Summary
Organization name
The Arc of Southwest Colorado
2014
Tax id (EIN)
47-2451513
Category
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
101 W 11th St. #112Durango, CO 81301
La Plata County, CO, US
The Arc of Southwest Colorado looks forward to receiving funds through CO Gives to support our programming to continue our work of advocating for children with disabilities and their families with the goal to ensure they are educated in the least restrictive environment.
Our family has been utilizing supports and advocacy offered by The Arc of SW Colorado for two years
Our daughter Stephanie has been diagnosed with Autism. She also has severe cognitive and learning disability. She also struggles to have appropriate social interactions. There is a huge spectrum for kids who have autism, which creates a need for all kinds of supports for these individuals.
For example, it can be very challenging for Stephanie to be in school. She just started high school - which blows my mind. During her day, she needs 1:1 supervision and supports. She demonstrates a lot of frustration due to her lack of ability to easily express her wants and needs. School is difficult for a person like Stephanie. It can be overwhelming. We know that Stephanie has a great opportunity in her life to have more independence, if she can access natural environments, like the rest of us.
With the help of The Arc of SW Colorado, through education advocacy, we were able to facilitate services with the school to help assist Stephanie in accessing her education, like her peers. I can honestly say, I don't know where we would be without these supports!!!
Your support of The Arc of Southwest Colorado helps make my story and thousands of others happen every day!
Our mission is to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. We believe that all people deserve to love, work, play, and learn in the communities in which they choose to live, and that all people, with or without disabilities, have inherent value with innate abilities and strengths and are equal before the law. Each individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect where they have choice and a voice in their everyday lives.
The Arc of Southwest Colorado is one of 13 chapters of The Arc of Colorado. The Arc of Colorado had maintained a long-standing strategic goal to extend The Arc presence in areas of the State not served by local chapters. Southwest Colorado was an area of the State that was underserved and where the needs of families and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities were growing exponentially. Through that need, three families got together in March of 2014 to discuss how they might organize an Arc chapter in Southwest Colorado. With the help of The Arc of Mesa County and The Arc of Colorado, the Arc of Southwest Colorado was incorporated and received their 501(c)(3) status in November of 2014. The Arc of Colorado issued a resolution in March of 2015 recognizing that The Arc of Southwest Colorado had met their membership requirements established by the affiliation terms of The Arc US and designated us as a chapter of The Arc empowered to support and advocate for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the State of Colorado.
Having passed all of the organizational hurdles, the Board, consisting of the three founding families, began to formulate a strategic plan and financial plan to execute on their desire to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Southwest Colorado. The Board was able to create a budget and organizational platform sufficient to hire their first employee, a child advocate, in August of 2015. Upon completion of the 2016 school year the organization achieved a level of financial security to hire and Executive Director who would also act/serve as a child advocate. With this hire the Arc of Southwest Colorado was able to expand their reach with both direct and indirect advocacy reaching an even larger population in Southwest Colorado.
Organization name
The Arc of Southwest Colorado
2014
Tax id (EIN)
47-2451513
Category
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
101 W 11th St. #112La Plata County, CO, US