Many organizations that are involved in work with people with various disabilities. Watchman (2017) states that there is “an increase in life expectancy over the past 50 years for people with an intellectual disability” (p. 11). One reason for this improvement is the work of the organizations mentioned above. In particular, The Arc Mid-South is a charitable organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities in improving their lives.
Employees and volunteers of the organization are making events, communicating with people, and providing any available help to those who are in a difficult situation. The Arc Mid-South was founded in 1950 and has worked with a vast number of people. Only in 2018 alone, they helped more than 250 people. The purpose of this paper is to describe the strategic plan of the organization and its relationship with their mission, goals and objectives.
Strategy
All activities of the organization are aimed primarily at the work with people who has physical and intellectual disabilities. As part of this setup, The Arc Mid-South is developing in the following areas: support groups, advocacy, family support, referrals, education, summer and weekend camps, career, and others. For the functioning of each of these areas of the organization, they need volunteers who are willing to take on specific tasks. Also, The Arc Mid-South organizes fundraising to have a livelihood and development: they are continually looking for new donators. Some of them are Community Foundation, FedEx, Cummins, International Paper, Assisi Foundation, TN Council of Developmental Disabilities, and others.
Mission
The organization’s mission is “empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their full potential” (“Our Mission,” 2020, para. 1). Although many organizations deal with this issue, they are still not enough. However, it is thanks to them that a significant part of humanity has the opportunity to be full-fledged participants of society. It is also worth noting that The Arc Mis-South not only allows people with disabilities to live a healthy life but also achieve significant success. In the course of communication with these people, volunteers reveal their strengths: mental abilities, creative talents, character traits. Thanks to this, the life of everyone who comes to The Arc Mid-South becomes much more fulfilling, exciting, and full of meaning.
Goals
Currently, the organization has several goals; one of the main ones is to attract new funds that will allow them to function and develop. This process is ongoing and usually successful because the organization has been operating for 70 years already. Another goal is the search for new volunteers because they are always necessary and are precious employees. The Arc Mid-South is also developing new activities for those who come there to be even more productive and useful for people with disabilities.
Conclusion
Thus, The Arc Mid-South is a harmoniously developing organization that works for the benefit of society. It follows its mission, which is to help people and develop their potential. Based on this mission, The Arc Mid-South developed a strategic plan for further development, following which they can achieve even greater success. The organization has specific goals, the achievement of which also helps to realize its mission and improve the lives of people with disabilities. It is through such a clear understanding of their functions and needs that The Arc Mid-South has been operating successfully for many years.
References
Our Mission. (2020). Web.
Watchman, K. (2017). Intellectual disabilities and dementia: a guide for families. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.