By Nicole Lemire As the first full time outreach staff member, Jason Mach is a trailblazer at BCArc. Jason started off working in employment services but began picking up hours doing outreach shifts, and quickly realized that he had a passion for this work and wanted to make it into a career. Jason [...]
Site Manager Alyson with an individual. By Nicole Lemire Hollow Road Site Manager Alyson Kalisz says that the key to running a successful program is putting the individual's needs first and maintaining good communication between staff. Hollow Road was named BCArc’s DDS Program of the Year this summ [...]
Rachael spending time with David, one of the individuals in the BCArc home she works at. By Nicole Lemire Rachael McHugh calls herself the “Weekend Warrior” because of her work schedule -- 40 hours in three days. Although this schedule may not be for everyone, Rachel loves having four days off per [...]
By Nicole Lemire “I never expected to work in this field, but I’ve found my niche.” After years of working in restaurants, Amanda Sweet wanted a change. One of her friends worked at BCArc and suggested that she apply. At first, Amanda was unsure, as she had never worked with people with disabilities [...]
Some of the crew taking a break: From left, Kathy, Christina, Barb (Head of House Cleaning), Alan, Roberto, and Franckie. When BCArc's Mark LaVigne approached Berkshire Mountain Lodge’s General Manager Robin Peck about hiring a crew of individuals, she didn’t flinch. “We needed help,” said Robin. “ [...]
As appeared in The Berkshire Eagle By Domenica Gomez I was 12 years old when my family moved to Lenox from Ambato, Ecuador. While my parents were afraid for our safety in Ecuador, they were more afraid of us having no future. With language and cultural barriers, the beginning of this journey was diff [...]
John Haygood along with staff members Gregory Dillard, Daizialie Cruz, and Scott LaFlamme after winning Brain Injury Program of the Year. By Nicole Lemire John Haygood was shocked when Nicholson Hill, the residence that he manages, won Brain Injury Program of the Year at BCArc’s staff appreciation [...]
By Eva Myers Since Elvis Benle came to the United States in 2007, he tried twice to get hired without success. "But I said ‘I’m not going to give up, I am still going to continue to apply.’” This quarter Elvis was chosen as Employee of the Quarter. He has worked for Berkshire County Arc for over a y [...]
By Eva Myers Jessica Mullaly is a Residential Support staff at Housatonic who primarily works overnight shifts to make sure the individuals have everything they need to get a good night’s sleep and to wake up in the morning. “It means waking up every day and helping someone else have a good day,” Je [...]
By Eva Myers Adam Abdelrahman will tell you that he “only” speaks five languages. While this statement is a humble one, once you get to know Adam you will learn that, for him, it is less about the feat of learning these languages and more about the experiences he has made throughout his life. Ever s [...]