Message From the SCARC President and the Chief Executive Officer
It is my privilege to assume the responsibility of president of the board of trustees of SCARC, a most prestigious organization in Sussex County. I have big shoes to fill from our past presidents, and especially from the immediate past president Doug White. However, with the help of SCARC board members, administration, and employees, it will be a pleasure to serve as the president of the board.
As we all know, SCARC has been a leader in the provision of services and supports to children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families in Sussex County over the past 52 years. This has been especially true during the first decade of our new millennium. SCARC has made every attempt to expand services in order to continue to meet the exponential needs of families who are coming our way for help. Many families are desperate for assistance and support for their family member with disabilities, and SCARC has pledged to all who come to us to assist in any way possible.
We are facing dire circumstances with funding, fund-raising, and necessary resources in order to meet our mission. We will persevere and we will develop the resources necessary both in financial resources and capital resources in order to continue to do the job well.
During the past four years we have been actively involved in expanding community facilities in order to meet the needs of our families. We have constructed and opened our Sparta and Senior Centers which now serve 40 individuals with developmental disabilities who are aging and who are exhibiting severe disabilities with medical complications. We are very proud of our Sparta Center, and through this new facility, we are demonstrating to the Sussex County community that SCARC is able
to meet these complex, yet sensitive needs.
We have just completed construction of two HUD funded group homes. One is located in Lafayette and the second in Stillwater Township. Each home will serve 5 adults with disabilities who come from the community and other nearby locations. In each case, a partnership was developed with the municipality so that land was donated to SCARC and used to construct the home to serve these 10 new individuals.
In addition, we are presently constructing a SCARC Community Center in Hampton Township which will support three of our eight day programs. The building’s construction will be finished in the summer of 2010, and we will be better able to provide services to our individuals including persons with autism. We also will be able to make our transportation system more efficient as we expand our service system.
All in all, we are very optimistic about the future of SCARC and the future number of families we will serve. We have been and will continue to be a significant impact upon the culture, economy and landscape of our beloved Sussex County. We hope that you will enjoy reading this annual report, and through your increased familiarity, expand you appreciation for the work that is done to enrich our community.
With our best regards,
Michael P. Tilton Richard C. Lecher, Ph.D.
President Chief Executive Officer
