Cool C.A.T.S. Club

By: Rowan Frederiksen

Over the last few years, The Arc Pikes Peak Region (The Arc PPR) has worked to complete its Building for Change campus. This project will make The Arc Pikes PPR a more accessible and inclusive environment for the Colorado Springs community. During the initial process, The Arc had some difficulty getting the project up and running. That is, until John Nelson was introduced to The Arc PPR. John Nelson is a local architect, who just so happens to be a neighbor of The Arc PPR. At this point, he knew very little about this organization and the services provided to the I/DD community. All he knew was “Great! Another business opportunity!” Little did he know that this “business opportunity” would soon bring something new to his life.

Since John took the task of designing the Building for Change Inclusive Campus, he has learned to appreciate what it is The Arc PPR does in the community. He mentioned that one of the things that transpired for him over the years is that,

It’s important to know and appreciate what The Arc Pikes Peak Region does. It is totally necessary and so important for the community to be aware that this organization exists. It is refreshing to hear from people who do know about it and hear their stories of the impact The Arc has had in their lives, John said.

Through working with The Arc, John has been able to attend many events and even hire someone with an intellectual/developmental disability to help out with various projects around the office and his home.

After learning more about what The Arc is, John decided to take on the task of being a donor for this organization. John said that, over time, he grew an active interest in the program and decided that this was something he wanted to support.

Donating allows John to spread awareness that The Arc is not just a thrift store. John finds that the biggest misconception here in Colorado Springs is that the community largely doesn’t know the difference between the organization and the thrift store. By donating to The Arc PPR, John believes that he is investing in the staff, and that this is a big step in educating the public on who The Arc really is.

Over the years, John has made a significant impact within The Arc PPR community. He has donated on several occasions and says that he plans to continue doing so in the future.

The impact this has had is unquantifiable. Donating to an organization like The Arc keeps a motivation within the organization to see that what they do makes such a difference within the community. This whole process has been eye-opening for me, because so many local families don’t know that a place like this exists. It’s such an ill-informed community and not many people take advantage of it, John explained.

With that, this year marks The Arc Pikes Peak Region’s fifth year participating in the Indy Give! Campaign. Indy Give! is a local fundraising campaign that encourages people of all ages to give back to the community between November 1 and December 31. For the second year in a row, John Nelson has agreed to participate in this event by providing a matching grant for The Arc Pikes Peak Region — this helps the public’s donation’s to The Arc PPR to go further and farther. John’s advice for the local community is,

Many people take a casual approach to giving to organizations like this. We need to take a more active stance when supporting organizations like The Arc PPR and appreciate the results that come from those organizations.

Without the help and support from people like John, the services and programs we offer here at The Arc Pikes Peak Region would not be possible. We, as an organization, appreciate everything that John Nelson has done and will continue to do in the future.

You can donate to The Arc Pikes Peak Region through Indy Give! at www.indygive.com/thearc.