Dear Friends,
Another momentous year begins at The Arc San Francisco!
Our participants are back at all three campuses, including our new art studio in Burlingame. The past three years have posed incredible challenges and unknowns, and we have become stronger, nimble, and more dedicated than ever to our commitment to disability justice.
After over two years of art studio closure, in May, we welcomed our talented artists to our new ArtReach space in Burlingame, and the creativity has been overwhelming. This new space allows our artists to learn together rather than in isolation at home. We have also expanded our Marin campus in San Rafael to respond to the growing interest in education, wellness, and workforce programs in Marin County.
We are excited to be doing facilities upgrades in partnership with Helpers Community to revamp our bathrooms, build a new and more accessible participant computer lab, and add fresh paint and new flooring throughout our Howard Street location. We believe our participants and staff deserve the dignity of a fresh new and beautiful space to work and learn!
We launched our mentorship program with the support of the Department of Disability and Aging Services. Our first cohort of mentees met regularly with a group of volunteer mentors to work on personal goals, explore career goals, and build new relationships. This program relaunched our individual volunteer program, and we are thrilled to welcome our community partners back in this new way.
We have completed and launched our new strategic plan anchored in our values of justice, belonging, personal agency, and interdependence. We are committed to competitive wages for our talented and vital direct service staff and new programming, including entrepreneurship and participant-led curriculum.
We see our work in partnership with our participants as activism every day. We are providing the support, the connections, and the platforms for participants to live the lives they have designed.
It is a beautiful time to be part of this community, and we can’t wait to see what the year ahead holds. Thank you for your partnership.
Be well,
Our Mission: To partner with adults with developmental disabilities as they design their futures and transform our communities through lifelong learning and self-determination.
