1955-1970: Where We’ve Come From …Families Lead the Way: On June 14, 1955, a dedicated group of family volunteers incorporated, forming the Lowell Association for Retarded Children (LARC). A decade later in 1965, the area’s first day program service, the LARC Workshop, opened and the first professional staff was hired. A year later, the Lexington Avenue site, a rustic school building, was purchased for one dollar from the City of Lowell to accommodate the growth of services.

1971 – 1985: From Institutions to Community Care ...The Power to Change: The 1970s were revolutionary times in our society, especially in the lives of people with disability. It was a period when we witnessed the beginning of the closing of large-scale institutions, and LARC opened one of the state’s first group homes in Chelmsford, for eight women who were discharged from Fernald State School. It was also the era of Chapter 766, the Special Education law, which mandated that the public school system had a responsibility to educate children with developmental disabilities. By 1985, LARC had undergone two name changes finally becoming the Association for Retarded Citizens (Arc) of Greater Lowell. Another group home was opened; a large recreation program was established; and 12 people were successfully placed in the area’s first Independent Living Program, an experiment in helping people with developmental disabilities learn to live in the community … a long way from the state institution in which many people had grown up. For more information call: LifeLinks Representative Payee Services at 978.251.0610 extension 530.

1986 – 1999: Creating Opportunities for Excellence & Doing Good …Quality is Challenged: During this period Arc evolved and experienced extraodinary growth, precipitated by the rising demand for services from families whose children were turning 22 years of age and were no longer eligible for services funded by the public school system. More group homes were opened and day service expanded.By 1999, Arc’s budget grew to $8.6 million and supported 250 staff, who in turn, provided service to 500 people. Our new name, LifeLinks, given by family member, Diane Hannagan, reflected a philosophy of respect and dignity for those with, even the most severe level of disability. LifeLinks’ mission: to achieve a quiet miracle by helping every life live as normally as possible. Throughout the 1990s, LifeLinks received local, regional and national leadership awards including “Outstanding Rehabilitation Facility”. While LifeLinks was a leader in establishing the Human Service certificate program with Middlesex Community College (a prototype for the state-funded program, two years later) quality of care across the country was eroding. From 1987 –1999, there were no cost-of-living increases attached to government funding, resulting in a decline of actual dollars to provide service and decline in quality of care.