MARVA Pens - Personalized Pens, Calendars and More

MARVA Workshop is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide meaningful work and services to adults with developmental disabilities in an environment where they can experience success and feel positive about their lives and their contribution to the community in which they live.

Located in beautiful Russellville, Arkansas, MARVA (Mid-Arkansas River Valley Abilities) Workshop, Inc. was incorporated in November of 1968. MARVA is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation registered in the state of Arkansas.** It is governed by a volunteer board of directors composed of individuals selected to represent a cross section of the community.

The establishment of a sheltered workshop was the collaborative effort of a group of concerned citizens. This group wanted local services for the individuals with disabilities and their families. Up until this time, training and services for this population were only available at institutions like Conway Human Development Center (The Children's Colony).

Families had to make a heart wrenching decision. Their choice was to keep their family member with special needs at home and hope that the individual would develop to their fullest potential, or to send them to the institution where they would receive specialized training and supports but would only be able to come home on the holidays - a very difficult decision for most.

The creation of a local sheltered workshop was a major breakthrough. Family members with developmental disabilities could now stay at home and receive services - allowing the individual to grow and develop to their greatest potential in their own community with daily support from family and friends.

One of the first ways to provide meaningful work and training opportunities for adults was through the creation of a thrift store. Generous donations of sell-able items from the community were sorted, tagged, priced and stocked in a small resale store that was open to the community. Our client workers continue to be an important part of the process today.

Since the 1980's, we have also printed personalized ink pens for individuals and companies from all over the world. We have recently added other personalized products, such as wall calendars, notecards, notepads, notebooks, name tags, desk name plates and Bibles with names imprinted in the front cover.