The Arc of Amador and Calaveras

The Arc of Amador and Calaveras provides adult day services, vocational training, and community recreation for more than 200 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout rural Gold Country. Established in 1971, the CARF-accredited nonprofit operates full-service campuses in Sutter Creek and San Andreas. Working in close collaboration with the Valley Mountain Regional Center and the California Department of Rehabilitation, the organization offers person-centered programming that emphasizes skill progression, personal autonomy, and civic inclusion.

Campus day programs serve approximately 175 individuals through hands-on educational modules in functional academics, sensory development, money management, culinary preparation, and technology literacy. Participants take part in creative workshops ranging from ceramics and woodworking to musical performance and theatrical productions, showcased at community talent events. Work crews operated through the campus program give participants initial paid vocational experience at minimum wage, completing commercial janitorial and landscape contracts that build workplace discipline.

Supported employment services, established in 1987 as one of the earliest models in California, focus on individual job placement within local businesses. Employment specialists conduct comprehensive skills matching, coordinate employer consultations, and provide on-site job coaching until participants achieve workplace independence. The organization also coordinates an extensive recreation schedule offering dances, bowling outings, swimming, and regional field trips, supported by a specialized vehicle fleet that ensures accessible transportation across rural mountainous communities.