Winter 2010 - BCARC Home Page

For the friends of BCARC
We’ve Got the Spirit!
BCARC Programs showcase their
creative talents and their generosity
toward their community.
See articles on Page 2 and Page 6
(Featured) Gene Foisy poses with Pittsfield’s Mayor James
Ruberto. Gene has been an active volunteer through the
RSVP volunteer program and has been volunteering his
time at Pittsfield City Hall since August 2009 doing clerical
duties several hours per week.
Look inside for:
“Supporting People, Enriching Lives”
Winter 2010
Issue
Community Spirit
From the Executive Director
55th Annual Meeting
HUD Updates/ In Recognition
Creative Happenings
BCARC Master Special Needs Pooled Trust
Adult Family Care Introductions
Healthy New Beginnings/State Certification
Spotlight Individuals/Employees of the Quarter
Dinner Dance/DSFG Holiday Party
Golden Age Committee/Betsy and Cathy’s Corner
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Visions
Community Spirit
Many of our individuals and staff wanted to help out others by giving back to their community, by donating to a worthy cause ,or by helping out in their community. Here are a few
examples of the projects they worked on.
Carol Neuhaus and Kathleen Ryan volunteered their time for the
“Housatonic The Beautiful Project” which focuses on preserving
and protecting Housatonic’s treasures and quality of life. They donated and maintained two planters at the entrance of the Old
Maid’s Swimming Hole.
(Left) Carol Neuhaus and Kathleen Ryan pose with their friend
Lasheika and the two planters that they worked on for the project.
During the holiday season, the Community Advocates got together and made plans to give back to the community. During
Thanksgiving, the advocates worked with Roseanne from the
Office for Veteran Services. They chose a specific Veteran whose
family, shortly before Thanksgiving, was mourning his loss. Our
individuals and advocates delivered a Thanksgiving basket to the (Above) Gerry Rossbach and
family during their difficult time.
Albert Vecellio deliver a meal to an
appreciative family.
Hector Roman has a soft spot for animals and recently began a pet food
collection drive he calls, “Hector’s Cause for Paws”. The pet food he collects is donated to the Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter pet food pantry.
Self-Advocacy
(Above) Hector poses
with a furry friend at the
Eleanor Sonsini Animal
The Berkshire Self-Advocates and the Southern Berkshire Self-Advocates
decided that doing a good deed is what they wanted to do this holiday
season. They picked a name off of the Giving Tree. They purchased
clothes for a 10 year old boy from Berkshire Community Action Council’s
(BCAC) Giving Tree. The items were purchased, wrapped and delivered
to a designated pick up spot so that he could have these items in time for
Christmas.
The Community Advocates also coordinated with the Christian
Center and Berkshire Children and Families during the Christmas
season. Twenty four residential programs helped out to purchase
presents for children and adults of all ages.
(Right) Sue Torchio and Chrissy Craighead, along with their
Community Advocates, Calie and Megan pose outside of Berkshire
Children and Families before they drop off their presents.
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Visions
From the Executive Director
Kenneth W. Singer
As we reflect on 2009, there were some truly wonderful things that happened at Berkshire County Arc,
as well as some great challenges. We received the best-possible results from both our national
accreditors, CARF, as well as the Department of Developmental Services Survey & Certification - two
years with distinction. We are proud of the outstanding quality and high standards that we continue to
maintain. This naturally is due to the great effort of the BCARC staff to ensure that the people we serve
have wonderful opportunities in their lives.
We are extremely fortunate to receive a federal grant of $500,000 from the UMass Medical School. This
grant will be used over the next two and a half years to develop an Employment Collaboration in Berkshire County. The goal of this group is to open up opportunities for individuals with disabilities to find
meaningful employment by bringing together businesses, schools, families and providers. We hope that
our new coalition, called “Partnerships in Employment”, will be a great asset to Berkshire County. This
project will be coordinated through the Advantage Employee Network, BCARC’s Supported Employment Program. The Advantage Employee Network (AEN) currently works with 50 different employers
throughout Berkshire County. AEN has developed successful school to work transition for over 35 individuals with 7 different school districts in Berkshire County. Over the past decade, AEN has assisted
over 200 individuals with disabilities become successful employees in Berkshire County.
We continue to expand our Residential Services and are presently in the midst of building three new
HUD homes, two in Lanesboro and one in Pittsfield. These beautiful, accessible homes will be ready to
be occupied in the very near future. Following the completion of two new, beautiful, accessible homes
in Westfield for people with traumatic brain injury last year, we also opened a wonderful home for four
gentlemen in West Springfield. We continue to find ways to reach our goal of developing accessible
housing for those that we serve.
On a more difficult note, our Day Habilitation Programs received a substantial cut during the past year.
As a result, we were forced to reduce the hours of operation by two and a half hours per week. In addition, there have been considerable cuts to our Family Support Program due to funding shortages. I am
pleased to share that, in response to these cuts, we have sought other ways to assist our families. Our
Family Support Department began Adult Family Care Services, which allows families to receive direct
financial support for taking care of their loved one in their home. This is a great opportunity to assist
many BCARC families.
We continue to move ahead in positive ways despite difficult economic times. We greatly appreciate the
wonderful support we have received from our families and supporters that have helped us to be so successful during the past year. We thank you all for your help and look forward to a great 2010. Happy
New Year!
Ken
Page 3
Visions
BCARC’s 55th Annual Meeting - Itam Lodge
Award Winners
Employer of the Year
BAE Systems of Pittsfield, MA
Citizen Advocate of the Year
Mark Brodeur
Work Achievement Award
Scott Stedman
Achievement Award
Betty Hanna
Achievement in Personal Growth
Amanda Buffi
Above Left - Linda Fairbanks Employee of the Year!
Above Right - Joe Woitkoski poses with Christopher Phelon.
Citizenship Award
Joe Ostrander and Matt Quallen
Joan Grant Self-Advocate Award
Antoinette Gulotta
Lifetime Self-Advocacy Award
Helen Taft
BCARC Mission Award
Deb Caiola
Outstanding Residential Employee
Michelle Drake
Above Left - Senator Ben Downing takes a few
moments to speak at the breakfast.
Above Right - Michelle Drake and her “Residential
Outstanding Vocational Services Employee Family” pose for a group picture.
Christopher Phelon
Outstanding Day Program Employee
M. Christine Maddalena, RN
Outstanding TBI Services Employee
David McCoy
Right: Ken Singer and
Joseph Woitkoski pose with
Matt Quallen and Joe
Ostrander, our Citizenship
Award winners.
Employee of the Year
Linda Fairbanks
Right: Mission Award
winner Deb Caiola and
Ken Singer are all
smiles.
Page 4
Right: Citizen Advocate
of the Year Mark
Brodeur with his long
time friend, Gerry.
Visions
HUD Updates
Even through the cold, blustery days...work continues on the new houses that are in the process of being
built. Here are some highlights on their progress.
(Left) The whole new look
at 4 Hollow Road, as new
replaces the old. Returning
residents are waiting for the
house to open in the spring.
(Right) 11 Kowchuck
Drive in Lanesboro nears
completion, scheduled for
February 2010.
(Left) BCARC’s new home
for six individuals with brain
injuries is located on Gamwell
Avenue in Pittsfield. The contractors finish the siding as the
snow falls.
(Right) Blackstone Block
Architects gives a special touch
to BCARC’s new homes, as
seen at Gamwell Avenue.
In Recognition
Special Olympics Massachusetts Yawkey Sports Training Center is a state-of-the-art office and training center located in
Marlboro, MA. The training rooms, gym and outdoor soccer
field will provide the very best coaches’ training facility in all
of Special Olympics.
Yawkey Sports Training Center
Marlboro, MA
On a recent visit to the training center, Eugene Dellea, President and CEO of Fairview & Hillcrest Hospital Campuses of
Berkshire Health Systems, was very impressed with this new
facility. He was so impressed that he decided to purchase a
brick to recognize Chrissy Craighead, a BCARC individual and
long time family friend who participates in Special Olympic
events on the BCARC Titans team. Chrissy’s brick will be on
display on the outdoor promenade of the Yawkey Sports
Training Center.
If you are interested in purchasing a brick to recognize your family, an athlete or a team, log on to the
SOMA website: www.specialolympicsma.org and click on the Yawkey Sports Training Center picture for
more information.
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Visions
Creative Happenings
“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your
comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll
discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ~ Alan Alda~
During the 2009 Fall Semester, Jared Studeny attended a Digital Photography class at Berkshire Community
College. When asked what he liked most about the class, Jared commented, “The class was interesting. I really
liked having the opportunity to look at other people’s photos and commenting on them...I also liked their feedback
when they looked at my photos.”
(Right) Jared at the BCC
campus.
(Left) Jared learned that we are surrounded every day with endless photographic opportunities. Here is one of
the beautiful pictures he took.
( Left) Kathleen Ryan has also
caught the photography bug and
is seen here using her camera at
The Festival of Trees at The
Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield.
Owner Linda Cahalan opened Tea
Time Ceramics 20 years ago. Linda
teaches Michelle painting techniques
while Michelle picks her own pieces,
colors and designs. The end result is
that Michelle has made many wonderful gifts and has kept some pieces
for herself .
(Above) Gene with his STRIDE Ski Instructors at Jiminy Peak. This was
Gene’s first season with STRIDE.
STRIDE offers adaptive skiing opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to enhance their self-esteem.
(Above) Owner Linda Cahalan
poses with Michelle Goodman at
Tea Time Ceramics.
(Above) Kade Flynn at his guitar lessons as seen
here with his instructor Martin Plankey. Kade has
been taking weekly lessons for five years at Falcetti
Music Studio in Pittsfield.
Page 6
(Above) Hector Roman enjoys the arts and has
been a regular at Bisque, Beads and Beyond for
several months.
Visions
BCARC Master Special Needs Pooled Trust
In November 2009, Maryann Hyatt attended The
ARC of the United States 2009 National Convention
as a panelist to discuss Best Practices of Managing
A Special Needs Pooled Trust. The Berkshire
County Arc Master Special Needs Pooled Trust has
been in inception since 2002. The trust has served
approximately 100 members helping them preserve
their public benefits without needing to spend down
their resources frivolously. Currently, there is no
other trust in the western part of Massachusetts.
Trust fees are low and members have the benefit and
expertise of a Non-Profit agency who has responded
to the needs and concerns of individuals with disabilities for over fifty years. Berkshire County Arc as
Trust Manager, together with Berkshire Bank as
Trustee and Investment Manager, provide exemplary
service and financial oversight.
For more information contact:
Maryann Hyatt: 413-499-4241, Ext. 227
Meet the Adult Family Care Staff
The Adult Family Care program is up and running
with 16 families enrolled, and additional families
applying to participate. Jessica Dennis is the Case
Manager for AFC, and in October we welcomed
Deb Frazer to the team as the AFC Registered
Nurse. If you are interested in finding out more
information about the Adult Family Care program,
please feel free to contact Jessica at 413-499-4241
ext. 276.
(Left) Jessica Dennis AFC Case Manager
(Right) Deb Frazer, AFC Registered Nurse
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Visions
Healthy New Beginnings
2010.. A brand new year and along with a new year come….Resolutions! We thought it would be fun to
spotlight what some of our guys have been doing all along...eating healthy and exercising! Community
Advocate Amy Robandt holds a cooking group at least once a month with 2-4 individuals participating at a
time. She chooses healthy recipes that are easy to learn. She also teaches basic food safety skills and she
encourages the individuals to do the majority of the food preparation. Pair this with the weekly Healthy
Choices classes held every Tuesday at SDC, which alternates between walking/exercising and yoga, and
you’ve got the makings of a healthy attitude! Keep up the good work everyone!
(Left) Robert is
demonstrating his
chopping skills.
(Right) Bruce, Amy
and Robert are busy
with food prep in
Bruce’s apartment.
(Right)
Ed enjoys
the meal
prepared by
his friends.
Amanda (Left) and
Christy (Right)
having a great time
working with Yoga
instructor Paula
Beaudin.
(Above) Ron, Marie and Chrissy
demonstrate the state of relaxation.
Berkshire County Arc Receives Highest Level
of State Certification
Berkshire County Arc proudly announces achievement of a “two year certification with distinction” from the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services. This represents the highest level
of certification possible. This certification was granted following a rigorous survey in December. The
primary focus of the process is to assess the quality of services based on achievement outcomes in areas
such as health and safety and organizational performance. A “two year certification with distinction” is only granted when an agency receives an achieved rating in each of the outcome areas
evaluated.
“I am extremely proud of our dedicated staff, the individuals we support and our Board
of Directors to have achieved these quality outcomes.”
Ken Singer, Executive Director
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Visions
Spotlight Individuals
Michael has truly grown into an excellent employee. After having a couple of
jobs since graduating high school a few years ago, Michael began working as a
custodian at the Marian Fathers in Stockbridge in September of 2009.
He quickly learned all of his responsibilities, likes his job, and works hard to
complete all his duties. The other maintenance workers like Michael so much
that they have Michael work with them on projects every week once he completes his daily duties. The employer and Brothers also like Michael a lot. It’s a
great career match. Congratulations Michael on your hard work!
Michael Marks
Irene Morrison has had a great year. She is currently working at the Kripalu Center
for Health and Wellness in Lenox as a Kitchen Steward. She usually works four
days per week performing kitchen and dining room duties, as well as general cleaning. She enjoys her job, her supervisor, Kelly Johnson and all of her co-workers.
Irene Morrison
Irene has also been very busy this year. She moved into a new apartment which she
loves very much. She has also been active as an athlete in Special Olympics as well
as trying to raise money for our BCARC Titans team by participating in the Jolly
Jaunt and various fundraisers. She joined our Berkshire Self-Advocacy group this
year and was elected as the Vice-President. Irene attends the Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong meetings held on the first Tuesday of every month with another peer from her Advocacy group. Irene also attended the Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong conference on November 21st in Worcester. She has proven
to be a strong leader and has definitely done a great job!
Employees of the Quarter
Missi Francoeur
Public Benefits Advocate
Left
Right
Richard Arnold
Residential Support Staff
Superior/Parkside
Page 9
Visions
Winter Dinner Dance
Tis the season to be jolly...
Down Syndrome Family Group Holiday Party
Fa La La La La La La La La
Page 10
Visions
Golden Years Committee
In an effort to address the changing needs of our individuals
as they age, the Golden Years Committee was established.
Because of better health and life management, our individuals are living well past the age of 60 years. It was evident
that statewide systems were under prepared for this. The
goals established by the committee were as follows:
Cathy and
Betsy’s Corner
Welcome Aboard!
We would like to welcome
Wayne Stafford to the
Center For Development.
Working closely with management at BMC to improve
Wayne is 56 years old.
hospital care by establishing overall guidelines and exHe lives at home with his
pectations from both BCARC and hospital staff, as well
caregiver, Tracy. He has
as from the individuals.
an older brother named
Working with area funeral homes to establish respectful,
Kenny who lives in
dignified, and affordable arrangements for the final
Northampton.
needs of our individuals.
Developing a training program dealing with Alzheimer’s,
dementia, falls prevention and end of life care. This includes networking with other agencies such as Hospice
and Berkshire Medical Center.
Establishing a training protocol for hands-on and emotional issues for caregivers including a team that provides expertise for training purposes in these areas.
Developing a Skills Assessment Tool to track skill loss,
and a Habits Preferences Sheet for each individual.
These forms accompany each individual to the hospital,
where staff there can use them as reference guides.
These have been very well received and they have
improved individual care.
Wayne loves music, especially oldies and patriotic
songs. He also likes to sit
outside, go for walks, and
watch birds. Wayne
started at the Center for
Development in the beginning of December. He
enjoys coming to the Center for Development very
much. We all hope Wayne
stays with us...we love his
singing.
The Golden Years Committee Members
Donna Ellis, Denise Smith, Ray DiNicola,
Erin Jost, Sharon Watford, Betty Thayer and
Mary Myrick
Thank you for a wonderful job!
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Non-Profit Org.
US Postage Paid
Pittsfield, MA
Permit No. 121
P.O. Box 2
Pittsfield, MA 01202
On the web!
www.bcarc.org
Save the Dates!
Berkshire Disability Pride Day
Berkshire Mall, Lanesboro
March 6, 2010
Legislative Breakfast
March 19,2010
Itam Lodge, Pittsfield