Brandy Loomis

To feel loved Having a family they can rely on Enjoying a family relationship Enjoying community with others Achieving independence Having their own place Seeing the world Having a job Contributing to their community To be accepted by everyone. And much more!! In 1960 nine families happened to hear about each other and the fact that they had something very precious in common - small children with learning disabilities. They all agreed to get together and start meeting with one goal in mind - to determine how they could best help their children develop more like normal children. In the 50’s & 60’s, most families simply placed their children into institutions because they weren’t trained how to care for their children who were born with intellectual disabilities. But these families were more determined than that. They started meeting monthly as a support group and to research curriculum. In 1963 they officially became the Barton County Association for Retarded Children. Eventually they were able to secure a portion of the Jefferson Grade School in Great Bend Kansas which turned into the Jefferson School Special Ed class room. They quickly grew to 68 members and they decided to grow their service model to include school age children, young adults and older adults. ​In 1969 the Dominican Sisters wanted to help and they proposed to ARC that a stand alone program be developed for adults. ARC quickly endorsed the Sisters proposal and the program HOPE was born. HOPE started serving 12 adults on the 3rd floor of the old St. Rose Hospital on Broadway in Great Bend, Kansas. They saw the difference that formal training and support could make in the lives of people with development disabilities. ​In 1976 this organization became Sunflower Diversified Services. And now each year, this organization serves over 125 adults, 36 to 42 Pre-school age children and 120 to 140 infants from birth to 3 years old.