About The Arc Sunrise of Central Florida
(formally SunriseArc)…..

The Arc Sunrise was founded in 1964 in Leesburg, FL as Sunrise Workshop by families with members who had Intellectual or other Developmental Disabilities.  Its facilities were located on Highway 441 directly across from the campus of Lake Sumter Community College where numerous commercial businesses now stand.

In 1979 The Arc of Lake County was founded and co-located a pre-school program on the grounds of SunriseWorkshop.  In 1986 the two organizations merged under the umbrella of The Arc.  In 1988, The Arc opened its first group home, Pilot House on South Grove Street in Eustis.  In 1992, The Arc replaced its group home in Eustis with a new 12 bed facility called Hestia House located in Leesburg.

In 1993, The Arc changed its name to SunriseArc of Lake County and later shortened its name to  SunriseArc.

By 1995 The Arc Sunrise’s long-awaited new headquarters was opened on Radio Road in Leesburg just north of Lake Square Mall.  It soon opened a second group home in Mount Dora and in 1997 built and opened a state of the art pre-school program.  In 1998 The Arc Sunrise’s opened the first home in the region dedicated to persons with severe or intensive behavioral challenges.  By the year 2001 The Arc Sunrise’s opened two additional group homes in Eustis and in 2003 closed its pre-school program.

Between 1993 and 2003 The Arc Sunrise’s more than doubled its service capacity operating two day programs and six group homes in addition to support services such as community employment and mobile work crews.

The Arc Sunrise of Central Florida (formally SunriseArc) is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, is a participating agency of the United Way of Lake & Sumter Counties and is an affiliated chapter of The Arc of Florida and The Arc of the United States.