C-PARC Agency Overview

History

Cumberland Perry Association for Retarded Citizens was founded in 1953 by parents of children with mental retardation (www.cparc.org). These parents wanted something more for their children because at the time the only option for people with mental retardation was to go to a state institution (www.cparc.org). CPARC is a non-profit organization that provides facilities and resources for people with mental retardation. This includes a home, friends, and help when needed. This organization also helps their clients find work when possible, which helps to make them feel more accepted; they become active participants in their community. CPARC's clients are not exclusive to people with mental retardation. The organization also offers services to the elderly, young children and families of the people with mental disabilities.

Mission

The mission of CPARC is to help those in the community who are not able to function solely on their own. They give back the respect and basic rights to their clients that society has denied them. By providing their clients with a home, a job, and any care needed, the volunteers and employees of CPARC help to make their lives more comfortable and enjoyable. As an organization, CPARC strives to integrate people with disabilities into the community in a constructive manner. Before CPARC opened, people with mental retardation were not able to have access to acquiring jobs or housing (www.cparc.org). CPARC works to give people with special needs the rights and advantages that people without disabilities take for granted.

Services Offered

CPARC is active in many different aspects of their clients lives. The organization provides advocacy, care for the elderly, child care, education, vocational services, and community living (www.cparc.org). They advocate for equal rights and protection for people with disabilities to ensure that they are treated with respect and are given the same basic rights as any other citizen of the United States (www.cparc.org). CPARC also provides a day care for young children and a center for the elderly to go during the day. These services are not limited to children and elders with mental retardation, though they do include them. For the elders, they provide care during the day and for the children they provide infant care, toddler and pre-school, and after school programs for school-aged children (www.cparc.org). In the child care program, CPARC stresses the importance of education and works to teach the children certain pertinent skills (www.cparc.org). CPARC also provides counseling and emotional support groups for their clients and the families of their clients through their family education services (www.cparc.org). Their vocational services offer people with mental retardation a chance to enter the Pollock Center to learn basic industrial skills so they can eventually acquire a job (www.cparc.org). Finally, CPARC offers community living services to their clients through many different venues. These include the group homes, apartment clusters, apartment living,