About The Arc The Arc of Colorado is a private not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) statewide volunteer organization dedicated to support and advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.  The Arc of Colorado and all local chapters are affiliated with The Arc of the United States, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of Colorado receives no government funding.  We are supported by private donations from individuals and allocations from arc Thrift Stores of Colorado. In conjunction with 11 local chapters of The Arc in Colorado, the state chapter works to coordinate public policy efforts at the federal and state levels to benefit people with developmental disabilities. The Arc of Colorado, with local chapters, provides crucial educational information for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.  We connect clients to community resources, help them to understand and access government services, and stand with them when they need an advocate.

Girl in Wheelchair with Flowers

Local chapters of The Arc provide individual advocacy services in specified geographic areas. The Arc of Colorado provides advocacy, referral and information services to people who live outside of a local chapter area.

The Arc of Colorado is governed by a volunteer board of directors representing local chapters, persons with disabilities, and interested community members.

History...

 The Arc of Colorado was incorporated in 1954 as an advocacy and support organization for families of children with developmental disabilities. In the early days, the association worked to change public perception of children with mental retardation and to educate parents and the community at large about mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.

 The Arc helped families to obtain critical services for children and adults who were denied day care, education, employment and often, medical services.

 Since its inception, The Arc has been instrumental in moving public policy forward to ensure that people with intellectual developmental disabilities are fully included in community life -- throughout their lifetime.

 As an affiliate of The Arc of the United States (as it was then known), the state group was originally known as the Colorado Association for Retarded Children. The name was later changed to the Colorado Association for Retarded Citizens.  Since 1996, we have been simply The Arc of Colorado.  Arc is not an acronym.

The Arc of Colorado's Form 990:

2010
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2008