As an organization that focuses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at every level of leadership, The Arc knows that gender diversity in the boardroom and among executive leaders is as important as ever.

The Arc proudly announces its recent nomination to the Executive Alliance‘s Honor Roll. This designation recognizes organizations that employ women in at least 30% of their executive leadership roles and have women in at least 30% of their board of director seats.

“It is so meaningful to work at an organization that values my leadership and trusts me to get the job done. ” I am always encouraged to keep growing and expanding my skills,” said Vice President of Quality & Impact Christine Larsen. Over the last four years, Chris has supported transformational change at The Arc and led strategic planning efforts.

The Arc is no stranger to promoting internal talent and grooming young leaders for the next step in their careers. Catherine Comer, Vice President of Advancement, started with The Arc in 2014 in an entry-level position. She now leads the advancement team and was recognized by The Daily Record in 2021 as a Leading Women Under 40.

“I am grateful to work at an organization that has seen me as a leader from the beginning,” she said.

The Arc is experiencing significant growth enterprise-wide. Retaining top talent as we grow is a testament to the value our employees bring to the team and the culture we have developed. Employees consistently share that The Arc is a great workplace, with competitive pay, flexible work hours, affordable, wide-ranging benefits, and opportunities for growth within our organization.

Since 2007, Executive Alliance has analyzed the representation of women at the highest levels of leadership through its annual Census Report: Women Board Directors in Maryland.

The Honor Roll is part of this report highlighting organizations changing the conversation about professional women in leadership positions. We are proud that The Arc is recognized for this critical work.

Registration for The Arc’s Tee It Up for The Arc annual golf tournament on Monday, May 8, is open. All the golf, drinks, food, and fun you could want on an award-winning course right on the water! Register today to reserve your spot.

The tournament will take place at Queenstown Harbor in Queenstown, MD. Your registration includes breakfast and lunch, all-you-can-drink all day long, activities on the course, and a ticket to the after-party.

The day starts with a shotgun at 10:00 am and will end with an after-party hosted by our reception sponsor, BGC/G&G, featuring local food, craft beverages, raffle items, and live music.

You don’t have to golf to attend this incredible event that funds many of The Arc’s essential programs and services! 100% of the proceeds benefit The Arc’s Children, Youth, & Their Families program, serving children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families with resources like the Family Fund, Holiday Giving, Project Learn, and Family Navigation. To purchase a ticket for the after-party, click here.

Tee It Up for The Arc has grown significantly over the last four years, most recently raising over $150,000 for children with disabilities.

“We are so grateful for the leadership of our Golf Chair, Ben Harries of BGC/G&G, for growing the tournament to where it is now,” said Catherine Comer, Vice President of Advancement at The Arc. “We sold out four years in a row with a waitlist of teams, and last year moved to Queenstown to offer more opportunities for people to participate. I’m excited to continue growing the tournament and making it better every year.”

You can click here to register a foursome/individual for the tournament. Tickets are $800 per foursome or $200 per person and include breakfast, lunch, all-you-can-drink, activities on the course, and a ticket to the after-party.

To view available sponsorship opportunities, click here.

Today, we’re celebrating a critical milestone in The Arc Central Chesapeake Region’s (The Arc’s) history – we hit 500 employees.

We’ve seen significant growth across the organization over the last three years, including a record number of people served (over 3,000), a record number of funds raised at our annual golf tournament ($155,000), and a budget that tops $100 million. But, growing to more than 500 employees is significant for any company.

What’s So Special About Hitting 500 Employees?

Having 500 employees means you’re no longer considered a small business – you’re a mid-size company. At The Arc, we see this as an important step in our company’s growth and a forecast of future things to come.

“For our team, it’s not about growing to any particular size,” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO. “It’s about having the right support and leadership at every level of the organization. This growth directly reflects the community’s need – and we will continue to grow to meet that need.”

As a regional organization, The Arc serves roughly one-third of the state of Maryland. The Arc continues expanding and growing services throughout the region, ensuring that people with IDD have choice, opportunity, and access to quality services that support them to live, work and connect with their community. We are committed to growing where the community needs us – and our employees are critical to making that happen.

Why Do People Want To Work At The Arc Central Chesapeake Region?

The Arc believes in the power of its people, fosters leadership at every level, promotes equity, respect, and diversity, and embodies a culture where people feel a deep sense of belonging and inclusion.

In 2017, The Arc’s new leadership embarked on a campaign to change the organization’s culture, creating a place where employees can bring their authentic selves to work and feel engaged, heard, and cared for. And it’s been working.

In Fall 2022, The Arc partnered with Nonprofit HR to survey employees and gauge their overall satisfaction working at The Arc so we could better understand and continue to improve their workplace experiences. The results showed what we already knew and felt to be true: The Arc is an organization full of heart-driven, action-oriented people who value individuality, equity, and respect, and they’re happy here.

From making salaries across the organization more competitive to creating opportunities for leaders at every level to creating an environment where people can be their authentic selves and feel a sense of belonging – The Arc is invested in the health, happiness, and well-being of its employees.

Our employees are committed and loyal – all 500 of them. Their drive and passion are why The Arc can grow and support the community in so many ways.

How Can I Be Part Of The Team?

The Arc’s continued growth means we are hiring at every level of the organization.

You can learn more about current opportunities and our total rewards package and apply to join our team at thearcccr.org/careers.

Today marks the first day of Black History Month. All month long, The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) is recognizing the vital role that African Americans play in the fight for disability rights.

As of 2019, over 5.7 million African Americans in the United States have a disability. For context, that’s one in every four people.

It is essential to have conversations about the realities and challenges that impact the lives of African Americans with disabilities. Throughout history, many disability advocates and protestors were Black people—including many members of the Black Panther Party who provided food and drinks to Section 504 disability protestors in the 70s. And in 1990, The National Black Disability Coalition (NBDC) was created to address the unique concerns and issues of African Americans with disabilities, especially those living in poverty.

Here are a few statistics about disability in the African American Community:

• African Americans are the most likely minority in the United States to have a disability.
• Only 28.7% of working-age Black Americans with disabilities are employed, compared to 72% of Black workers without disabilities.
• Just 57% of Black students with disabilities graduate from high school compared to 74.6% of Black students without disabilities.
• Black or African American students with disabilities are more likely to be identified with an intellectual disability.

They are celebrities, activists, actors, musicians, historical figures, professors, and more. They came from all walks of life and paved the way for other people with disabilities to do the same.

We must continue to advocate and fight for disability rights so people of color with disabilities can access the same jobs, education, and quality of life. The Arc is committed to creating opportunities and serving diverse communities throughout Maryland.

The Arc’s offices in Severn, Annapolis, and Easton will open on time. All services will operate as scheduled. People supported in Workforce Development should follow the operating status of their employer.

So many resources for children with disabilities – like effective therapies, equipment, and learning opportunities – are not covered by insurance and are out of reach financially for many families. To create greater access to these critical resources, The Arc founded the Family Fund in 2017.

Since then, the Family Fund has granted over $90,000 to children in the community for therapeutic riding, specialized medical equipment, assistive technology, and alternative educational opportunities.

This year, with support from The Bowen Foundation for Autism, the Family Fund will distribute $75,000.

“We are incredibly grateful to the community for their generosity to the Family Fund this year,” said Catie Comer, Vice President of Advancement. “With costs increasing everywhere, it is gratifying to know that the community prioritizes programs like this that create greater health equity and access for everyone. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the fund this year – we would not be able to offer this resource without you.”

The Family Fund is 100% donor-funded and saw a record number of contributions this year, including a $21,000 donation from The Bowen Foundation for Autism in memory of Bowen Levy.

This year, families will also be able to apply for overnight camp for their children, thanks to The David & Jason Sandel Scholarship. The scholarship will pay up to $1,000 in expenses for one child.

Applications for the Family Fund open on February 1 and will close on February 17. To be eligible, families must:

1. Have a child with a disability under the age of 21
2. Live in one of the nine counties supported by The Arc Central Chesapeake Region
3. Complete and submit the online application

Preference is given to thorough applications that clearly explain the grant’s impact on their child and family, as well as first-time applicants. If you have questions about the application, contact our Family Navigator at resources@thearcccr.org.

Open dialogue can change lives and create safe and healthy communities. People deserve to discuss their struggles with mental health without judgment and should feel empowered to ask for help when needed.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often have co-occurring mental health and disability diagnoses and experience frequent mental health distress almost five times as often as adults without disabilities.

Time to Talk Day, the nation’s most influential mental health conversation, is on Thursday, February 2. This movement aims to create communities of family, friends, and colleagues that speak up about mental health without the judgment and shame that can often come with sharing.

The Arc cares about mental health. In 2020, in response to the pandemic, The Arc received a small grant to start ‘Coping with COVID.’ These small group therapy sessions, led by nationally recognized psychologist Dr. Karyn Harvey, allowed people with IDD to process their emotions about the pandemic, highlighting the need for more robust and targeted mental health services. This program inspired The Arc’s concept of behavioral health.

The Arc’s Behavioral Health takes a holistic approach to behavioral supports, focusing not on managing specific behaviors but on the necessary mental health counseling and other clinical supports that go along with it. The Arc uses licensed clinicians who have experience providing mental health counseling to people with IDD and deliver individual and group therapies through the lens of trauma-informed care.

Recognizing the importance of this work, The Arc’s Behavioral Health program is a core pillar of the strategic plan, Leading Boldly, and will receive $250,000 in federal investments to grow the clinical team over the next two years. The federal funding was secured through the FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen.

“Connecting people with disabilities to the services they need is critical to helping them achieve their full potential. These federal funds will help The Arc Central Chesapeake Region meet that mission and empower people with disabilities as we build a more inclusive community,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee.

As people throughout the community continue to deal with the effects of an uncertain economy and workforce, The Arc is actively focusing on hiring and retaining quality employees.

In January 2023, The Arc increased Direct Support Professionals starting hourly wage to $17.25/hour. The rate increase took effect Sunday, January 29, and DSP hourly wages increased by an average of 4.83%. The Arc announced additional COLA increases are expected organization-wide in July.

“While The Arc has done a great deal to increase DSP pay, expand employee benefits, and make health care more affordable – it is our ongoing priority to do more,” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO. “DSPs are the backbone of The Arc’s work. Every day I am humbled by the tireless work our DSPs do to ensure quality services for the people we support.”

The Arc’s continued rapid growth means the organization is actively hiring for a variety of DSP roles. To keep pace with new people coming into services, The Arc hires an average of 30 DSPs monthly.

“We have a great team here. People know that and want to be a part of it,” said Joan Green, Director of Talent Acquisition.

With the market rate increase for DSPs and total rewards package – which includes zero-deductible healthcare, 13 paid holidays, and numerous other benefits – The Arc continues to invest in its people. More information on The Arc’s benefits can be found here.

How do you become a DSP? 

You can become a DSP today by applying online here.

The Arc also offers a referral bonus program for current employees referring new candidates. For more information on the program, contact People & Culture here.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) is pleased to announce the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill will bring a $1 million investment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) throughout Central Maryland.

The recently enacted federal funding legislation includes $750,000 to support the construction of The Arc’s Port Street Commons project in Easton, Maryland, and $250,000 to scale The Arc’s Behavioral Health program across the region. The funding is a result of the support of U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

“We are grateful that Senator Cardin and Senator Van Hollen significantly prioritized people with IDD with this legislation,” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO, The Arc. “With this funding and the successful completion of Port Street, we will bring services to people on the Eastern Shore who desperately need them, creating opportunities for them to live, work, and connect within their community. We’ll also be able to significantly grow our Behavioral Health program – an essential part of our services – ensuring that the mental health needs of people with IDD are a priority.”Continue reading

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) increased the hourly starting wage for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to $17.25/hour. The Arc implemented the market increase to support employees as people throughout the community continue to deal with the effects of an uncertain economy and workforce.

“While The Arc has done a great deal to increase DSP pay, expand employee benefits, and make health care more affordable – it is our ongoing priority to do more,” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO. “DSPs are the backbone of The Arc’s work. Every day I am humbled by the tireless work our DSPs do to ensure quality services for the people we support.”

The rate increase will take effect Sunday, January 29, and DSP hourly wages will increase by an average of 4.83%. The Arc announced additional COLA increases are expected organization-wide in July.

To apply to become a DSP today, click here.