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The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley asks Vienna for $1,000 to support inclusive summer day program
Summary
The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley asked the Vienna City Council for $1,000 to help cover maintenance and program costs for its inclusive four-week summer day program for students with developmental differences, citing van repairs, staffing and sliding-scale fees.
At a Vienna City Council meeting, Michelle Curtis, executive director of The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley, and Doug Hess, the organization's chief operating manager, asked the council for $1,000 to help support an inclusive summer day program that serves students with developmental differences.
"We submitted for a thousand dollars to support this program," Curtis said, describing the program as a four-week summer day camp that provides respite to caregivers, social and daily-living skills to students and community outings.
Hess and Curtis said the program served about 20 students last year, including some Vienna residents, and that the Arc operates the program from South Parkersburg Baptist Church because it offers a gymnasium and kitchen. They said the program typically runs 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with late pickup available until 4:00 p.m., and they welcome students ages 11 to 21 who use the special-education system.
Curtis described recent uses of the city's prior support: the council's $1,000 contribution last year helped buy a 12-passenger Ford Transit van (02/2021) used for the program. The Arc spent last year's grant on seat-belt extenders, a step stool and, when routine maintenance revealed the van needed a different tire type, $700 to install commercial-grade tires.
Hess said those maintenance items reduced rental needs and saved the nonprofit money. The Arc highlighted that it supplements program funding through local foundations (including the Henry Logan Foundation), the United Way Alliance, small grants, thrift-store proceeds and occasional state family-support grants. Curtis said those other sources are competitive and do not always cover staffing, gasoline, additional meals and transportation costs.
The Arc also noted it operates long-standing programs funded at the state level, including West Virginia Birth to 3 early intervention and a state-supported self-advocacy program, but that the summer day program depends on local fundraising and modest community grants. The Arc contracts with IDEMIA for fingerprinting and other vocational-training-related services but said those contracts do not generate sufficient revenue to cover program costs.
Curtis said the organization charges a sliding-scale fee (typically $150 per week) but does not turn families away for inability to pay. The Arc requested $1,000 to supplement staffing and operational costs so it can keep the program close to home this year.
No formal vote on municipal funding was recorded during the presentation; the Arc requested the appropriation and provided program details for council consideration.
