By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Arc of the Central Plains has purchased the Home Event Center and plans to remodel it into an activity center.
The Arc program, which is based in Hays, has grown significantly in the last three years, Sarah Meitner, board president, said.
The Arc offers Special Olympics for individuals with intellectual disabilities, as well as social activities and a Healthy Buffaloes program.
Activities have been offered in a multi-purpose room adjacent to the Arc Thrift Store. However, the programs have outgrown that space, which is also being used for the annual Festival of Trees of Arc fundraiser.
Meitner said the program has more participants coming from the smaller communities around Hays.
Tiffany Schulte, Arc's director of activities and programs, said 20 to 125 people have participated in recent activities.
Meitner said caretakers often attend events with the Arc participants, which means even more space was needed to accommodate the large groups.
"It checked a lot of boxes for what we needed in terms of size, space, storage, physical location, and it moved very quickly after that," Meitner said of the Home building.
The building, 229 W. 10th St., will also provide storage for the Arc's Harvest Hays project, a gardening project in partnership with Bethesda Place.
The Arc board has approved about $150,000 to renovate the 9,000-square-foot building, which was a bar. The building will need additional lighting, and metal columns inside the building need to be wrapped to prevent injury. Entrance and exit ramps will also be added.
A railing will be added to the dance floor, the restrooms will be renovated to make them more accessible and two offices will be added for the activity staff.
Meitner said the Arc is financing the building with profits from the thrift store.
Arc officials hope to have the renovations completed by the first of the year, but that will depend on the availability of their contractor. They also hope to eventually offer drop-in hours at the center, which will have two pool tables.
Schulte is offering two to three programs per week in addition to sports practices on Wednesday nights. This can include arts and crafts, bingo, movie nights, game nights, dances and even a recent murder mystery night.
Healthy Buffaloes includes fitness classes and instructional classes on topics such as healthy eating, cooking classes, mental health and healthy relationships. The classes have been hosting up to 20 people, Schulte said.
She said all of the Arc's activities benefit community members with intellectual disabilities.
"It gets them out," she said. "It keeps them active. It keeps them socializing. I think it is really important for them to socialize, maintain friendships and even make new friendships."
Schulte said she hopes participation grows in the new building.
"We are just so excited to have so many more opportunities," she said. "I feel like I can do more with having our own facility to use."
If you want to volunteer with the Arc activities, contact Schulte at the Arc at 785-628-8831 or by email at [email protected]. You can also find the forms needed on the Arc website under the activities sections on Buffalo Adventures or Special Olympics pages.