Arc of San Diego Recognizes Community Leaders
Dr. Pola Rosen Gives Keynote Speech at awards ceremony

Picture a modern low-slung building surrounded by flowers and palms. As you enter the cheerfully decorated interior, several remarkable programs for developmentally disabled adults are taking place. One group is learning to cook which includes shopping and choosing the ingredients. In another large, well-lit room, a client is rewriting the Landerman Act in braille, while others sit at computers reading or playing games. This is only one of the many facilities organized and operated by the Arc for the benefit of special people in San Diego. Executive Director C.E. Skip Covell knows the $20 million organization well, having worked there for the past 25 years beginning with his volunteer days in college.

At this site, one of five in San Diego, there are 170 consumers and 67 staff members providing services ranging from getting consumers paying jobs in CalFed banks and the local marine base to working on site packaging products used in industry (for example metal parts for pool tables) at a $7 per hour wage, to learning activities of daily living. Collaboration within the community is key. For example, teachers from San Diego Community College teach computers at the facility. Covell has garnered the Outstanding Director Award for his accomplishments at the Arc.

A number of community leaders have been very supportive to the work of the Arc. Jon Kurtin, a San Diego attorney and pillar of the community, has generously supported the Arc over the years and recently won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Arc has a total of five centers in San Diego with a staff of 850 providing a spectrum of services from birth to adult. In addition to parent-infant development, day training, vocational training and community employment services, the Arc also provides respite services to families traveling to San Diego who need a place to leave a developmentally disabled relative for several hours, while taking brief recreational time for themselves. For more information about the Arc of San Diego: www.arc-sd.com.#