On March 11, the 19th Annual Arc Breakfast virtually brought together supporters, community members and business leaders across the Bay Area to help raise funds for The Arc San Francisco, a non-profit with a mission to transform the lives of adults with developmental disabilities by advancing lifelong learning, personal achievement and independence.
The celebratory virtual event was a morning filled with stories of success and perseverance shared by Arc participants. It also included a message from celebrity guest host Josie Totah, an actress, producer and LGBTQ+ activist who has a family member participating in Arc’s program.
The Arc handed out a Disability Champion for Digital Equity Award to PwC, which was accepted by Paul Deneys on behalf of the organization.
Capping off the morning was a virtual cooking demonstration on muffin making in the Arc’s teaching kitchen, led by Arc participant Delia Feraro and service manager Vanessa Biaoco. To burn off all those muffin calories, the morning ended with an energetic Zumba class taught by an Arc participant and certified Zumba instructor.
“Whether it’s serving on our campus, in person or through Zoom, we continue to work towards a greater, more equitable future for our participants with developmental disabilities that we are so incredibly proud to serve,” said The Arc SF’s Executive Director, Kristen Pedersen. “Our community is resilient, and we are proud to provide a platform to amplify the voices of people with disabilities as we keep striving for disability justice.”
For 70 years, The Arc SF has worked to make sure people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, like autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, have every resource they need to lead better lives and opportunities to realize their highest potential. With services in San Francisco, Marin County and San Mateo County, The Arc SF offers job opportunities, housing and health care for its 870 participants.
The Arc San Francisco’s original goal was to raise $150,000, but it was able to secure more than $180,000 in funding thanks to generous donors, sponsors such as Zendesk, Safeway Foundation and Salesforce, plus a matching grant from Union Bank. Honorary committee members included David Chiu from the California Assembly, San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson and Shauna Daum from the San Francisco Giants.
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Donna Berry Glass is a freelance writer in Marin County who writes mostly about family and kid-oriented topics. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family exploring the natural beauty of Marin, snuggling with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel while reading a good book or whipping up something delicious in her space-challenged kitchen. Donna is a supporter of the California Academy of Sciences, a world class science museum and research institution, and the Institute on Aging which provides much needed services to seniors and disabled individuals.