Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps

What Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps does

ARCh (Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1952 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, by parents seeking a community where children with disabilities would be valued rather than discarded. The organization provides direct programs and advocacy for individuals with intellectual, physical, learning, and autism spectrum disabilities, alongside support for their families. Its service portfolio includes the GAINS Summer Program (summer recreation including swimming, canoeing, yoga, and sensory activities), Teen Time (monthly inclusive social and community service activities), the Strong Girls Club (empowerment curriculum for young women with disabilities), and the ARCh Youth Team, a teen-led group founded in 1986 that delivers anti-bullying and disability-awareness presentations to K-12 schools and community groups.

The organization's underlying delivery model is people-intensive and place-based rather than technology-based, with all programs delivered in-person across Waukesha County, Wisconsin, and surrounding communities. It operates from a headquarters at 419 Frederick Street in Waukesha and uses Camp Pow Wow in Menomonee Park for certain Youth Team events. There are no proprietary software platforms, apps, or AI-driven services; the technology footprint is limited to a Wix-hosted website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for outreach, plus email newsletter communications.

ARCh's business model is donation-driven. Revenue is generated through individual contributions via Network for Good, recurring giving, community fundraisers (Culvers Fundraisers partnership and the annual Sporting Clays Classic), and unspecified grants. There are no fee-based programs or product pricing. The organization is led by Executive Director Jennifer Horth, supported by a small staff of 1-10 employees and a volunteer-driven Youth Team, with no parent company, institutional ownership, or M&A activity identified.

Name

Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps

Legal name

Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps

Website

https://archchangeslives.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ARCh is a Waukesha, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1952 that delivers recreational, social, and educational programs, plus anti-bullying presentations, for individuals with disabilities and their families in the regional community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Services and Nonprofit Programs

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Disability services
• Disability advocacy
• Community inclusion programs
• Special needs recreation
• Disability awareness education

Headquarters

HQ city

Waukesha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization accepts donations through its Network for Good page and direct contribution links. Donors can make one-time or recurring gifts to support programs for individuals with disabilities.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ARCh provides direct community programs and advocacy for children and adults with disabilities and their families in the Waukesha, Wisconsin area. Its core offerings include the GAINS Summer Program (summer recreation), Teen Time (monthly social and community service activities), the Strong Girls Club (empowerment program for young women with disabilities), and the ARCh Youth Team (teen-led anti-bullying and disability awareness presentations to schools and community groups).

Product overview

ARCh (Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1952 that provides disability services and programs. The organization operates as a unified set of community programs rather than a technology platform. Its core offerings include the GAINS Summer Program for summer recreation, Teen Time for monthly community service and social activities, the Strong Girls Club for young women with disabilities, and the ARCh Youth Team for anti-bullying presentations. The programs work together to promote the health, safety, and achievement of children and adults with disabilities while increasing community awareness and acceptance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARCh Youth Team: A unique group of teens from different schools whose goal is to replace bullying with respect by performing skits, songs, and personal stories for people of all ages. Founded in 1986.
• GAINS Summer Program
• Teen Time
• Strong Girls Club

Products and services

• Teen Time A monthly program where teens with and without disabilities come together to do community service and build social skills through sports, cooking, games, and crafts.
• GAINS Summer Program A goal-based summer program for children and adults with disabilities featuring swimming, canoe trips, dance parties, yoga, cooking, sensory art projects, and more. GAINS stands for Growing in Achievement, Independence, Nature, and Socialization.
• Strong Girls Club A program that empowers young women with intellectual, physical, and learning disabilities through a series of classes exploring body image, safety, self-confidence, positive choices, community access, relationships, bullying, fitness, and nutrition.
• ARCh Youth Team A group of teens from different schools working to replace bullying with respect by performing skits, songs, and personal stories, and getting together with teens with disabilities to build friendship and acceptance.
• Differences: Gotta Have 'em! Dynamic 45-minute performances featuring skits, music, and personal stories centered around the message that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, offered to students in grades K-12.
• Prevention Presentations Educational presentations about preventable causes of disabilities covering fetal alcohol syndrome, lead poisoning, childhood accidents, strategies to enhance early childhood brain development, and Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Quantifiable outcome

• We reach thousands of people per year with this positive and powerful message

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CulversminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCulvers Fundraisers partnership where Culvers restaurant locations support ARCh through fundraising events. Check the Flavor of the Day promotions tied to ARCh support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Emerging players

• Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center: Pacer provides national bullying prevention and disability awareness resources for schools, directly comparable to ARCh Youth Team's 'Differences: Gotta Have 'em!' presentations to K-12 audiences.

Direct peers

• Best Buddies International: Best Buddies operates one-to-one friendship, leadership, and inclusive opportunities for people with IDD, comparable to ARCh's Teen Time integrated social model.
• Easterseals Wisconsin: Easterseals Wisconsin provides disability services, recreation, and advocacy across the state, directly overlapping ARCh's mission of empowering children and adults with disabilities in Wisconsin communities.
• GiGi's Playhouse Milwaukee: GiGi's Playhouse is a network of Down syndrome achievement centers with a Milwaukee location offering free educational, therapeutic, and social programs comparable to ARCh's Strong Girls Club and Teen Time.
• Special Olympics Wisconsin: Special Olympics Wisconsin provides year-round sports training and recreation for people with intellectual disabilities, overlapping ARCh's GAINS Summer recreation mission in the same regional geography.
• The Arc of Wisconsin: The Arc is a national disability advocacy and services network with a Wisconsin chapter serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, comparable to ARCh's advocacy and community programs.
• United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Wisconsin: UCP of Wisconsin delivers advocacy and services for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, sharing ARCh's disability advocacy and family support mandate in a similar regional footprint.

Regional players

• YMCA of Greater Waukesha County: The local YMCA provides youth programming, summer recreation, and inclusive activities in the same Wisconsin geography, making it a regional adjacency to ARCh's summer and teen offerings.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Waukesha County: Boys & Girls Clubs serves youth in the same Waukesha geography with after-school and teen programming, partially overlapping with ARCh's Teen Time and Youth Team activities.

Others

• National Center on Disability and Journalism: An adjacent advocacy organization advancing disability awareness in media and community education, thematically connected to ARCh's awareness and prevention presentations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=LkbfLKyZEN8
• Facebookfacebook.com/ARChchangeslives
• Instagraminstagram.com/arch_waukesha?igsh=cTQwYjR1ZDRza2lz&utm_source=qr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-for-the-rights-of-citizens-with-handicaps-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps