Our story begins in 1951, when a chance encounter in a maternity ward sparked a movement that would change countless lives. Diane Stice of the Ocean Beach Junior Woman’s Club met Dolly Clark, whose young daughter Jenny had Down syndrome, and this unexpected meeting ignited a determination to create something better for children with developmental disabilities. By summer, the club formed the Committee for Exceptional Children, and on October 23, 1951, they gathered 120 families and community members at the Electric Building in Downtown San Diego to imagine a new future. Just days later, on October 31, the “San Diego Society for Exceptional Children” was officially founded—planting the seed for what would become The Arc of San Diego. These early pioneers, starting with no money, no guidelines, and no roadmap, became advocates, fundraisers, teachers, lobbyists, and trailblazers, united by a shared belief that every child deserved opportunity, dignity, and a place in the community.