Just before Covid-19 turned our world upside down last year, the ladies of Impact100 Wichita Falls made history with their first-ever Impact grant to a local organization.

In the spring of 2020, Impact100 awarded a grant of $59,000 to The Arc of Wichita County to purchase the property next to their day habilitation building for the purpose of renovating it for additional program space. As The Arc creatively adapted every one of their programs to accommodate the new world of Coronavirus, they also found the timeline for the expansion would need some adjustment.

It was an exciting day in April this year when The Arc took possession of the property purchased with Impact100 grant funding. They immediately got to work on an in-depth assessment on the usefulness of both the building and the land space. With the safety of clients and the expense of a renovation top of mind, the building used by previous owners was deemed too costly to renovate. So, the decision was made to demolish the building and rebuild a new structure that will connect to their current building.

This is a long-term project that will bring great returns for many decades, but while discussions began for the rebuild, Arc staff realized that the land itself, adjoining their current building as it does, was too good to pass up as an outdoor recreational space.

So, for the short-term, the grant from Impact100 is helping in an unexpected way on the journey toward expansion. New opportunities for this wonderful space include recreational and educational activities such as gardening, Special Olympics practice, lawn care, and mowing lessons, as well as wellness activities.

Impact100 members can be overjoyed they’ve provided an easily accessible outdoor space to Arc members in the short-term and, further down the road, the site for a larger and more accessible building, making it possible for The Arc to accept more individuals, offer more space for individualized learning and recreation, add special bathroom accommodations for individuals needing more assistance, implement classrooms for work and life skills (including employment and behavioral training), and much more to better assist members to live more independently.

While all this activity is going on, there’s another phase to this grant that’s still to come: the parking lot expansion. In addition to purchasing the property adjacent to The Arc, the grant covered the cost to expand the parking area to make it safer and easier for parents and caregivers to drop off and pick up their loved ones. This parking lot expansion is extremely important as it will affect the daily life of each client in a truly positive way.