Serving Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Norman, Otter Tail & Wilkin counties.

History

The Association of Retarded Children started in 1946, when a group of Minnesota parents helped form a grassroots organization to provide support and advocacy to keep their children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in their homes, schools, and communities. This later was changed to the Association of Retarded Citizens, which in turn later dropped the word "retarded", because of the stigma attached. It simply became The Arc.

Arc West Central started in 1958, as The ARC of Clay County, Minnesota, regionalizing to include Norman, Becker, Wilkin, Otter Tail, Grant and Douglas counties in 2002.

Arc West Central’s Core Services:

Provide:

• Advocacy to individuals and families in dealing with individual educational, employment, and housing issues
• Policy and legislative advocacy for the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities
• Training and support to persons with developmental disabilities and their families
• Information and referral to support efforts to achieve quality services and improved quality of life for individuals and their families
• Assistance for people with disabilities that are eligible for long term care or state plan home care services and wish to move to a home of their own
• Awareness of disabilities and related issues
• Opportunities for people with disabilities and their families to come together for fun and socialization

Promote:

• Quality, accessible programs and services
  for people with developmental disabilities
• Individual choices in determining where to live, work, and play for all people

Increase:

• Membership to promote advocacy at the grassroots level

Services provided for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families throughout the lifespan, birth to death.

Board Members

President
Trish Suedel (Connections of Moorhead)

Vice President
Valerie Ritland (MSUM, Moorhead)

Secretary
Jackie Beedy (Family Member, REMAX Realty, Moorhead)

Treasurer
Vel Schneeweis (Family Member, Moorhead)

Members at Large
Allen Senstad (Family Member, Attorney, Alexandria)

Steven Schmit (Blue Sky, Inc., Detroit Lakes)

Molly Engstrom (Special Ed teacher, Moorhead)

Peter Larson (retired IRS agent, Moorhead)

Julie Thoemke (parent, Clitherall)

Chris Kirchenman, Self Advocate

Updated 1/6/2012