The Noon Exchange Club of Midland donated $2,000 to The Arc of Midland this week, to be used for assisting veterans with various disabilities.

The Arc of Midland is a Midland-based non-profit that promotes the general welfare of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which includes veterans.

Executive Director Jan Lampman said it can be particularly difficult for veterans to receive extra assistance without having to leave their communities to live in group veteran homes.

"There are veterans homes, but for us, the closest one would be in Grand Rapids and why would you leave the community where you lived your whole life, and have to live three hours away, when you could just get a little bit of support from your neighbors -- you could stay right in your own home," Lampman said.

She explained that even if veterans with disabilities are utilizing resources available to them through the government, it still might not be enough. They could be stretching every dollar they have to pay for the care they need, and besides moving to a facility, there might be no other resources available to them if they need a little more.

In addition, she explained that benefits for veterans can look very different based on when they served, making the system difficult to navigate.

"It's really hard to navigate that, even if you don't have any kind of disability, and it is especially difficult if you have an intellectual or developmental disability. And so that's part of it ... it's just a complex system," she said.

So, the Noon Exchange Club offered its support.

"When the Noon Exchange heard all that, we definitely wanted to step up because it was something that we were all passionate about," said Shawn Weiss, Noon Exchange member. "And being able to partner with a fantastic organization like The Arc and Jan, it was kind of a no-brainer for the Noon Exchange to make this contribution and we're happy to help."