The Arc of Litchfield County Inc

“Membership shall be open to any dues paying individual, family or associate, age 18 or older, supporting the purpose and mission of the organization, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, handicap, gender, sexual orientation, age, or ancestry. In addition, honorary members can be appointed by the board of directors.”

“The director of finance and executive director first review the 990 for completeness and accuracy. The 990 is then presented to the board of directors prior to filing.”

“Directors disclose at the first board meeting of the year or as a situation occurs. The board monitors and has a procedure for determining if there is a conflict. The individual refrains from discussion and voting unless questions are asked of them.”

“In years when resources are available for wage and/or salary increases, the past president and the current president of the board of directors evaluate the executive director. Based on the scoring on the evaluation tool the team determines the increment to be applied to compensation. The executive director provides the team with comparative salary data which is derived from the most current salary surveys available from the ct community providers association, northwest ct chamber of commerce, guidestar, and the ct nonprofit alliance along with others. Compensation is determined for the executive director after a review of compensation by specific members of the board of directors. The executive director determines compensation revisions for key employees after review of data. Many times the compensation increases in line with the percentage increase of the contract from the ct state dds.”

“In years when resources are available for wage and/or salary increases, employee appraisals are generally given each year in writing and are performance based. Comparative salary data is derived from the most current salary surveys available from the ct nonprofit alliance, northwest ct chamber of commerce, guidestar, and the ct association of not-for- profits along with others.”

“Interest policy and financial statements are available upon request.”

“Continued from parts i & iii: respect, and dignity. Larc is a local chapter of the arc, the largest community based organization for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. On a daily basis, larc supports 133 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout northwest connecticut. Services include residential group homes, supportive housing, in-home supports, transportation, day and employment programs. Other accomplishments over the past year include: -larc is participating in project search, an employment training model that is successfully integrating individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities into competitive wage jobs. -larc is working with local school systems to ensure that individuals transitioning from school to work are aware of the opportunity. The project search program is designed to be a one-year program and is based on a school year. Participating individuals, primarily aged 21 and older, will work in internships at charlotte hungerford and other area businesses with the goal of securing employment at the end of the year. -approximately 70 individuals are employed through larc's vocational program, which offers job development, placement, training and continuous supports. Larc's employer partners provide employment opportunities to individuals through independent placement and group-supported employment at over 18 locations throughout northwest connecticut.”

“The larc board of directors approved our new, five-year strategic plan in 2022. Leadership continues to update the board on agency activities and initiatives specifically as they relate to the four pillars. So the document continues to provide value and guidance to the administrative team. Agency leadership are working to ensure adherence to the four pillars of the plan: organizational climate (larc is dedicated to hiring and retaining the best staff, giving them training and opportunities for development, and rewarding them with valued compensation and benefits); agency accountability (ensuring that systems, structures, and procedures are in place to allow for the efficient and accurate collection and reporting of all information necessary for the agency to bill for supports, provide meticulous reports, and ensure that we are in full compliance with all mandates); partnerships (larc will continue to seek out and strengthen partnerships with stakeholders, state and local government, service providers, private businesses, and other arc providers to ensure that we learn from those around us how to better our practices); and growth for the future and innovation (as the nature of disability services change, and as compensation models are updated, larc will seek out new opportunities to provide supports while striving to remain relevant and viable).”

“Larc also offers recreation, guardianship, advocacy and transportation services. Larc's social enrichment program has resumed after being paused due to covid. The program is funded solely by private donations, providing critical respite and recreational opportunities such as group outings, social gatherings, and special olympics. Larc's autism resource center has become known in the region for providing innovative supports to area youth. We are working to align our programming with available funding, to help ensure fiscal stability and the ability to provide asd supports that are billable and in accordance with state and federal requirements. It is our intention to move the center from grant and donor-funded to official asd provider funded in the next year or two. Larc's board of directors made the decision to suspend camp operations in 2021, and further, to sell the camp property, which had become a drain on agency operations and finances. We closed on the sale of the property in may 2023. This will help us focus more fully on our core mission, and will be beneficial to the agency in many ways.while we have suspended the grant-funded operations of our autism resource center, we continue to explore ways in which we can engage with community partners and resources to better support individuals with autism at our agency and who may seek out our services and supports.”

“Fundraising expenses 4,684 fundraising expenses -4,684”