Your Year-End Gift Can Change Lives

Your donations to The Arc help ensure people with disabilities get the support and guidance they need when they need it most, free of charge. Your gift will help:

•      José get support in his 3rd grade classroom, allowing him to learn alongside his friends

•      Emily keep her job, despite challenges with her boss and co-workers

•      Patrick determine where he will live and who will care for him when his terminally ill mother passes away

We are about halfway to our goal of raising $16,000 by December 31st.  Help close the gap with a year-end gift:

•       Click here to donate online

•      By check: Mail to 13949 W. Colfax Ave, Bldg 1, Suite 150, Lakewood, CO 80401

•      By text: Text ARCDONATE to 50155

And if you’re age 70½ or older, consider making a direct contribution from your IRA to The Arc. Talk to your IRA account manager today!

Urgent Action Needed: Congress Voting This Week on MFP!

Congress may vote this week on the future of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. MFP has helped more than 88,000 seniors and individuals with disabilities move out of nursing homes and institutions.

 

Background: MFP significantly improves the lives of older adults and people with disabilities by assisting them to transition out of institutional settings. By favoring community-based services, states save money and see better outcomes. That's why nearly every state has participated in the program!

 

To help contextualize in Colorado, since 2013, Colorado has participated in the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program called Colorado Choice Transitions (CCT). This critical program has transitioned approximately 360 individuals out of institutions and into the community. One year after these transitions, 93% continue to live successfully in communities across the state. This program is cost-effective. It has saved the state more than $2.8 million dollars as of December 2017.* 

 

MFP expired September 30, 2016, and states are running out of funding. Seven states are already out of funding and ALL programs will end by the end of 2018.

Congress must ACT NOW!

 

Independent evaluations have proven MFP improves the quality of life for individuals has and reduced Medicaid and Medicare expenditures by approximately 23%. Unfortunately, states have already stopped transitions to the community and are scaling back their programs, reducing dedicated staff and crucial resources. Without action NOW, more people will be stuck in institutions.

 

Click here to take action!

 

*Community Living Report, 2018, p.9

Life After High School Online Training Series Helps Young Adults Prepare for Future with I/DD

Have questions about transition? Wondering what transition is? Is college a good choice for my student? Who can help my student find a job? How do we help students find what they want to do when they graduate? Life After High School Trainings can help!

Click here to view our Life After High School trainings online. JeffcoTAG is a redesigned website featuring a learning series that includes video vignettes, slide presentations, handouts, and web links to resources.

Click here to learn more about TAG.

Help Arc Chapters Affected by Natural Disasters

Thank you to everyone that contributed to The Arc’s Disaster Relief Fund. Unfortunately, the need for financial assistance continues in hurricane and flood-ravaged Florida and North Carolina. In addition, California wildfires have recently damaged chapters out west.

Please consider a gift to help Arc chapters make building repairs, replace equipment and materials, provide operating support for chapters unable to deliver and be reimbursed for services. 100% of your donation will be distributed to chapters, the people they serve and their families.

Click here to donate to The Arc's Disaster Relief Fund, and click here to donate to a specific chapter.

Upcoming Webinar: Grief and Loss in the Lives of People with I/DD

Death is something that we all have to face at some point in our lives. We have systems in place to help us understand and get over a loss. However, some adults feel they must protect others from grief and loss, including children, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Knowing more about the feelings and thoughts that come after the death of someone close to us can help us and the people we support.

This Arc of the United State's presentation will focus on the grief that comes after someone dies and how families can support people with I/DD during the grief process. The presenters will remove any misunderstandings by sharing best practices and methods to support people with I/DD deal with grief and loss.

The webinar will be on Tuesday, December 18, from 12:00 - 1:00 PM MST

Click here to register!

Help for Homes

Brothers Redevelopment is a nonprofit organization with more than 47 years of experience providing help to Colorado residents who are low-income, elderly, or have a disability. Its Help for Homes program is currently looking for Lakewood homeowners who are elderly, low-income, or have a disability who need help with items such as painting, yard debris removal, and light landscaping.

Applications are due January 15, 2019.

For questions, please contact Chad Nibbelink at (720) 339-5864 or [email protected].