Dottie Bass Tollberg

The first person to be honored as one of our 50th anniversary heroes is Dottie Bass Tollberg. Dottie founded the agency in 1963 when she put an ad in the local Potomac News seeking other families who had children with disabilities who were turned away from the public school system.  Seven other families responded and they quickly decided to become part of the Arc movement in the fall of 1963.  

After several fund raising activities to raise money to hire a teacher and an “attendant,” the families began a small, private school at the Holly Acres Trailer Park in Woodbridge on February 17, 1964.   Just one day after opening the school, the group became officially incorporated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as the Prince William County Association for Retarded Children, a not for-profit agency on February 18, 1964.

Dottie gave thousands of hours on behalf of children with disabilities in our community to make certain every child would have an education regardless of their ability level.  She also was instrumental in starting the first sheltered workshop in our community in the early 1970’s, Challenge.  Until she moved to the Fredericksburg area in 1977, she continued her active advocacy work.  

We salute Dottie for starting our mission!