DALTON, Mass. — For over 70 years, Berkshire County Arc has been a cornerstone of support and empowerment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

 

Its impact on its members and the community has earned the non-profit our Community Hero of the Month designation. 

 

The Community Hero of the Month is a 12-month series that honors individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact on their community. This year's sponsor is Window World of Western Massachusetts. Nominate a hero here. 

 

What began as a small, family-founded agency has grown into one of the region's largest employers, serving more than 1,000 people and employing over 800 staff across a wide range of services, including its residential day programs, employment services, family support, in-home adult family care, brain injury services, and more.  

 

"So, it's really a wide range. And I think sometimes people think of this agency as only one department or one service, when there's a vast amount, with close to 50 sites at this point … we want to give to this community as much as it's given to this agency," said Sonja Haecker, executive vice president.

 

"So, we really tried not to be just a building on a street. We want to be a part of your neighborhood. We want to be a part of your culture and really welcome the partnership with the community." 

 

BC Arc's mission remains assisting and supporting individuals in their quest to identify and realize their chosen lifestyles.

 

People are complex, Haecker said, and our lives are not solely centered around home and work; we also explore other interests and maintain a social life. It is important to take this into consideration when thinking about helping individuals lead full and enriched lives. 

 

"We want to make sure we're supporting people in all those different areas, whether they live in one of our homes, or if they live in their community, if they want to be employed, or if they just want to volunteer, you got to be able to help people in what their interests are, versus just telling them what they should do with their days," she said. 

 

The organization offers a range of services and access to resources, including day programs, 36 residential facilities, employment services, citizen and self-advocacy programs, and respite services.

 

From artists, volunteers, residents, and employees, the impact of Berkshire County Arc is best told through their voices. 

 

Members emphasized how the organization has helped them find jobs, build confidence, and develop new skills. 

 

"It's good and I love people there. They are nice to me, and they love me, and they help me out," said Megan Bates, BC Arc member.

 

Berkshire County Arc is a welcoming place, said Jennifer Terrio, also a member. 

 

"It helped me get a job and stuff at Marshalls [department store]. It helped me, made me open up more … I was scared at first … I was one of the very first individuals that started here, and if it wasn't for this place, Northview, I would not have had a place to come to," she said. 

 

It provides resources to people with disabilities that other states don't have and serves as an example for other areas, she said. 

 

"I think we need to get the word out to the different states … of the resources that we have here that they need, because we have people there that are struggling [and need a place like this to help them,]" Terrio said. 

 

The organization encourages its members to be as independent as possible, teaching them life skills like baking and grocery shopping, and helping them discover new interests. 

 

"Because I've been here, people taught me a lot of things I didn't know through the years. I really love it," said Christopher Goldman, BC Arc member.  

 

One of the biggest needs in the community right now is residential; BC Arc's beds are at full capacity, and there is a waitlist, Haecker said.

 

"It's really coveted. So, as caregivers get older and they're no longer able to provide care in their homes, those individuals get displaced," she said.

 

"So, the need for supported apartments or residential housing, or people to become foster caregivers, where they'll bring in somebody into their home and care for them, that is a really big need, just because the Berkshires does have a large aging population."

 

When caregivers are unable to care for their loved ones with disabilities, the responsibility does not go away, Haecker said. 

 

"So, we need to make sure we have enough caregivers to meet the needs of people who really need that support," she said. 

 

Despite the challenges, BC Arc works to ensure no one falls through the cracks by utilizing its extensive resources, which it has built up over the years, including its unique home programs, like the Adult Family Care program. 

 

This program pairs individuals with foster families who provide care in a home setting. Families receive a stipend, case management, and nursing support. If a higher level of care is needed later, transitions can be made.

 

Some individuals thrive in the foster family environment and may remain there as their forever home, as long as it works with that family dynamic. 

 

There are 200 residents across BC Arc's brain injury and developmental disability residential services, said Scott Barschdorf, brain injury services director, and Erin Manson, developmental disability services director. 

 

The developmental disability residential services provide individuals with disabilities community homes, cooperative and staffed apartments, supported living, and homeownership throughout Berkshire and Hampden Counties.

 

"It's really great to see them grow and develop. A lot of them set goals for themselves annually, and they meet them all the time. And it's great to see them succeed, to see them work on the little steps to get to the end goal. It's really rewarding," Manson said.

 

BCArc operates 18 group homes in Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley for its brain injury department. This department collaborates with the state to transition individuals from nursing homes or facilities into suitable community homes, enabling residents to achieve their goals, Barschdorf said. 

 

"It's important that we serve all types of people, and that all people get the resources that we have access to, and that we can be the middleman to help them get everything that they need. ... I think we excel at creating every home to be a home," Manson said. 

 

"[The homes] are individualized to the individuals. It's their lights, their choosing. Their rooms are 100 percent theirs and everything that they love. The homes are comfortable. They're welcoming, they're cozy. It's impressive."

 

Members highlighted some of the many activities they have been able to do, such as going out to the movies, apple picking, volunteering at the dog park, and much more. 

 

"For people with disabilities, an organization like this is really helpful…it does inspire me a lot, because sometimes I write poetry and music, and sometimes I do it here, and it just all these people around me just inspire me to write more," said Brian Ellsworth, BC Arc member. 

 

The experiences of its members through work, volunteering, and other activities benefit the community, enhancing support for other organizations in the Berkshires. 

 

"I'm always happy, and I always am in a good mood when I come to Northview," Krystal Dupuis

 

"We do such a good job in the community, and we're always helpful with other people and at volunteer sites, and we're thinking about doing Meals on Wheels." 

 

The members are not only learning from BC Arc staff, but the organization is also learning from them. 

 

"At the end of the day, for me, helping these guys out, helping the staff out, just makes me go home and makes me feel better about myself, because I'm not only learning from them, they're learning from me as well. I go home super happy. I love my job," said Keysa Santos-Delgado, Northview community-based day service manager. 

 

As new needs arise and members discover new interests they want to explore, BC Arc works to aid in their journey, sometimes resulting in a new resource they can add to its ever-evolving catalog. 

 

"I think for a long time, there was this stigma that some people are less than others, and that the reality is nobody's less than. They're all part of this community," Haecker said. 

 

"They want to contribute to their community, want to be a part of their community. They want meaningful friendships. They want to have the pride of going to a job, working, having a check, paying taxes, and being able to vote. And the more that we integrate and embrace them, the more that they can help society as much as the next person."