Arc Greater Twin Cities is an advocacy agency for the developmentally disabled that traces its history back to 1946. At a holiday party at the Hammer School in Minneapolis, one of the few schools at the time that accepted children with mental retardation, parents organized a group and elected Reuben Lindh chairman. Calling themselves the Association of Friends of the Mentally Retarded, they hoped to arouse public interest in reforms for the care of and educational standards for the mentally retarded through research, public meetings, and legislation. Officially incorporating in 1948 as a nonprofit corporation, the association's first major project was a gift campaign for individuals living in the state hospitals, who were often forgotten during the holidays. Reuben Lindh met with local newspaper columnist and radio personality Cedric Adams, who promoted the campaign in his column. As a result, over 30,000 gifts poured in, and people began to discuss openly issues facing people with mental retardation. The project continues as the annual fund campaign.
Similar parent organizations were forming around the country at this time. On September 28, 1950, the first national gathering of parent organizations met at the Radisson Hotel in Minneapolis, where ninety-three representatives from fourteen states formed the National Association of Parents and Friends of the Mentally Retarded. In 1953 this national organization changed its name to the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC) while the Minneapolis group changed its name to the Minneapolis Association for Retarded Children (MARC).
By 1955 membership in MARC had grown to 250, and the executive board felt it was time to move from a strictly volunteer organization to one with some professional staff. Jerry Walsh was hired as MARC's first executive director, and the first office was opened in the Kresge Building in downtown Minneapolis. MARC was quite active in the 1950s: it established the first community-based Boy Scout troop, Troop 166, for boys with mental retardation in the United States (1951), opened one of the first day activity programs for children with severe disabilities (Eliot Park Neighborhood House in 1954), and several MARC members, led by Reuben Lindh, traveled the state, organizing other local chapters. As a result a state organization, the Minnesota Association for Retarded Children (MnARC), was incorporated in October 1955.
In 1957 MARC opened Indian Chief Camp (later renamed Eden Wood Camping and Retreat Center) in Eden Prairie as a camping and recreational facility and organized weekly dances, bowling, and swimming opportunities at the Minneapolis YWCA. MARC members and staff worked for legislation that mandated special education for educable students and provided funding for teacher training, day activity centers, and research into the causes of mental retardation. In 1961 MARC became a United Fund agency, which lessened the fund raising burden on MARC volunteers. In 1964 MARC helped secure services for trainable students within the Minneapolis Public School system, eleven years before national legislation mandated public education services for all handicapped children.
In 1974 NARC changed the last word of its name from "Children" to "Citizens" to reflect their support for teenagers, adults, and seniors. The state and local chapters also made this change. MARC members and staff were heavily involved in the Welsch vs. Likens case, which ruled that disabled people had a constitutional right to treatment and care in the least restrictive environment, a ruling that led to an egress from the state hospitals and the establishment of residential home facilities. In 1982 MARC opened the Value Village thrift store in Richfield (and another in New Hope in 1993), which raised money for the organization, allowing it to continue to promote self-advocacy and semi-independent living for retarded and disabled people.
In 1983 MARC became the Association of Retarded Citizens of Hennepin County, which reflected the fact that its programs were county-wide and included more than the city of Minneapolis. In 1990 seven metro ARC chapters agreed to eliminate "Association for Retarded Citizens" from their names, using instead the moniker Arc. There were concerns that the label "retarded" and the reference to disability was more prominent than the reference to personhood. One year later, the Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States, the national counterpart, changed its name to The Arc of the United States. In 2001 Arc of Hennepin County and Arc of Carver County merged to form Arc Hennepin-Carver, Inc. In 2007 the name changed yet again, to Arc Greater Twin Cities.
From the guide to the Arc records., 1946-2007., (Minnesota Historical Society)
