Community members, businesses help purchase holiday meals, toys for local families impacted by disabilities
Springfield, Ore. — Dec. 16, 2021 — Local community members and businesses have stepped up to ensure more than 125 families served by The Arc Lane County enjoy a magical holiday season.
The Arc Lane County typically hosts an annual Tree of Joy holiday gift giving program and a holiday party to help people impacted by disabilities and their families. With COVID continuing to circulate within the community, The Arc has not been able to host its traditional holiday festivities, but that hasn’t curtailed the generous holiday giving.
“While COVID may have circumvented our annual holiday party again this year, COVID has not diminished the giving hearts of our community members and community partners,” says Pam Ring, executive director of The Arc Lane County. “The outpouring of love to help families served by The Arc Lane County has been tremendous!”
This holiday, The Arc will distribute more than 125 holiday meals to families in need and more than 250 toys and gifts to children. This holiday cheer was possible thanks to generous people and business partners in our community, including Eugene Emerald Valley Rotary, Springfield Twin Rivers Rotary, Cobalt Computer Services, First Baptist Church of Eugene, Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza, Cabela’s, Lane Forest Products, The Satre Group, WinCo Foods, as well as community members Matt Huston and Ken Brown with the Hope Project and Laura Malin.
The Arc Lane County will start distributing the gifts and meals on December 20 at 9 a.m. from its Holiday Cheer Factory, a designated area inside The Arc Lane County’s building that is stocked full of toys and other goodies that have been generously donated. Both community donors and The Arc Lane County executives will be available for interviews at 8:30 a.m., prior to the opening of the Holiday Cheer Factory.
The Arc Lane County, a grassroots nonprofit, provides services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families living in Lane County. The Arc envisions a world in which all persons have the support they need for personal development, independence, and interdependence with family and friends, and inclusion in the community. The Arc is currently spearheading a capital campaign to build a $2.5 million accessible and inclusive play space, called the Arc Park. Learn more about The Arc Lane County at www.arclane.org, and the Arc Park at www.arclane.org/arcpark.