Visions newsletter, Vol. II, 2020

Volume I I , 2020

VISIONS

Supporting people. Enriching lives.

Joseph Woitkoski Steps Down as Board Chair, Retires After 35 Years of Service Joseph Woitkoski, Board Chair of the Berkshire County Arc, has stepped down from his position after 36 years of service. As Board member and chair since 1984, he has helped lead Agency growth from a few employees and a small budget into an organization with 800 employees, 43 group homes, numerous other offerings to the disability community, and a $36 million budget.

?The number of changes and accomplishments BCArc has experienced is mind-boggling,? said Woitkoski. ?I am so proud to have been part of this caring and successful group for all these years.?

He credited BCArc staff, along with its leadership, for the success of the organization. ?I never intended to stay involved this long, but after you see the love and respect the (continued on p. 5)

Employees of the Quarter: Representing All Our Heroes

Kathleen Ryan DevelopmentalSpecialist

Jason Mach Individualized Supports

Pavel Slivka Residential Support

Maryellen Lassalle SiteManager

Robin Brown Residential Supervisor

SuzanneDavis Residential Support

These six employees were nominated by their peers, and then chosen by a team of reviewers. They deserve to be recognized for the work they did--all of them going far beyond what is expected of them. They also represent dozens and dozens of other BCArc employees who risk their own safety during this pandemic to ensure that the individuals BCArc serve are safe and cared for.

Individually--and collectively--their work and care make the world a better place for the people BCArc serves, and a better place for all of us.

Letter from the President & CEO The individuals we serve are resilient. Their families are resilient. The BCArc staff that serve the individuals are resilient. This is a tough bunch who have seen it all, and are still going. They have not attended a daytime program in three months, nor received visitors until recently. Our efforts to keep people safe succeeded. Now we are slowly and cautiously loosening some rules. Our mission emphasizes making people happy, family visits are part of that. And while we move toward opening our homes and returning to normalcy,

we remain committed to keeping the individuals and employees safe. Together we've come this far. I have confidence we can move forward with equal success.

While BCArc's mission is about the disabilities community, we live and operate in the larger world. Racism impacts all of us, personally and professionally. It always has. With a diverse staff like ours, we cannot ignore the issues. We plan to create forums for discussion, provide support where needed, and do everything we can to maintain a positive and safe culture for African Americans--and for everyone--at BCArc.

BCAr c Gr ateful for Donations Dur ing Cr isis The virus spread quickly in Massachusetts, and BCArc individuals and staff needed protection. The Berkshire community stepped up for us. Aprons, masks, soaps, gloves, and cleaning detergents were donated by a range of community members.

We are grateful for gifts from the following: Roberta Kaufer, BCArc RN Doryne Pederzani-Dinneen Kate Lauzon--Berkshire Seamsters Allen Harris, Berkshire Money Management Jeanene and Joe Testa Joann Ferry Sandra Flannery Phil Guy, Saint-Gobain Jerri Buehler Kyle Harvey Harriet Hunt Roberta Kaufer Joan Sigoski Linda Toote

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A Few of BCArc'sCountlessCOVIDHeroes Who Workwith the Positivesand Negatives

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StuckInside,IndividualsStay Productiveand Crafty Individuals stayed engaged with countless activities. They painted birdhouses, tie-dyed shirts, held spa days, cooked, and made art.

Across BCArc's 43 homes, Adult Family Care homes and more, individuals continued to work toward their goals through arts, crafts, music, exercise, cooking, and computers. Despite the change in routine and social isolation, many individuals made impressive strides, and managed to enjoy their new normal.

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W oitkoski Retires After 34 Years of Service (Continuedf romp. 1)

staff have for the people they serve, it?s impossible to leave. And while it has been hard for me to resign, it?s time for me to step down, allow for new leadership, and enjoy my retirement.?

He recalled joining the board in 1984, when, he said, ?The fiscal situation was grave, no one knew we existed, and we knew new leadership would be crucial.? He served on a search committee to appoint a new executive director. ?After a long and arduous search, we appointed Ken Singer, and he?s brought the agency to its current state, a reputable and fiscally sound state even in these incredible times. I?ve enjoyed every minute of my time on the Board. It?s a wonderful organization.? ?Joe brought immeasurable value to the Agency, BCArc would not have reached this point without his leadership,? said Kenneth Singer, President and CEO.

?We are all thankful for his dedication.?

Outside of BCArc, Woitkoski worked in the financial services field for 49 years, employed by investment firms and banks in the region. He is a graduate of Assumption College, Worcester, and holds a graduate degree from Northwestern University in Chicago. He is a lifelong resident of Berkshire County, has been married for 49 years, and has three grown children.

The new board chair will be announced soon.

Bir thday Gir ls Celebr ate with Car Par ade, Balloons, Fr iends Michelle, wearing a yellow party hat, celebrated her 60th birthday with a drive-by parade that featured a fire truck, an ambulance, a police car, and a convoy of BCArc friends from other houses.

The following day Kimberly (pictured far right) enjoyed similar treatment treatment for her 57th birthday.

While the two honorees never experienced a birthday celebration like this, both were grateful to their friends and BCArc staff for honoring them this way.

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Friends Remembered Volume 3, 2019 Summer Volume 3 2017

Dennis Spencer 12-3-49 4-20-20

John Abriel 4-29-47 4-16-20

Financial Support Helps BCArc through Crisis

Michael Doling 12-17-53 4-18-20

BCArc thanks the following institutions for providing significant financial support during the pandemic.

- Berkshire Bank - Health New England - Compuworks - Mutual of America - The Notch insurance - Greylock Federal Credit Union - Berkshire Taconic Comm.

Foundation/United Way - Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare

Family Support Offers Dance Parties, Trivia, More on Zoom Along with supporting families and individuals at their homes through phone calls and other remote approaches, the Family Support Center provided a variety of online activities. These included groups for knitting, reading, mindfulness, and a trivia competition every Tuesday afternoon. A Zoom 80s Dance Party attracted more than 60 individuals from the BCArc community.

"Definitely more to come," said Sonja Stewart, Director of Family Support & Advocacy. She noted new weekly programs like wheelchair workouts, Know Your Vote, and Zoom through America.

L ens on Nur ses BCArc's team of RNs include: Top from left: Shaunna Brogan, Kathy Dowd, Sharon Ireland, Roberta Kaufer. Middle row, from left: Mackenzie Melski, Caroline Eldred, Kate Hood, Leslie Potter. Bottom from left: Amy Brassard, Rebecca Carmel (no longer works for BCArc), Nicole Bak, Melissa Hunter. Below, from left, are Maureen Weeks, and Ann Vogel.

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Volume 1 2019 Summer Volume 3 2017

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Page 7 BCArc AFC Graduates Earn Degrees, High GPA, and Awards, Congratulations to All the Graduates

MichaelKoperek,Lee High School'20, receivedthe ChristyMarieRich & Eric MonkMemorialScholarship

Austin Taylor, Holyoke Community Cameryn Catelotti, Wahconah College, Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, focus on Mass Regional High School '20 Communications. GPA. -- 3.3

Kelsey Lavalley, Pittsfield High School '20

Hayden Robb, Wahconah Regional High School '20

Jon at h an Seddon , n ot pict u r ed, pr ou d gr adu at e of Pit t sf ield High Sch ool.

Jonathan Haddad.

Wahconah Regional High School '20 Michael John LePrevost, Lee High School '20

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Volume 3, 2019 Summer Volume 3 2017 Page 8 with guest Nhi Ricchi Betsy's Corner

by Betsy Carlotto,

On March 10th the Laurel Street Ladies made the very hard decision to start staying home from the day program we love and have not been back since. We could have never imagined that three months later we would still be stuck in our From left, Tina, author Betsy, Connie, and Cathy. home. The case managers at Center for Development work toward our goals! The Laurel Street staff work hard to run a morning meeting, followed by keep us engaged with art projects, special a brain game activity, and then an afternoon dinners, and other creative activities. Pat's Art elective activity through the Zoom app. It has class is a bonus every Monday. It has been hard been nice to do things online with our friends, not seeing our families, but we Facetime during but it?s not the same as being at our program with this weird time. Cathy, Tina, Connie and I have our friends! been together through this whole thing and I find At first the weather made it hard to get some comfort in that. Hopefully all of this will be outside. Now it is nicer and we can enjoy the over soon. CFD will be very different, but we are sunshine. Thanks to the help of CFD staff, we still excited to return!

Hiring and Training Continues, But Looks Very Different BCArc's training and orientation continues as new hires are brought in every week, and experienced employees need to keep skills current for CPR, First Aid, choking emergencies, giving medication, and more.

"We used to test 10 at a time for certain skills," says Shaun Hall, Director of Staff Development and Training. "Now we test one at a time, and a nurse from the state observes through a computer camera. The good news is that people are learning and passing Volume at impressive rates."

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Jennifer McNulty and Shaun Hall show equipment for teaching abdominal thrusts, compression and back blows. Left, a paireddown orientation from 20 to 4 people.

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Volume 3,Volume 2019 3 2017 Summer

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The Need to Give Spread through BCArc Homes Faster than the Virus

BCArc?s Administrators and Supervisors assembled and delivered gift baskets to all 43 BCArc homes. Each basket was packed with food, snacks, seeds, activities, "conversation jars," and symbols of appreciation. ?It?s the least we can do for our staff who are caring for every individual every day and night,? said Amber Steele, Director of Brain Injury Services, who coordinated the gifts.

Jenn Rush, BCArc's Vice President of Residential and Clinical Services, baked and brought cookies to every BCArc home. "A small gesture to show appreciation for the great work they are all doing," she said.

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Day Hab Programs Prepare for the Best Case -and W orst Case -- Scenarios to Open BCArc is working to prepare its day programs for an inevitable opening in the near future, though it won't be business as usual. ?We expect to open our programs at less than full capacity, and continue to provide services remotely,? said Maryann Hyatt, BCArc?s Chief Operating Officer who oversees the day programs. ?Right now we?re configuring the space we have to make it safe for our staff and individuals.

Across the state no one knows how it will play out, but we?re doing our best to find a smart way to provide programs for the people we serve.?

SDC is preparing to operate, but also ready to serve as a facility for crisis, should a surge occur.

New elements expected may include individual work stations, plexi-glass partitions, and new furniture that can be sanitized.

BCArc's day programs include its four Centers: Center for Development, Nu-Opps, Crossroads Enrichment Center, and the Social Development Center. The community-based programs -?

Northview and Transitions -? also are preparing to open. ?We have been running programs remotely, with considerable success,? Maryann said. ?Some of our individuals are embracing it, and this is good Maryann Hyatt, information as we start to invest in COO technology to run online programs for the longterm. In the end, most of the staff are looking forward to returning to in-person programs and seeing everyone. We welcome the day we can safely provide programs in person again."

Individuals Give Back to the Community Leslie (sitting), with Cheryl, both from West Street Lenox B, create weekly art with staff and housemates.

For May Giveback, they gave homemade cards and artwork to veterans at Soldier On for Memorial Day. The army-green cards were made by the folks at Robert Street.

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Maintenance Cr ew Builds Er ic a Gr een Monster Scor eboar d Eric plays baseball everyday in the backyard of his residential program in Pittsfield. He has created and placed pictures of fans around the yard to cheer him on.

BCArc's maintenance crew Dennis Messana, Lori Moore, and David Quail thought to build Eric a replica of the Green Monster -Fenway's 100-year-old scoreboard -- to add to Eric's homemade stadium.

"We went to Sheriwin-Williams to get the trademarked Green Monster-Green," said Dennis.

"Eric will be able to change teams on the board, and mark which inning they're in.

We had a blast building this for Eric."

His family came to the unveiling of the scoreboard.

Robin Brown Promoted to Residential Supervisor Robin Brown will oversee four group homes in her new role as a Residential Supervisor.

She has served as the house manager of two sites for the past year, and before that, worked as an Assistant Site Manager at a Pittsfield site.

"She has always been focused on providing the highest possible quality of life for the people we serve," said Jennifer Rush, Vice President for Residential Services. "Robin's enthusiasm is infectious and we feel lucky to have her on the team."

BCArc's Newest Family Members Welcome to Kye Donald Smith on May 1, 2020, son of LaSheika Moody, Site Manager.

Residential Support Staff Erin Connors welcomed Noah Connors, on April 16, 2020.

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Non-Profit Org. USPostage Paid Pittsfield, MA Permit No. 121

Comments?

Questions?

Contact David Singer at dsinger@bcarc.org

This billboard boasted about BCArc's great staff on Merrill Road, Pittsfield, through May and June.