MARC COMMUNITY RESOURCES, INC. - TOHONO OODHAM 2017.PDF

Last updated: 05/08/2017
General information
Organization Marc Community Resources, Inc.
Contact First name John
Contact Last name Moore
Contact e-mail john.moore@marccr.com
Contact phone number 480-222-3257
Address
Street 924 N Country Club Drive
City Mesa
State AZ
ZIP Code 85201
From what tribe is the Tohono O’odham Nation
organization requesting the
grant?
Total grant amount request 100,000
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Grant Proposal for Tohono O’odham Nation
General Agency and Contact Information:
Primary Contact Name: John Moore Alternate Contact Name: Norm Duvé
Contact Title:CEO Contact Title: Chief Development Officer
Mailing Address: 924 N. Country Club Drive Mailing Address: 924 N. Country Club Drive
Mesa, AZ 85201 Mesa, AZ 85201
Phone #: 480-969-3800, ext 277 Phone #: 480-969-3800, ext 253
E-mail: john.moore@marccr.com E-mail: norm.duve@marccr.com
Fax: 480-644-1557 Fax: 480-644-1557
Name of Project: Day/Workforce Development Training Program
Grant Request: $100,000
Marc’s Mission, History and Goals
The organization’s mission is to provide opportunities to people who have disabilities to determine
where and how they live, learn, work and play. Marc is a not-for-profit organization that has been
providing a comprehensive continuum of educational, vocational, day activity, community living,
affordable housing, outpatient clinic services, psychiatric intervention, in-home supports and other
related programs for people with intellectual disabilities, developmental delays (ID/DD) and behavioral
health challenges since 1957. Today, we assist approximately 4,000 individuals and their families in
pursuing the highest level of independence, based upon principles of choice, inclusion and
community integration. Over the past five years, Marc has served approximately 100 Native
Americans each year. All the individuals we serve are low income and have been medically
determined to be at risk for institutionalization, including assisted living, nursing care, hospitals and
jails. Our services, including supported housing, employment, in-home support, host homes, health
and wellness, day programs, counseling and family support, help keep the family unit intact and help
individuals with severe medical and behavioral challenges to pursue a meaningful life and the
greatest level of self-sufficiency possible.
The Need and the Proposed Project
Since 2000, the number of individuals with ID/DD receiving services through the Division of
Developmental Disabilities (DDD) has doubled to 30,000. The prevalence of autism has skyrocketed
from 1 in 166 to 1 in 50 (per Centers for Disease Control). In Mesa Public Schools, the largest school
district in Arizona, the number of students in special needs programs has increased by 26% in the
last nine years even while total enrollment decreased by 16%. The growth in the number of
individuals with severe disabilities is due in large part to medical technology. The U.S. is commonly
ranked as number one in the world in medical technology and around fifteenth in prenatal care. From
a macro-trend perspective, more at-risk infants are surviving the birth process. While we all celebrate
this accomplishment, it also means an increase in the number of people with severe disabilities:
behavioral health challenges, intellectual disabilities, developmental delays and medically fragile.
Marc’s day programs have experienced a growth of 144% since 2010, again, showing the high
demand for this service.
Like childcare, schools and doctors, one of the most important criteria for selecting a service agency
is proximity to home. Based on discussions with leadership from DDD and review of public DDD data
reflecting the location of service recipients, there is a severe shortage of ID/DD service providers for
individuals living in Chandler, Ahwatukee and cities immediately south toward Maricopa. In fact, many
individuals with significant disabilities are being transported long distances (an hour each way) into

Phoenix to get the services they need. This also means that many families may not be getting the
services they need due to the lack of transportation.
To highlight another need, only 9% of the 28,000 adults in the ID/DD system obtain any kind of
employment (20% is national average). Arizona ranks 41st in the U.S. as it relates to employment for
individuals with ID/DD (source: 2015 United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) produces The Case for Inclusion
report annually to rank Medicaid programs). Together, with the help of the Tohono O’odham Nation,
we can improve this situation.
Marc will construct an employment training and day program for individuals with severe intellectual
and developmental disabilities at its new location at 201 S. Roosevelt Avenue in Chandler, ideally
situated to serve the unmet needs of the surrounding population. The new day program will be
coupled with employment training for those that choose this option. Marc has one of the largest
vocational programs for individuals with disabilities in Arizona. Individuals served and their families
highly prefer to pair services at day programs with employment training to facilitate significant
progressive steps to self-sufficiency.
While we purchased the property in May 2016 (see photo attached), significant renovations are
required in the primary building to create a safe and appropriate learning and supportive environment
including, but not limited to, specialized rubber flooring (falling is common due to seizures and
ambulatory challenges), sensory rooms (light, sound, smells and touch can have a profound negative
impact on some of the people we serve), smart board technology (effective cognitive exercises and
entertainment), specialized stove (reduces burns), ADA compliant bathrooms with showers and
Hoyer lifts (to allow safe lifting of service recipients). This building will be brought up to Americans
with Disabilities Act standards using a Community Development Block Grant through the City of
Chandler. Marc will also renovate a storage building at this site to accommodate raw materials and
supplies to be used in its workforce development training program, serving individuals with severe
disabilities. The building is in need of two air conditioning units, a new swamp cooling unit, a rack
storage system and interior renovations to make it appropriate for receiving and storing products that
are used in our various workforce development training programs. Having climate controlled storage
will greatly increase efficiency in this critical program. Supervisors’ Barney and Chucri have already
provided a letter of support to another funding source for the workforce development staff of the
Employment Training and Day Program for this site. More information about our programs, including
testimonials, can be found at http://marccr.com/ marc-services/community-day-services.
The Population
To be in the Arizona ID/DD Medicaid system, individuals must meet poverty eligibility requirements
and be medically determined to be a risk of homelessness and institutionalization, including nursing
care, hospitals and jail. This vulnerable population requires significant and specialized support to
participate in activities of daily living, to learn, to achieve life goals, to remain healthy, to experience a
meaningful life and to reach their full potential. In addition, about a third of this population also
experiences behavioral health challenges that make it difficult to participate in community activities,
maintain social/family relationships and obtain/ maintain jobs. This new day program will benefit
individuals served, families and taxpayers. Marc has existed for 60 years and is unique in that it
provides a wide array of programs and services that are customized for both, ID/DD and behavioral
health populations.
Families are a major beneficiary of this new program. We like to say that day programs keep the
family unit intact. Mom and dad can continue to work while son or daughter actively participate in a

day program with a curriculum focused on self-sufficiency, socialization and community integration.
Day programs also help reduce caregiver burnout. Most of the individuals in day programs require 24
hour supervision and, in many cases, total care for dressing, toileting, feeding, bathing, etc. Day
programs give families a healthy break from the emotional and physical demands of caregiving.
Finally, taxpayers benefit from day programs. Without proper supports, the individuals Marc serves
will require higher and more expensive levels of institutional care such as skilled nursing at taxpayer
expense. The average cost per individual served for Marc’s day programs in the prior year was
$10,454, compared to a nursing home at $90,520 or the Arizona State Institution in Coolidge at about
$200,000. To punctuate this point, Marc engaged an outside firm to measure the social return on
investment of its programs for the year ended September 30, 2015, using international standards for
calculating this unique outcome for nonprofits. For every dollar ($1) invested in Marc’s programs,
taxpayers (the community) receive $2.83 of value in return (283% return on investment).
Other Grants
Marc applied for a 12% distribution from the Tohono O’odham Nation in 2016. The Salt River Pima
Maricopa Indian Community approved a $100,000 grant to help build a senior center and day
program for individuals with developmental disabilities in East Mesa in 2014. This construction project
was successfully completed. A grant in the amount of $90,000 has been submitted this spring to the
Gila River Indian Community and $101,976 has submitted to the City of Chandler. Wells Fargo
awarded a grant of $7,000 to go toward specialized equipment.
Priority Areas
Education:
Marc provides innovative day programs designed to develop and enhance skills our adults who have
developmentally disabilities need in order to experience the same quality of life that the average adult
experiences. Marc day programs instruct in the areas of community enhancement, personal leisure
enhancement, daily living skills and advocacy in various Mesa locations in a 4:1 individual to staff
ratio. Educational opportunities include: community resources training, nutrition and health training,
stranger/danger, living safely in a community, community sign recognition, money management,
being a volunteer, social skills training/education, learning cooking skills, exercising for increased
mobility and strength, and recreational education such as watching favorite movies, going to baseball
games or the local library, and shopping. Individuals served in the day programs did not fully reach
their potential while they were still attending public school. Our goal is to continue their education
throughout their adult life in order to maximize the learning possibilities for those served and thereby
increase their independence. The average age of an individual who moves on to employment from a
day program this past year was 26.5 years of age.
Healthcare:
Marc’s day programs place an emphasis on increasing skills and maintaining self-help skills and
advocacy. Individuals served receive training and education in both community and classroom
settings. Basic nutrition is taught as part of our cooking class and health is taught along with our
exercise classes. Gaining new strength and maintaining current body condition is crucial to our
participants’ well-being and continued life. Being the most vulnerable of adults, the day programs
place a high importance on cleanliness to avoid illness that may decrease overall health. Health and
wellness continues to be emphasized at all day program sites. Sites are equipped with exercise
bicycles, elliptical machines, therapy balls, range of motion equipment and yoga mats. Two of Marc’s
individuals lost over 60 pounds together in the past year as a result of their participation in daily
exercise, Zumba, community outings and dances. We are also seeing a large increase in seniors with

disabilities due to medical technology. For example, age 50 used to be a major milestone for the
people we serve. Today, we have 35 individuals over the age of 56. For this senior group, stretching
and basic exercise like walking is critical.
Economic Development:
Marc will provide job skills training for individuals participating in the day program with the goal to
obtain work that meets the needs of the individual. Vince Lombardi said, “the only place success
comes before work is in the dictionary.” Work is fundamental to our wellbeing. The funds from this
grant will not only improve Marc’s ability to improve efficiency and impact more individuals that we
serve, but will also allow Chandler for profit businesses and other nonprofits, that contract with Marc,
a safe storage space that improves the quality of service delivery and supply chain options for this
critical work. We can all agree that nothing restores hope, confidence and dignity to an individual than
the ability to be independent and self-sufficient, to contribute, to pay taxes, to pay your own way.
Unfortunately, as stated earlier, Arizona ranks in the bottom ten in the U.S. To respond, Marc built
one of the largest employment training programs for individuals with disabilities in Arizona.
Coordination with Governmental Entity
Marc will be partnering with Maricopa County to review this grant application and enter into a grant
agreement once a grant is approved.
Project Costs and Summary of Sources
Project Costs: Amount
Specialized equipment: technology, safety and sensory for $123,959
building 1
Building/site costs for building 1 $101,976
Total for building 1 $225,935
Renovation for building 2 $100,000
Total for building 2 $100,000
TOTAL FOR BOTH BUILDINGS $325,935
Summary of Sources:
This Tohono O’odham Request $100,000
Gila River Indian Community $90,000
City of Chandler $101,976
Wells Fargo $7,000
Marc Community Resources, Inc. (purchase of land & two $695,173
buildings)
Total $994,149