The Douglas Association for Retarded Citizens (DARC) will be turning 50 this April, and their gift from the state is a $300,000 cut, or about 10 percent, in their funding.

Gary Clark of DARC shows off the headgear he used during the protest on Thursday.

“We hope that the stimulus package will provide some relief,” said Gary Clark of DARC.

“Our biggest concern is the Meals on Wheels program right now. There is $2.6 million in the package for senior meals programs. We provide 300 meals a day, either here (at the Senior Center) or delivered to one’s home in Douglas, Bisbee, Elfrida or Double Adobe.”

DARC is planning on using it’s saving for the program, but that will only last until June. If the funding cuts continue in the next fiscal year, Clark wasn’t sure how long the Meals on Wheels program would last.

In addition, all home and community based services are being impacted by the cuts.

One of the primary traits DARC tries to instill in its clients is self-reliance, but it is unclear how long some of the programs could continue.

“If it wasn’t for the cake auction, carne asada and the bike race, I don’t know what we would do,” Clark said.

Those fundraising activities bring in about $50,000 annually.

“We are really worried about the total impact, because we heard there could be an additional 5 to 15 percent cut.

We are having to cut back hours on our client/employees for the janitorial service. We will have to also cut back on salaries and vacations.

The DARC is also working on a Bisbee/Douglas golf tournament, but it will not be enough to make up for the $300,000 cut from the program.

On Thursday, hundreds of individuals who get services for the developmentally disabled descended on the Capitol to protest $100 million in cuts to the Department of Economic Security. That includes nearly $10 million in cuts for programs specifically aimed at these people or their children.

 “ We are hoping the governor will hear our concerns and any additional funding cuts will be minimized,” Clark said.

Clark and members of other programs marched on the Capitol Thursday to bring light to their financial plight.