This past month, Marty Ford, our Senior Executive Officer of Public Policy, was awarded the first-ever AAIDD Public Policy Award. Our Director of Public Policy Nicole Jorwic shared a few words about the immeasurable impact Marty has had on our organization and the disability sector as a whole:

“For Marty’s entire professional career, she has worked for The Arc and fought to create policy and protect programs that make the lives of individuals with I/DD and their families lives better. Marty has relationships on the Hill and in the field that are based on trust and respect. Marty is tactful and brilliant as a lobbyist and policy guru which is why The Arc is so often the first phone call from Hill staffers, from both sides of the aisle. Because of Marty’s reputation, anyone calling knows that they will get the most accurate information, with all the nuances and discretion if it is required.

Marty is everyone’s go to person because nobody understands how all of the different programs work together, and the technical and historical perspective better than Marty. Marty can cite the specific part of the Social Security Act you may need, and explain the negotiation process of every major piece of legislation for the past several decades since she was there, but what is even more special is her passion for the work. Marty is also a sibling. Marty has worked hard to support the policy work, legal advocacy efforts and advocacy of The Arc for decades driven by clear and unshakeable values and pure integrity. There is nothing as forceful as a fired up Marty Ford and as we have faced the policy challenges of the last 18 months, her passion has driven all of us. We never forget what we are fighting for on the policy team with Marty as our fearless leader.” – Nicole Jorwic, Director of Public Policy

Every year there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people that leave The Arc — retiring board members and executive directors, staff moving on to other jobs or leaving the workforce. Wouldn’t it be great if we could keep them involved in our cause? Over the past year, we’ve had a group of alumnae of The Arc that have come up with plans for how to stem the loss of talent and keep some of our most passionate advocates engaged. We’re launching The Arc Alumnae Council to do just that, but we need your help to identify alumnae.

Please take a look at the description of the new Alumnae Council and send it to anyone who has left your chapter whose energy and passion can still benefit The Arc. Or use this form to give us contact information for potential Council members and we will reach out to them directly. Questions? Contact Peter Berns at berns@thearc.org.

Becoming healthy can be difficult. Thanks to the Anthem Foundation’s support, 8 chapters of The Arc in Kentucky, Wisconsin and Texas have been able to help individuals with I/DD become healthier through the Health and Fitness for All program. Results show that 223 participants lost a total of 316 pounds. One participant from The Arc of Kentucky, Nyketa, lost an astonishing 30 pounds throughout the 12-week program! The Arc of Kentucky said field trips to the grocery store helped Nyketa and other participants learn to read nutrition labels and plan healthier meals and snacks, which contributed to their weight loss success. 

The Arc and its partner organizations have begun the process to revise the Public Policy Agenda (sometimes referred to as “legislative goals”) to prepare for 2019-2020 as we look toward a new Congress (116^th) convening in January. Chapters of The Arc are welcome to submit comments regarding additions, modifications, or revisions based on the current document (available here on the web). Please send comments to Marty Ford (ford@thearc.org) by July 27, with the subject line “Comments on 2019-2020 Public Policy Agenda”. Please note that bill names or numbers will not appear in the document; enacted legislation is referred to by name, while pending legislation or proposals are described in concept. More details will be forthcoming to State Presidents and Executives. 

According to The Standards for Excellence Institute, a nonprofit’s fundraising costs should be reasonable over time. On average, over a five-year period, a nonprofit should realize revenues from fundraising that are at least three times the amount spent on conducting them. Organizations whose fundraising ratio is less than 3:1 should demonstrate that they are making steady progress toward achieving this goal, or should be able to justify why a 3:1 ratio is not appropriate for their organization. Contact Karen Wolf-Branigin for a copy of the Institute’s Fundraising Costs Educational Packet.