Supporting individuals with disabilities and their families since 1953
Our goals:
Advocacy:
- offer a vision for a community in which individuals with developmental disabilities have opportunities and support throughout their lives.
- educate and empower individuals and their families so they know how to increase their lifestyle choices.
- monitor the quality of services provided by other agencies to insure that the delivery of those services reflect our values of dignity, choice, rights, and community connections for person with developmental disabilities.
- build programs and organizations to move toward our vision of the community.
- identify issues, proactively search for solutions, plan, and implement those plans in order to create a community where our vision is a reality.
Connections:
- host informational seminars to create opportunities for people to build relationships with others who share with similar experiences and common needs, issues and concerns.
- connect service providers and specialists to create ongoing synergies with people who embrace our vision that persons with developmental disabilities can be full partners within the community.
- network with other organizations to increase acceptance, respect, support and opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.
- provide communication and enhance community awareness through this website and other media.
- assist direct service providers to connect with the broader community through our Community Participation Initiative.
- direct our resources to maximize our impact in improving people's lives.
With a full time staff of four we engage in advocacy at both the systems and individual levels. We have both a men's and a women's group, which provide opportunities for friendship and community service. We manage a Pooled Amenities Trust Fund, and an After I'm Gone Program in which families may enroll to insure our future involvement with their son or daughter. We facilitate a Community Village Council of organizations seeking to promote the inclusion of children and adults into community life. Whenever a need arises we attempt to respond with passion and careful thought providing:
- Dignity
- Choice
- Rights
- Community Connections
- And other quality of life resources
We are a member agency of the Greater Kalamazoo United Way and an affiliate chapter of The Arc Michigan and Arc USA.
Our signature fund-raising events are Ribfest, held in August and the People Make the Difference Arts and Crafts held each November at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
Contributions of individuals and organizations, proceeds from two endowment funds managed by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation support our annual budget. In addition, we maintain a schedule of pursuing grants that enable us to undertake creative projects that have greatly enriched the lives of people with disabilities and their families.