We’re asking for your support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the 228 families connected with The Arc of El Paso on El Paso Giving Day and during Early Giving Week.

A lot of people have the assumption if you’re a person with a disability all of your needs are taken care of by the state, however the reality is that’s not true. When it comes to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,the Houston Chronicle recently reported the wait to receive long-term services is approaching 20 years. The State of Texas reports more than 200,000 Texans are waiting to receive these services and the numbers are growing. What that means for most of the individuals we serve is that they are isolated at home with many families reporting symptoms consistent with mental illness and we know we can improve the quality of their lives through our programs and activities.

In El Paso County, 21,000 people have a disability we serve, that’s 1 in 41 people. 1 in 14 families has a disability connection. Maybe those numbers seem low to you.But these numbers represent the people we serve and their families who need these long-term disability services. We serve people with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, to name a few, while also supporting their families. We supported them as a grassroots organization, we are supporting them now, and we know we can continue to grow to serve even more people in the future.

We receive no federal, state, or local tax dollars to support what we do: our Social Drop-In Center at Sunland Park Mall, our computer lab, Arc Adventure Club, book club, Legos and games, arts and crafts, providing community outings and a learning series while also consulting with and advocating for our members and families. We also employ constituents as Arc Ambassadors.

We are responsive to our constituents. Many of our activities and programs were first their ideas. To fund these ideas and bring them to life, we work hard to establish and maintain relationships with funders and donors, and we are grateful to all who financially support us. This year 28% of funding comes from sponsorships, 32% of funding is program support, and 40% of our funding is unrestricted in usage. So what does this mean to our constituents, the people who feel at home with The Arc of El Paso? It means a whole lot snd why we are asking for your support for The Arc of El Paso.