Tonya Green and Tom Ealy work at the Arc productions building at 100 N. Washington St. The organization was honored for its work on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Arc of Butler County's efforts on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has earned it a Community Champion award.

The Arc began as a grass-roots initiative by concerned families and community leaders creating services and support for those with those disabilities.

Today, the Arc has a long history of advocacy for adults and pushing for right to an education on behalf of preschool and public school-aged children, said Stan Kosciuszko, president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, which started the Community Champion Award in 2003.

The Arc of Butler County was founded in 1957, said its Executive Director John Link, and one of its first acts was the creation of a sheltered workshop.

This is an excerpt from a story that appeared in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.