The ARC of Martin County

Season’s Greetings to all! The ARC of Martin County has a special request for you this holiday season… Please help us achieve our mission to assist children and adults with developmental disabilities to achieve their fullest potential.

As we approach the end of another year, please consider the ARC of Martin County a worthy recipient of your charitable giving. Any contribution you make is fully tax-deductible and will directly impact the quality of life of the children and adults we assist each day.

More than ever, we need to rely on the generosity of our community to fulfill the critical gap in funding that impacts every individual receiving services provided at the ARC. The accomplishments achieved this year on behalf of children and adults with disabilities have provided many new opportunities, but all of that is in serious jeopardy due to massive budget reductions brought on by the State’s current economy.

During the past 12 months the ARC has received more than a 10% reduction in reimbursement rates for the health care services we provide to children and adults with disabilities, but there has been little change in our regulatory requirements to offset the lost funding. The Governor has also instructed all State agencies to begin withholding another 4% for this year.

In addition to the rate reductions, new Medicaid Tiers have caused many individuals to be placed in an extreme funding cap, which is well below their needs and will cause them to lose as much as 25% to 30% of their funding for critical healthcare services.

The ARC is saving tax payers as much as 33% on every dollar providing higher quality community based services as opposed to the State providing the services for the individuals in a State institution. State institutions still exist and if funding cuts continue, many non-profits like the ARC could be forced to close programs and individuals with disabilities could be faced with the sad reality that they need to be in a State institution to receive the services they require at a more costly expense.

What you may not realize is that 90% of every dollar goes towards providing well trained staff to work with each individual under the ARC’s care. In many instances, the ARC has very stringent staffing ratio requirements of one instructor to every three individuals and in some cases a one to one ratio. The ARC continues to supplement lost funding by conducting special events throughout the year, but this has not been an easy task. We now must rely on the generous support of you and others like you to fulfill our mission.

Your gift today will make a significant impact in the lives of the children and adults assisted by the ARC. 100% of your gift goes directly to programs that make a direct impact to each and every person and will have a life long effect. Thank you for giving us your very thoughtful consideration.

On behalf of everyone at the ARC, I wish you and your family a very Happy, Healthy Holiday Season and Prosperous New Year!!