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60th Anniversary Marks Milestone for The Arc of New Mexico

/in /by The Arc

How Diversity Is Strength at The Arc of New Mexico

There were many reasons to celebrate at The Arc of New Mexico State Annual Conference in June. Balloons and a bedecked cake displaying “60 years” were visible reminders of how far they’ve come.

Randy Costales, Executive Director of The Arc of New Mexico, says that in a state with a variety of cultures, languages, and backgrounds, it can be difficult to meet the needs of each community. Although New Mexico has only one local chapter The Arc of New Mexico has established Statewide Advocacy Network that includes the local chapter, a southern office and several home offices throughout the state. Over time he has found that opening several home offices throughout the state helps cut costs and provide better services.

“We have to be able to respond to the needs of all the citizens of New Mexico that have I/DD regardless of their age, ethnicity, or background,” said Costales.

The Southern New Mexico office was established 15 years ago to provide services to Dona Ana County, one of the poorest counties in New Mexico. A majority of the population is Hispanic and all staff are bilingual. A key to the success of this office is having employees from the area who can understand the needs of that region. Other offices have been established in Santa Fe, Silver City and soon in Roswell.

In another region of the state The Arc of New Mexico provides funding to The Arc of San Juan County, near the Navajo Nation, to provide advocacy. Advocate Dolores Harden, an employee of the local chapter, is known for her ability to relate with the people she serves on a personal level. Harden, who has two sons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), visits and serves individuals and families at their homes and is also involved in a self-determination program for people with Down syndrome. Costales says that her work has been integral to The Arc’s success in New Mexico.

“She is a quiet, unassuming woman who is one of the most effective advocates I’ve ever seen,” said Costales. “Because of her, we have reached more people.”

Thanks to the Isabel Gonzales Trust established in 2010, The Arc of New Mexico is able to provide special services and support for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. The Arc of New Mexico has used funds to provide person centered planning for people with Down syndrome and their families as well as stipends to attend national and state conferences.

“We’re very appreciative of the partnership with the national office,” said Costales of this joint venture of The Arc of New Mexico and The Arc’s national office.

There are many areas of the country with diverse populations and thanks to a grant from the MetLife Foundation, The Arc is launching a new diversity initiative to make programs and services more accessible to those diverse communities. The Arc’s national staff looks forward to learning from chapters with rich diversity like The Arc of Mexico, and hopes other chapters will find inspiration from all this state chapter has accomplished.

With 60 years of experience, the organization looks to the future of service for individuals with I/DD in New Mexico. Lessons from the past will ensure many future successes and growth for this powerful chapter of The Arc.

“What I love about my job is the diversity of the people we serve,” said Costales. “Each county and community is different.”

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The Arc Launches New Diversity Initiative

/in /by The Arc

Washington, DC – The Arc is pleased to announce it has been awarded a grant for $100,000 from the MetLife Foundation to make the programs, services and supports offered by chapters of The Arc nationwide more accessible to culturally diverse populations with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their family members, and to ensure that the chapters are addressing the needs of the different cultures in their communities. To achieve these goals, The Arc will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the cultural competence within the network of 700 chapters.

This assessment will include substantial input from The Arc’s chapters as well as from current and potential stakeholders in ethnically and culturally diverse communities across the country. In the course of the assessment, The Arc will collect information about best practices in serving a culturally diverse population drawn from the disability field, as well as health care, social services and other non-profit and for-profit industry segments. As a result of the assessment, The Arc will develop a report that identifies the challenges developmental disability providers face when serving people with I/DD who come from diverse backgrounds and recommends solutions. Based on the report, The Arc will develop an action plan defining specific actions that can be taken by chapters of The Arc to achieve greater cultural competence.

“Organizations like the MetLife Foundation enable us to continue our work to promote inclusion and civil rights for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and with their generous support we will be able to better serve communities across the country. The Arc has a network of 700 chapters and those chapters represent a spectrum of cultural diversity. We recognize that for The Arc to be successful, we must find ways to support our organization’s growth to include more diverse populations,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

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The Arc Receives $25,000 From MetLife Through Successful Social Media Campaign

/in /by The Arc

MetLife presents The Arc with $25,000This week, The Arc was presented a check for $25,000 from the MetLife Foundation. In December, The Arc was chosen as the beneficiary of a social media campaign MetLife was conducting in conjunction with its MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning. For one day, MetLife donated $1 for each “like” of a post about The Arc and $2 for each comment (the cap for donations was $25,000). The response was overwhelming with more than 38,000 “likes” and 2,000 comments. This was the highest response MetLife has ever received with a social media campaign.

“On December 17, we partnered with MetLife and raised $25,000 for The Arc to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The overwhelming response of our followers online highlighted how strong our movement is. Support of organizations like MetLife enable us to continue our work to promote inclusion and civil rights for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we thank them their generous support,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

“It’s rewarding to be able to give to an organization that helps the families we serve. And what better time than the season for giving,” said Kelly Piacenti, Assistant Vice President, MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning.