Editor's note: This story is part of an ongoing series intended to promote volunteerism in our community. There are more than 100 programs in need of volunteers. For more information, see the Volunteer link at daily-times.com.
FARMINGTON — San Juan County's chapter of The Arc, like its 850-plus sister chapters nationwide, is dedicated to helping people who have developmental or intellectual disabilities live their lives as fully as possible.
The local chapter formed in the mid-1970s, but the nationwide organization dates from 1951.
Originally called the Association for Retarded Children, Bisbee said the name evolved as its clients aged.
"They grew up and still had significant issues," said Julie Bisbee, the local chapter's board president. "So did their parents."
Having evolved with its initial members, the organization kept its three-letter name, but simply calls itself The Arc.
Not until 1975 were schools obligated to accept the developmentally disabled as students. Before then, the developmentally disabled were hidden away, Bisbee said.
"I remember other kids telling me things like, My aunt is upstairs in the attic, and she has a really big head,'" she said. "Now we can diagnose people at birth, but we're also bringing people back medically and we also have Iraq War vets with traumatic brain injuries that can disable them."
The Arc's job is to tailor services to its clients' needs. It's a major task; one that involves a lot of
"Our volunteers are incredibly important," Bisbee said. "All of our board members are volunteers and they help make San Juan County responsible and accountable for people with disabilities."
The board is composed of seven people. Six to seven consistent volunteers help the organization meet its goals.
"They're pretty consistent," Bisbee said. "They're helped by people who step up to the plate for projects and so on."
One of the volunteers recently began a movie night centered around films that support people with developmental disabilities. One of the films, titled "Darius Goes West," tells the story of Darius Weems. A Georgia-born man, Weems has muscular dystrophy. He uses a motorized wheel chair to compensate for his lack of mobility, but realized he wanted to upgrade his ride.
The film chronicles his cross-country trip to Los Angeles and his subsequent request of the television show "Pimp My Ride" to have his wheel chair tricked out. The show refused, but the film explains poignantly how similar the developmentally disabled's dreams are to those of the rest of the population.
"We're always looking to have people be more aware of us," Bisbee said. "We need a core of volunteers who commit to particular days — we need to paint the building. It's the old Five and Dime store and we need to spiff up the place."
Maintenance and interior decorating also are high on Bisbee's list for the Arc Thriftown building at 200 W. Broadway, which supports the organization.
Martha Mason heads The Arc's board as a three-quarter-time executive director. She sought out the post after working with the developmentally disabled for about 30 years.
"I took the job to see the issues from the parents' and individuals' points of view rather than as a professional," Mason said.
She worked with Excel Case Management and used her professional knowledge to contract with the state of New Mexico to get services for the developmentally disabled set up in Farmington.
"We build a community around people," she said. "We need a lot of help from our volunteers."
Six people volunteer in The Arc Thriftown store, donating from two to 30 hours weekly to the organization.
Some of the volunteers are the organization's clients, who ask for the opportunity so they can develop job skills.
"The issue for me is building community around people with developmental disabilities," Mason said. "Anyone who helps us gets more out of the opportunity than they give. It's so rewarding, and it's never a one-way relationship."
There's only one caveat to volunteering for The Arc, according to Bisbee: "Be careful when you ask for a challenge, because that's what you'll get."
How to help
The Arc holds its annual meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 at San Juan College's Henderson Fine Arts building. Potential volunteers are welcome to attend.
The store's telephone number is 326-6303.
Cornelia de Bruin:
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