2004-2005

Home | Annual Reports

Text Box: Letter from the Executive Director and the Board President
Text Box: This past year Berkshire County Arc celebrated its 50th Anniversary. A wonderful celebration at the Crowne Plaza brought together hundreds of people that have contributed to the many accomplishments of our organization. It was great fun to reminisce and recognize some of the outstanding accomplishments of the individuals that we serve. We are grateful to so many that have helped along the way and deeply appreciative of the ongoing support that we have found in our local communities. Throughout this year, we have seen many exciting things happen. The following are just a few of the accomplishments of the past year: § BCARC received a $500,000 HUD grant to build a new community residence on Valentine Road in Pittsfield. It is hoped that construction will start sometime in 2006. § The Social Development Center moved to its beautiful new home on Depot Street in Dalton. § Zip ‘N Sort Mail Services is now the largest mail business in Berkshire County, serving over 350 local businesses. § The BCARC Annual Golf Tournament raised $40,000. § BCARC opened a new residence for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury in Dalton. § BCARC awarded $4,000 in scholarships to six (6) area high school seniors. § BCARC received over $30,000 in training grants and provided specialized staff training in Certified Nursing Assistance, Supervision, Sexuality, Futures Planning, Tools for Tomorrow, Clinical Practices, and Cultural Diversity. It has been a very exciting year celebrating our 50th Anniversary and moving to our second half century. We look forward to new opportunities and successes in the coming years. Kenneth W. Singer Joseph P. Woitkoski Executive Director President, Board of Directors Text Box: BCARC Board of Directors Joseph Woitkoski-President, Carol Craighead-Vice President, Michael Ferry-Treasurer Joyce Desgroseilliers-Assistant Treasurer, Kathleen Flynn-Kasuba-Clerk Kathy Clark, Lisa George, Debra Jarck, Suzanne Merritt, Marka Neary DeLeo, Bob Sinopoli Kenneth W. Singer Text Box: Accounting
Text Box: EXPENSE Text Box: INCOME
Text Box: BCARC is dedicated to creating an environment which embraces the following characteristics: Personal Choice ~ Organizational Performance ~ Responsiveness ~ Caring ~ Partnership Security ~ Quality ~ Dignity and Respect
Text Box: Program Highlights
Text Box: Day Habilitation Programs Day Habilitation programs in Pittsfield, Dalton and Great Barrington provide clinical supports and skills training to people with developmental disabilities. In addition to the more than 120 adults who participate in these programs, several school districts in Berkshire County contract with BCArc to develop habilitation services for school-age children. A highlight of the day habilitation programs this year was moving the Social Development Center from rented space in Pittsfield to our own building in Dalton. This new space has allowed us to develop programming that specifically meets a variety of needs, including those for people with autism or traumatic brain injury. Sensory Integration techniques continue to be a strong feature of the day habilitation programs. Individuals learn better use and perception of the world around them, thus providing many new experiences and learning opportunities. In addition to the sensory integration gym housed at the Social Development Center, each program has its own equipment that can be used on a daily basis. Clinical and Nursing Services Two Clinical Services staff provide behavioral supports to individuals in Residential, Day and Employment programs to improve their ability to cope with difficult situations. A Behavior Specialist and Clinical Advocate develop methodologies such as Behavior Treatment Plans and Proactive Teaching Strategies that Direct Support staff utilize to teach new coping skills. Clinical Services staff also work with prescribing clinicians to manage medication regimes for those who require them. BCARC nurses work throughout the agency to ensure quality medical services for all individuals receiving our supports. Three nurses work in the day habilitation programs providing medical oversight and medication administration to individuals there. People living in our residential programs receive medical case management and consultation by three nurses who also oversee medication administration and other individual needs. Traumatic Brain Injury BCArc opened its fourth residential program for individuals who have traumatic brain injury (TBI). Funded through the Statewide Head Injury Program, individuals in this program develop skills to live and work in community settings after having lived for years in institutions. The men who live in the program spend their days attending classes at BCC and the Adult Learning Center, working in supported and competitive settings, taking art lessons through Community Access to the Arts, and taking part in recreation and leisure activities throughout Berkshire County. Berkshire County Arc’s TBI programs are located in Pittsfield, Lanesboro, Richmond and Dalton. Zip ‘N Sort Mail Services Zip ‘N Sort Mail Services is a comprehensive mail business that employs sixteen individuals with disabilities, as well as 15 individuals without disabilities. The business continued its steady growth in fiscal year 2005 when invoicing increased by 17.4%. The customer base increased from 365 to 404 customers, a net gain thirty-nine new customers Mail merging was an area of growth for the business; twelve companies are using this service on a regular basis. The demand for services necessitated the purchase of a high-speed laser printer to accommodate the increased production demand. This service area is expected to continue to grow during fiscal year 2006. The business continues to fulfill its mission of providing high quality mail services enabling local businesses to be more competitive through both efficiency and cost containment and providing work opportunities for individuals with disabilities. For information on Zip n’ Sort mail services, please contact David Staples, General Manager, (413) 443-9071. Employment Services The Advantage Employee Network (AEN) provides a wide range of vocational services to individuals with disabilities throughout all of Text Box: Berkshire County. AEN provides vocational evaluations, career planning, job placement, on the job training, and case management services. AEN receives funding from the Department of Mental Retardation (DMR), Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB), Local School Districts, and Private Pay. 2004 was another successful year for AEN. The entire operation moved into it’s new offices located @ 20 Taconic Park drive. Rick Hawes, Director, received a statewide leadership award from the Massachusetts Association for Person’s in Supported Employment (MAPSE). The vocational evaluation department conducted 24 evaluations. Our AEN/MRC supported work program served 31 individuals. We expanded our school to work transition program by serving 7 individuals in the 4 school districts. We assisted 34 individuals in obtaining new jobs. Overall, AEN provided vocational services to 151 individuals last year. 2004 was marked as a year that AEN continued to expand, diversify, and maintain quality services. Residential Berkshire County Arc’s Residential Department serves one hundred and thirty-three individuals in twenty-eight homes with twenty-four hour staffing. There are also shared living and individual supported living arrangements in which individuals live with and receive supports from a shared living provider. Co-operative apartment residences, with supports available according to individual needs, are another living arrangement for Berkshire County Arc individuals. In addition, the department provides outreach services to more than one hundred and forty individuals throughout the Pittsfield community as well other Berkshire and Hampden County locations. One of the major challenges facing the Residential Department in the coming year will be finding appropriate housing for Co-op residents while a new Co-operative apartment complex, catering to the needs of an aging residential population, is built. In fact, the residential department will address these needs throughout with new and creative housing options including assisted living, adult group foster care, and in-house day habilitation programs. Already in place are services for individuals who have chosen to retire from day and vocational services. Noteworthy examples of addressing individual needs arising from a changing service demographic, include several gentlemen moving into a new Berkshire County Arc home on Golden Hill Road in Lenoxdale. The move was especially advantageous to these men, all of who have accessibility needs, because the house was more conducive to their free movement, and, in turn, enhanced their independence and quality of life. In a less obvious but equally important example, the staff at Southwick became water safety trained to offer individuals more life options. An important focus of the Residential Department is assisting each individual in attaining control of his/her life as well as assuring that each individual maintains the optimum quality of life. To that end, the department fosters community involvement, provides informational and educational supports, and offers each individual choices in a range of decisions that directly impact their lives. To insure these goals are met, the Residential Department, through both grants and agency assistance, has trained staff in such skills areas as Certified Nursing Assistant, sign language training, and management training. To address each individual’s health and well being, the department maintains strict health and safety standards as well as offering individuals agency wide opportunities like Healthy Choices, a program that educates individuals in the benefits of good nutrition and exercise for a healthier lifestyle. On a different level, Berkshire County Arc encourages numerous leisure time and recreational activities, including vacations from Cape Cod to Hawaii and just about everywhere in between. This has been an exciting and productive year for the Residential Department, but there is more to accomplish in the coming year including additional staff training and retention issues, continued lobbying for an equitable wage for direct care staff, and managing a more diverse work force. The Residential Department looks forward to facing these and any other challenges that the new year might offer. Quality Assurance: The Quality Assurance Department continues to be values driven and
Text Box: comprehensive while retaining a positive focus. An integral part of overall agency risk management, the department strives to assist all staff and individuals supported by the agency through ongoing trainings, quality assurance site visits, analyzing incident trends, and facilitation of Focus Groups of individuals receiving supports. In the past year, the department conducted and reported on 55 site visits at over 30 locations, 10 visits at 5 day locations and an annual audit of AEN services. This year departmental highlights include a successful second series of informational sessions on American Sign Language for individuals receiving supports, continued CPR, First Aid and new staff trainings, and the Quality Assurance Specialist received the Spring 2005 Employee of the Quarter Award. In the upcoming year, the department looks forward to preparation for the next CARF survey and continued expansion of the training offered to agency staff. Advocacy: Intake and ISP Coordination, Respite Services, Public Benefits, Berkshire County Arc Pooled Trust, Family Advocacy, Educational Advocacy, Citizen Advocacy, Human Rights, Family and Individual Satisfaction Surveys, Visions Newsletter, Training, Families Helping Families Support Group The Advocacy Department is primarily responsible for supporting individuals served by Berkshire County Arc and their families, by identifying areas of need, and by advocating on behalf of the individual and family in those areas. Supports include: Intake and ISP Coordination, Respite Services, Public Benefits. Berkshire County Arc Pooled Trust, Family Advocacy, Educational Advocacy, Citizen Advocacy, Human Rights, Family and Individual Satisfaction Surveys, VISIONS Newsletter, Training, Families Helping Families Support Group, and African American Family Support Group. Through the Advocacy Department’s Intake Process, Berkshire County Arc discovers an individual’s strengths, abilities, needs and personal preferences. The Advocacy Department has the important responsibility of initial contact with individuals and their families seeking BCARC services. This year 76 individuals were intaked into BCARC programs. In 2004, eighty-three families received some form of Berkshire County Arc’s Respite Services, including The Family Directed Project, Respite Outreach, and Respite House-Emergency Respite House services. During the past year, individuals and their families took advantage of Respite services three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, or one hundred percent of possible days of availability. In 2004, we have continued to ensure that individuals with disabilities were not at risk of losing their public benefits with the continued growth of The Berkshire County Arc Inc. Master Pooled Trust. From its inception in 2002, the Pooled Trust has grown to manage 40 accounts. Berkshire County Arc also acts as successor trustee for four private special needs trusts. We continue to market the trust to other agencies and professionals. The self-advocacy groups sponsored by Berkshire County Arc, The Berkshire Advocates in Pittsfield, and the Southern Berkshire Self- Text Box: Advocates in South County, had outstanding records in the past year. Both groups continue to function well and to advance their knowledge of and participation in self-advocacy. Representatives from Berkshire County Arc self-advocacy groups attend meetings of the Western Massachusetts Regional Self-Advocacy Planning Group. All Berkshire County Arc representatives are active participants in the meetings and are efficient in bringing the groups’ ideas and policies back to their local meetings. The group, meeting in Northampton monthly, sets the agenda for self-advocacy in this part of the state. In an offshoot from these meetings, six members of the self-advocacy groups attended the National Arc Convention in Boston. The self-advocates continue to sponsor their own fundraising events. The funds raised have given the members of both groups an opportunity to enjoy other social occasions as well as donating money to help social causes in the community. This year the self-advocacy groups contributed to the Giving Tree program, sponsored by the BCAC. To increase community partnership and provide opportunities for individuals to develop friendships and have relationships, BCARC has a very strong and committed volunteer program. Currently, there are 39 Citizen Advocate Volunteers. This year BCARC’s Human Rights Committee met 4 times and continued its exemplary efforts to promote and safeguard human rights on behalf of individuals with disabilities. In 2004, 126 new staff were trained in Human Rights and Abuse, Mistreatment & Neglect Reporting. In 2004, 256 individuals were trained in Human Rights and Abuse, Mistreatment & Neglect Reporting. The Advocacy Department’s ISP Specialist is responsible for insuring that all BCARC services indicated in the ISP are delivered according to standards and time lines set by the Department of Mental Retardation. In 2004, 231 ISP’s and 3,736 Quarterlies were developed for individuals receiving BCARC services. The Advocacy Department’s Training Specialist, under the direction of the Advocacy Coordinator, continued to ensure that the Orientation and In-Service Training for all new staff was of high quality and met agency standards. This year, 126 new staff attended Orientation Training and 80 new staff attended In Service Training. Additional activities Advocacy Department Staff participated in included: Wrote and submitted Grants and Proposals including: Berkshire United Way Proposal, Berkshire Life Grant, Coolidge Hill Foundation, and One-to-One Wall Street Charity Fund.Provided supports for families on the Boulet Family Waiting List for residential servicesProvided Education Advocacy for 31 families.Began licensing requirements for Respite House through the Office of Child Care ServicesHosted the 3rd Annual Family Support Conference, Diversity of Support, with United Cerebral Palsy and Berkshire Family and Individual ResourcesOversaw operations for Disability Pride DayAssisted with coordination of the Agency’s 50th Anniversary
Text Box: BCARC Employee Award Recipients 2004-2005 Rick Hawes– MAPSE Leadership AwardLinda Witherell– Arc Mass– Distinguished Citizens Award Bernie Laforest– ADDP Direct Support Professional of the Year Award BCARC-Employers Association– Employer of the Year Award Ken Singer– Raymond P. Brien Leadership Award
Text Box: 2004 Initiatives Moved Social Development Center to new home in Dalton. Expanded the Traumatic Brain Injury services to 4 residential programs. Zip ‘N Sort and the Advantage Employee Network moved to their new home on Taconic Parkway Obtained $500,000 HUD Grant for new residence on Valentine Road Finalized plans for $2 Million Co-Op Apartments in downtown Pittsfield. Increased Special Needs Pooled Trust to $500,000.
Text Box: BCARC is a nonprofit organization. All donations are deductible for income tax purposes to the extent allowed under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code. BCARC– 395 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201– Phone 413.499.4241 Fax 413.445.7863 email:bcarc@bcarc.org– Web Page: www.bcarc.org

Home | Annual Reports