By Laura Fitzgerald
The Community Foundation is proud to share that the Arc of St Clair County has established a new endowment fund to help them provide a lifeline and advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
“We’re very thankful for an anonymous donation we received from a family, that allows us to be able to keep the doors open, hire another person, and start this fund that is going to help us in the future,” Board President Laurie Sample-Wynn said.
The fund with the Community Foundation also brings The Arc into a large network of nonprofits, stakeholders, and community partners, raising awareness of the organization’s mission and services in the community, Sample-Wynn said.
Funding can be unstable because the Arc is funded entirely by the Unted Way, grants, and private and corporate donations, especially as many nonprofits face uncertain financial futures with the loss of state and federal funding. While The Arc receives no government funding, reductions in state and federal budgets mean there might be fewer grants to apply for in a sector that already has limited grant opportunities, Sample-Wynn and Director Valerie Hudgens said.
“The endowed fund is a way of building a future for The Arc so that there is stability because we are grant-oriented,” Hudgens said. “Grants, they come and go like the weather, so we’re looking to build stability.”
More about The Arc
The Arc connects individuals with IDD to community resources so they can live independently and fulfill their goals. Individuals might receive assistance with housing, employment, budgeting, grocery shopping, household chores, and other assistance to make their day-to-day lives easier.
“The people we serve are paying taxes, they’re living in a home, they’re working in your community. They are a huge working component of St. Clair County, and they are a huge benefit to being out in the community,” Hudgens said. “We work for them to be as independent as they’re able to be.”
The Arc also advocates on behalf of students who need individualized education plans or 504s, which are specialized plans ensuring students with disabilities receive the education, support, and resources they need to succeed in school.
On a socio-political level, the nonprofit conducts advocacy at the local, state, and national level for policies that benefit people with IDD.
In partnership with St. Clair County Probate Court, The Arc provides guardianship for adult individuals with IDD. Guardians are adults who have the authority to make life decisions for other adults with IDD, such as where they live and what kind of care they receive.
The Arc also fosters respect for, raises awareness of, and changes attitudes about people with IDD to move society closer to a culture that embraces full inclusion and acceptance. Sample-Wynn and Hudgens said people with IDD may require extra support, but they provide immense value to society and the communities they are a part of.
“We label people intellectually and developmentally disabled, but they’re just people with different abilities, and we’re just trying to help them get to the best life they can have,” Sample-Wynn said. “They’re members of the community.”
The Arc of St Clair County Fund joins several charitable funds at the Community Foundation setup to benefit those of different abilities, including the GiGi Mericka Abilities Fund and the Special Dreams Farm Fund For Developmentally Disabled Adults.
Click here to support The Arc of St. Clair County’s endowment fund or visit The Arc’s website or follow them on Facebook. to learn more.