“The Arc of Katy is proud to recognize Therese Lattal and the Butlers for the amazing contributions they have made to the quality and growth of our organization."”

Fred Shafer, president of The Arc of Katy

The Arc of Katy announced the honorees for its annual Founder’s Award and Volunteers of the Year award recipients in a Jan. 30 press release. Therese Lattal is set to receive the Founders award while Don Butler and Sheryll Butler will be recognized as volunteers of the year at the nonprofit’s April 3 charity gala.

“The Arc of Katy is proud to recognize Therese Lattal and the Butlers for the amazing contributions they have made to the quality and growth of our organization,” said Fred Shafer, president of The Arc of Katy.

The Arc of Katy provides opportunities for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be included in the community throughout their lifetimes, the press release said. The Arc of Katy depends on volunteers like many nonprofits.

Lattal began volunteering at the Arc of Katy’s day program for adults and teens in 2013 after hearing requests from parents to help keep their children moving into adulthood. During her tenure, she developed the Be Strong Program which includes opportunities for exercise including aquatics classes and access to treadmills, stationary bikes, weights and other strengthening equipment.

“Our goal is to improve our participants’ stamina, flexibility, balance and self-esteem,” Lattal said regarding the program.

Lattal said she has enjoyed building the program over the years and watching The Arc of Katy’s community members improve their self-confidence and general physical well-being.

The Butlers began volunteering for The Arc of Katy after discovering the nonprofit while trying to find an adult daycare program for their son, Keith, 15 years ago.

“The Arc of Katy was a great fit for us, and we had no idea how much it would change our lives,” Sheryll Butler said. “We are grateful for the experiences Keith has had at The Arc of Katy which gives participants the opportunity to socialize, learn, make new friends and be a part of their community.”

The Butlers regularly volunteer for events held at The Arc, including the Color Run for a Cause, according to the release. They also make themselves available for a variety of assistance, including manual labor around The Arc’s facility.

All three honorees will receive their awards at The Arc of Katy Gala in April.

“As the need for our services continues to grow, we can meet those needs with first class programming thanks to the efforts of supporters like these," Shafer said.