We have a story to tell you.

In the recent past, people with mental retardation (as it was called back then) sadly lived in institutions or were often hidden at home away from the rest the community. As you can imagine, these were memories best forgotten. But, brave families in Charlottesville who long before group homes and before their children could attend public schools, established The Arc of the Piedmont on Park Street as a refuge of education and hope.

As the schools began to accept and educate the children they once refused, families began looking for a way for their now adult children to live, work and play in their community. The Arc and the people of Charlottesville were there again to offer guidance, support and hope. Group homes, day programs, in-home services, residential alternatives and employment are but a few of the dreams that have since become a reality over the last 50 years.
The Arc, like the people it has served, has grown up and outgrown its first school and its first home. Earlier this year, through funds from local supporters and a loan from our bank we purchased a building on Rose Hill Drive for what is to become the new home of The Arc of the Piedmont and our programs supporting new generations of families and individuals.
The building desperately needs to be renovated and for that we need your help today. The bank loan covered some of the renovation and The Perry Foundation has generously given us a $240,000 gift IF we can match it with $240,000 from the community. To date, we have already raised $80,000 from dedicated donors and special events, but we still need to match another $160,000 for this story to have a happy ending by March 2018.
If every person we send this letter to contributed $100, we would easily exceed our goal, but we know many, many of our supporters cannot contribute even that much. Nor would we expect them to, knowing they struggle each day to make ends meet. They always give what they can and it comes from their heart and we appreciate it greatly.