Our Mission & Impact

L’ARCHE CHANGES LIVES

The Work We’re Doing

The impact of L’Arche goes far beyond our numbers. Each day, people with and without intellectual disabilities develop extraordinary friendships through ordinary activities: preparing meals, brushing teeth, shopping for groceries, and praying together. These friendships become catalysts for change. Read more about the many ways L’Arche impacts the lives of our members and the broader community.

4

Homes in Cleveland

13

Core Members

25

Assistants

5,475

Meals Shared Each Year in Community

49

Years Since L'Arche was Founded in Cleveland

5,000+

People Annually Reached through Social Media

Our Mission

  • To make known the gifts of people with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, revealed through mutually transforming relationships;
  • To foster an environment in community that responds to the changing needs of our Core Members, while being faithful to the needs of our founding story
  • To engage in our diverse cultures, working together toward a more human society

Identity Statement

We are people with and without disabilities sharing life in communities, belonging to an international federation. Mutual relationships and trust in God are at the heart of our life together. We celebrate the unique value of each person and recognize our need for one another.

Core Members:

People with intellectual or developmental disabilities that live in a L’Arche home or participate in a day program.

Assistants:

People without intellectual or developmental disabilities who live with and support Core Members.

Our impact

On People with Intellectual Disabilities

Mutually transformative relationships form the heart of L’Arche. All of us, whether or not we live with an intellectual disability, desire a sense of belonging. In L’Arche, people of all walks of life build relationships rooted in trust and vulnerability. By sharing daily life together, community members can learn true friendship and teach one another to love unconditionally.

Our impact

On Lives

L’Arche makes it possible for our perceptions regarding disability and vulnerability to be transformed. Since our founding, L’Arche has illuminated the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities and affirmed their inherent dignity and worth. L’Arche believes everyone has something valuable to contribute, even the most vulnerable. Our weaknesses and vulnerabilities are not to be hidden from others, but welcomed and shared.