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'Disability Action-Center Day' proclaimed

Times West Virginian - 8/3/2018

Aug. 03--FAIRMONT -- The Disability Action-Center, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, was honored with a proclamation at the last Fairmont City Council meeting.

Fairmont Mayor Tom Mainella read the proclamation alongside representatives from the center. They were director Julie Sole and daughter, Lucy Sole, and two members of the advisory board, Rick Garcia and Gia Deasy.

The Disability Action-Center will be celebrating its 60 years of service to the community on Aug. 4 with an open house and 60th Anniversary Celebration. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature free hot dogs and a bake sale to benefit the center.

In reading the proclamation, Mainella provided a history of the center.

He noted the Disability-Action Center, formerly known as the Arc of Marion County, has been providing programs and services for children, adults and their families since 1958.

The founding chapter of the ARC (Association of Retarded Citizens) of Marion County was comprised primarily of parents of children and adult children with mental retardation, he noted. He said the group lobbied for better educational and vocational opportunities for all people with mental retardation or developmental disabilities; and as society progressed and the term "mental retardation" took on a negative connotation, the Association of Retarded Citizens changed their name to simply, The ARC. The mission and goal of The ARC was to always further the lives and opportunities of people with developmental disabilities.

The mayor said that in 2008, the ARC of Marion County "took a step further by incorporating and changing their name and mission to a more positive and proactive organization: The Disability Action-Center (DAC)."

He noted the Disability Action-Center "is dedicated to changing lives by providing individuals with disabilities, primarily developmental disabilities, and their families with the support, knowledge, and resources they need to reach their greatest level of independence," and the DAC Core Services include: Career Readiness, Experience IT Co-Op, Education and Training, Health and Wellness, Life Skills and Independent Living, Social and Recreational, Exercise and Fitness, Self-Advocacy, and Information and Referral.

Mainella said the Disability Action-Center has "become a comprehensive education, training, and enrichment center for individuals with disabilities and their families: a place for individuals of all abilities to learn, train, work, recreate, advocate, and be supported in setting and reaching life goals."

He added that the Disability Action-Center is a United Way agency, governed by a volunteer board of directors, and the center is funded by membership and support of the community through grants, fundraisers and donations. He said the center currently serves more than 450 children and adults with disabilities and their families in Marion County and North Central West Virginia.

"Now, therefore, I, Thomas Mainella, Mayor of the City of Fairmont, do hereby proclaim Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018 as 'The Disability Action-Center Day' and commend DAC on their 60th anniversary celebration," he said, in reading the proclamation.

Eric Hrin can be reached at 304-367-2549.

Eric Hrin can be reached at 304-367-2549, or ehrin@timeswv.com.

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