Email Carolyn Lucas-Zenk at clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com. By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK ADVERTISING Stephens Media West Hawaii children with disabilities were excluded from school, institutionalized or traveled to Hilo for support services in the early 1960s. No area program existed to provide their care
By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
Stephens Media
West Hawaii children with disabilities were excluded from school, institutionalized or traveled to Hilo for support services in the early 1960s. No area program existed to provide their care or training.
That led a group of residents, led by Dr. Kid McCoy and Mark Sutherland, to devise an alternative. In 1962, they created an organization and a school at Christ Church Episcopal’s Wallace Hall in Kealakekua to serve these children with disabilities.
The Arc of Kona, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year, has long since outgrown that location.
Operating on an approximate $3.2 million annual budget, the nonprofit is serving 113 people with disabilities to achieve independence and participate in society. It offers classroom-based therapeutic skills building; personal assistance; independent living in Ocean View; a group home in Captain Cook; a Ka’u service center; work crews in janitorial services, gardening and yard maintenance; as well as vocational and job training.
Last year, Arc of Kona delivered more than 160 programs to people throughout the island other than Hilo, President and CEO Gretchen Lawson said Tuesday.
“Time certainly sneaks up on you, and this is a momentous occasion,” she said. “We have gone from very humble beginnings, essentially providing socialization and skills in some form or other to really trying to find a way for these individuals to integrate fully into the community, to thrive and meet the goals they dream of.”
The successes are many.
Arc of Kona has helped identify participants’ talents, strengths and abilities and matched those to activities and work close to their homes.
From July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, it found 22 jobs for 32 referrals from the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Several participants are learning how they can earn an income through their art; one has already started his own jewelry business, Lawson said.
Another participant, a man in his 50s with a cognitive delay, was successfully discharged and moved to a more appropriate skilled nursing facility. He had been with Arc of Kona since age 10.
Intermediate care facilities for people with intellectual disabilities are lacking, she said.
When Lawson assumed the organization’s leadership in late 1996, she said Arc of Kona was in danger of closing because of insufficient funding.
Her greatest joy during her tenure has been seeing the community rally behind Arc of Kona, as well as helping transform the struggling nonprofit into a stable one that securely delivers services and makes a profound difference in the lives of so many.
She also enjoys “keeping the positive momentum moving forward” for Arc of Kona, as well as the nation in regard to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities. Lawson said it was an honor being selected as one of 15 people nationwide for membership in the Institute of Rehabilitation Issues 37th Annual Prime Study Group that analyzed the Affordable Care Act passed in March 2010 and looked for implications for those with disabilities and their ability to choose work.
“We’re certainly proud to have made it this far and are committed to growing with the community and adapting to the ever-changing environment and economic realities,” she said.
As part of its accreditation process, Arc of Kona is updating its strategic plan. The nonprofit is seeking public comments on what services are wanted and what its goals should be over the next three years.
Arc of Kona has various funding sources, but a major component is government funding, which has been shrinking.
For more information, call 323-2626 or visit arcofkona.org.
Email Carolyn Lucas-Zenk at clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com.
