Our history

The Resource Center was founded in 1958 by concerned parents of persons with developmental disabilities, to provide services for their children.

Although founded for persons with developmental disabilities, and still of much service to them, The Resource Center has been called upon to grow over the years to encompass a number of services for persons and families with any and all disabilities, as well as adults and children with other disadvantages, such as inadequate access to medical and dental care. This diversification was driven by close attention to community needs. In Chautauqua County, there are not as many specialized agencies as in larger, urban areas. Therefore, The Resource Center has been asked to serve a variety of needs. In contrast to most not-for-profits, The Resource Center serves, and will continue to serve, a cross-section of society, rather than a narrow "core population".

The Resource Center offers an array of services, including full-time day services delivered at facilities of The Resource Center, clinical services, and services delivered in the home or school. Some services help persons achieve and maintain employment, both at The Resource Center workshop or competitively in the community. Other services include 24-hour care and encompass coordinated care, customized person by person, individual by individual.

The Resource Center is a large, well-run agency. Though leanly staffed, it has much management expertise. Its annual operating budget approaches $80,000,000; and yet, gaps in services still exist, due to the finite nature of government funding.

The Resource Center's management staff consists of professionals with vast experience and education. The average top manager has 16 years experience with The Resource Center, and over 95% of top managers have over 10 years experience with the agency. Many have education at the Masters and Doctoral levels, and many are active in regional, state and national associations.

The Resource Center's Board of Directors is composed of 15 community volunteers, with many more serving on one of 12 different Board Advisory Committees. Over half of the Board members are family members of a person with a disability. The Board and its committees have representation from a wide variety of occupations and life situations.

In addition to being well managed, The Resource Center also has a reputation for truly caring about the people it serves. This culture of caring, combined with a strong sense of positive values in the organization, has led to a reputation of going above and beyond meeting the basic needs of participants in our various programs. The Resource Center looks as itself as a provider of services to a wide range of children and adults in our community who seek support in achieving inclusion, independence and productivity.