The Mission of the Southern Worcester County ARC is to provide people with disabilities and their families with the resources, services and opportunities to be contributing members of their communities and to achieve the most fulfilling and meaningful lives possible.
Center of Hope History
The Southern Worcester County ARC, Inc. began in 1956 with a small group of parents wishing to see that children with cognitive disabilities could be brought up at home with educational and other supports. It was incorporated in April of 1958 and shortly thereafter they opened a small nursery school named the Center of Hope. During the early years the Center ran Friday night programs and ARC events and in 1976 opened a small Activity Center serving 13 individuals. With the mandated Chapter 766 law, children from our clinical nursery school started being served in the public school system. As a result, the Center focused its mission on informational and ARC related activities and events. By the early eighty's, as a result of declining revenues, the Board of Directors considered closing the agency when a benefactor, Gertrude Rogers, left $115,000.00 to the Center. With renewed interest the Board decided to rebuild the agency, renovate the original Center of Hope building, and establish a Respite House.
In 1984 the Board of Directors hired an Executive Director to develop and implement the agency's objectives. By 1987 SWCARC, Inc. programs included two sheltered workshop contracts through the Department of Mental Retardation (DMR), a Vocational Rehabilitation and an Extended Employment Program (EEP) from Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), and some day services contracts with local school systems and private pay individuals. A for-profit subsidiary packaging company, Noress Corp. was also established to provide a work setting for people with disabilities to be integrated with people without disabilities from our community in order to provide a more normalized work environment. By this time the agency was also providing unfunded support services, as well, including a large Special Olympics program, Emergency assistance with food, special projects, etc. and a Christmas Giving service.
In 1990 our agency began the Southbridge Adult Day Health Program in its original building. Since that time we developed another Adult Day Health program and two Day Habilitation programs. Moreover, a model integrated Children's After School and Camp programs were established, as well as a Thrift Shop to serve our community and provide job training for consumers. The After School component has grown to include other kinds of Family Support, including Intensive Family Supports and specialized and flexible support services for children and adults with specific needs.
Recent developments include a new Teen Camp Program at Elm Hill Farm in Brookfield and a coffee shop and used book store called "Books and Beans" initiated in 2002. By 2003 the Center purchased a 100,000 sq. ft. factory building, moved its administration offices, one Adult Day Health program, the packaging company and a newly created Day Habilitation service to this new location. In the fall of 2005, Quinebaug River Adult Day Health moved to at new location, a 12,000 sq. ft building on West Street in Southbridge. With the move came a conversion to a Day Habilitation Program. The building will also have 7 apartments funded through a HUD grant.