. Follow this blog. Seems like a no-brainer, but we just launched, so help us spread the word. We’ll fill this spot with all the news and information coming out of convention. You can find the latest headlines from the blog right on our home page, in the bottom left-hand corner.
2. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Each day, we’ll be posting real-time updates on our social media profiles as well, in addition to meatier updates here. On Twitter, you can use the hash tag, #thearc10 to follow the conversation centered around the convention. If you’re at convention, and tweeting, feel free to jump into discussion.
3. Visit our Flickr page. Flickr, a place to share photos, we’ll be the first place we post photos each day from convention events. Also, if you’re taking and posting photos there, we invite you to post them to our group page.
4. Use the Convention website. Our convention website is still the best place to go for all the convention particulars, like the schedule, list of sponsors and exhibitors and more.