ARC links those with disabilities to community

Despite a long history of assisting people who have mental and developmental disabilities in the region, the nonprofit organization, ARC of Imperial Valley, is not fully known to the community.

In recent years, and in part aided by legislation, the organization has begun to expand the types of services that it offers its clients by first securing contracts to provide services to the federal government. In 2014, it entered a new phase and opened a business of its own, which allowed local clients to earn a living, feel a sense of independence and become a part of the community.

The agency has become quite noticeable in recent years, partly due to their opening of Mozzarelli Pizza in El Centro, and more recently, their acquisition of the former Brunswick XL bowling alley, which reopened its doors on Saturday. Still, many don’t understand its core function.

ARC was established in the Valley in 1973 after the passage of the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act, which allowed those with developmental disabilities the right to governmental services, enabling them to live a more independent and normal lifestyle. Once the bill passed, a local group of parents set their minds to provide services to their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The organization would also exist as a support network for women as well as a repository of knowledge and expertise related to its respective members’ careers and backgrounds, which included education, government, economic and workforce development, media and marketing, real estate, labor rights, statewide policy making and the nonprofit sector.

With the onset of a rapidly changing landscape that is being largely driven by policy makers at the national level, the need to have like-minded locals form a unified voice became all the more apparent, said co-founder and Calexico Mayor Maritza Hurtado.

“Women need to have a place at the table,” Hurtado said.

Although 21-year-old Calexico resident Magda Sandoval said she was not sure what to expect at Wednesday’s meeting, she was duly impressed by the strong showing of professional women.

Sandoval said she has some limited experience in community activism, having campaigned for certain candidates in last year’s election as well as having been a member of an Imperial Valley College committee that helped establish a food pantry on campus with the aid of the Imperial Valley Food Bank.

The gainfully employed full-time student said she was also impressed by the level of commitment expressed by those present, considering the busy lives they all lead.

“They all have so much more on their plate and they’re all taking their time to make this community better,” Sandoval said.

As much as Margaret Sauza said she looks forward to kicking off her shoes and relaxing at home after an eight-hour workday, she also feels compelled to find the time to lend her voice to any other issues that she feels passionately about.

Aside from serving as executive director of the Sure Helpline Crisis Center, Sauza said she also spends her time serving as a California Senior Legislature senator and California Coalition Against Sexual Assault board member.

Finding time to devote to the upstart local women’s organization may be a challenge, Sauza said, but certainly one worth undertaking.

“There’s a lot of people who are hard-working, have a lot of energy and have a lot of power to move things to get things done,” Sauza said. “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

As one of the relatively few millennials present during Wednesday’s meeting, 21-year-old Melissa Ruiz said she has plans to invite her contemporaries to the organization’s future meetings so that they can both be inspired and give back.

Although it is not uncommon for people her age to sometimes spend their time on trivial things, there are just as many like herself whose love of community compels them to get involved in activities that can benefit their quality of life.

“I feel that millennials have such a different outlook and we can add so much value to things like this,” Ruiz said. “They can potentially inspire or bring awareness to different issues that are here locally in our city.”

Wednesday’s meeting also allowed organizers to recognize the newly-named Imperial Valley Small Business Development Center Director, Diana Moreno-Inman.

Moreno-Inman also added her voice to those among the group who called for concerted efforts to promote empowerment, as well as developing an inclusive space for diverse women who want to serve their community.

“None of these things can happen without everybody’s input,” Moreno-Inman said.