It truly takes a village, or more accurately an entire community, for The Arc of Delaware County to support people to live their very best, personally fulfilled lives. It takes a staff of nearly 200 who give of themselves daily to assure the supports and services we provide people are top notch. It takes a strong membership, currently nearing 400 members strong, to stand beside us and give strength to our voice on advocacy issues, and donor partners to help support us financially. Finally, it takes dedicated volunteers who selflessly share their time and talents.
One group of volunteers that I’d like to highlight is our Board of Directors. Our agency was organized in 1967 by a handful of dedicated, forward-thinking community members who became our very first volunteer Board of Directors. Their initial efforts were oriented towards obtaining services, advocating, and providing education.
The members on our Board have changed over the years, but their focus and dedication hasn’t wavered. We can’t thank them enough for the countless hours they devote to our agency. They stay up to date on what’s happening in the field in order to make informed decisions and effectively advocate for anything that might relate to our agency and the people we support. Board Members spend a full day in Vantage Point when they first join the Board, annually have at least one full day together devoted to continued training and education, and serve on various Board Committees.
Bob Rothenberg was our longest serving Board Member. He started his relationship with Delarc as an Accountant, later joining our Board of Directors. Bob served in the roles of Board Treasurer and President for many years. His tenure with Delarc was more than 40 years, which is a demonstration of the level of dedication and commitment by our volunteers. Bob retired from the Board in 2019, and unfortunately we lost him this past May when he passed peacefully at home. We will miss Bob dearly.
We’re grateful for everyone who has supported our agency over the past half century, and for those who will help take us into to the future.
