ARC-BALDWIN COUNTY INC
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Mission Statement
ARC of Baldwin County, Inc. (ARC-BC) is a nonprofit organization based in Baldwin County, Alabama which was established in 1981 to serve Baldwin County’s intellectually / developmentally disabled children, youth, and adults and their families. ARC of Baldwin County’s mission is to provide our participants with excellent comprehensive lifelong care and activities which enable them to enjoy a satisfying quality of life. Physical, dental, and mental health care, community engagement, functional skill-building activities, recreation, and exercise (as tolerated) are among the services ARC-BC offers intellectually disabled participants. We operate two programs: Adult Day Rehabilitation and Residential Care. “Intellectual disability” is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which manifest during the child’s developmental period. The term "developmental disabilities" is defined by the CDC as a lifelong disability that may be intellectual, physical, or both. Examples of developmental disabilities are autism, behavior disorders, brain injury, cerebral palsy, vision/hearing impairment, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and spina bifida.
About This Cause
“Intellectual disability” is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which manifest during the child’s developmental period. The term "developmental disabilities" is defined by the CDC as a lifelong disability that may be intellectual, physical, or both. Examples of developmental disabilities are autism, behavior disorders, brain injury, cerebral palsy, vision/hearing impairment, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and spina bifida. ARC of Baldwin County’s residential care program serves clients whose medical needs require 24-hour care and oversight. Residential care sites are located in Loxley-area homes and apartments. ARC-BC programs operate in full compliance with Alabama Department of Mental Health and federal government requirements. We employ five nurses to provide and oversee residential and day program clients’ health care under physician supervision. Our Adult Day Rehabilitation Programs are located in Loxley, Robertsdale and Foley, Alabama. ARC-BC provides regular opportunities for our day program clients and area residents to interact, along with regular exposure to community activities as described below. This promotes our clients' feeling of "belonging" and self-confidence, which are essential to a superior quality of life. We help clients' families in the community to build positive relationships with their loved ones by offering supportive family contact and coordinating service referrals when needed. Only 60 years ago, nearly 200,000 people with developmental/intellectual disabilities lived in state-run residential institutions. These facilities were notorious for poor living conditions, overcrowding, and inferior quality of care. Thankfully, this type of institution is largely a thing of the past. In their place, community-based services were developed, including day habilitation programs and residential care programs, to enable intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals to receive high-quality services in order to lead a satisfying life. The National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) reports that intellectually/developmentally disabled persons often face poor access to physical and mental health care. Limited access to area support services is also problematic. Difficulties including prejudice and service-eligibility “red tape” often prevent these individuals from “having a say” about where they live and work, according to The American Association for the Intellectually/Developmentally Disabled. We at ARC-BC strive to be active client advocates to help ensure that their legal rights are protected. ARC-BC employs five full-time nurses to monitor participants’ health and provide prompt care in all of our programs. We provide participants with community volunteer service opportunities, and we coordinate part-time employment when appropriate. Clients participate in a variety of sports including Special Olympics activities, which may offer opportunities to travel. ARC-BC provides regular opportunities for our day program clients and area residents to interact, along with regular exposure to community activities as outlined below within the program description. This promotes our clients' feeling of "belonging" and self-confidence, which are essential to a superior quality of life. We help clients' families to build and maintain positive relationships with their loved ones by offering supportive family contact and coordinating service referrals when needed. ARC Expected Organizational Outcomes include: *Increased community integration for participants, to the extent permitted by their disability. *Increased job placement for participants, as appropriate. *Maintaining homes for residential program participants which provide the Least Restrictive Environment, as required by state and federal law. *Maintaining the physical and mental health of all participants. *Effective partnership with participants in managing their finances. ARC-BC’s Day Rehabilitation programs serve most of our participants. Program sites are located in Loxley, Foley, and Robertsdale, Alabama. Activities are designed to help each client gain social and functional skills to the fullest possible extent, enjoy daily recreation, and benefit from integrative community socialization. Art, music, field trips, computer activities, and cognitive/sensory stimulation activities are offered at each site. Community volunteer participation or part-time employment are encouraged when appropriate. All three of our day rehabilitation program sites offer frequent opportunities for community interaction and socialization, including bowling, movies, eating at restaurants, attending concerts at local parks, and shopping, as well as trips to area museums, the zoo, and nearby beaches. A plant nursery is located adjacent to our Loxley site. On average, ten ARC-BC participants are learning how to nurture and grow plants, some of which may be sold to area nurseries and florists. Working with plants increases our clients’ functional skills and self-confidence and offers opportunities for community socialization. Each ARC-BC participant has an annual care plan which includes personal learning objectives. Periodic outcome evaluation is conducted to assess each client’s progress toward these goals. Regular process evaluation is also conducted to ensure that all program aspects are functioning effectively, and that documentation is up-to-date and complete. Our Robertsdale location serves the largest number of clients, offering a wide variety of activities such as community outings, functional and social skill-building games and activities, basic computer skills and interactive games, cognitive/sensory stimulation, arts and crafts, music, and exercise in a number of classrooms. There is a large recreation room equipped with ping pong and air hockey tables. Our Foley and Loxley program locations offer similar activities. ARC of Baldwin County’s organizational goals and anticipated outcomes include: • Increased community integration for each participant. • Increased job placement for participants, as appropriate. • Maintaining homes for residential patients in the Least Restrictive Environment required by their care needs, as mandated by law. • Maintaining the physical and mental health of all participants. The steeply increased cost of food, program materials, and related expenses have dealt ARC-BC’s budget a severe blow. ARC-BC needs investor support to help us continue offering our programs at the level of quality we have always worked hard to provide. Therefore, we are requesting a grant from Collins Aerospace in the amount of $7,500. ARC-BC of Baldwin County hopes that we have demonstrated our programs’ wide-ranging contributions to the lives of our intellectually/developmentally citizens and their families. If you would like further information or to visit us, please feel free to contact me at (251) 964-4451 or via email at kathyfleet@arcbaldwin.com. You are welcome to visit our website, www.arcbaldwincounty.org, or our Facebook page at ARC of Baldwin County. Sincerely, wwwKatherine C. Fleet Executive Director