May is National Nurses Month. BCArc is proud to have an excellent team of nurses who are dedicated to keeping individuals happy and healthy. Thank you nurses for the amazing work you do!
Connie has dedicated her life to advocacy and supporting others through nursing, pastoring, and opening her home to those in need.
Connie grew up in a family that prioritized helping others. Her mother worked as nurse and has been a shared living provider for over 30 years, and Connie was inspired to follow in her footsteps. In the late 90s, she began working at a BCArc residence in Lenox, and grew to love working with people with disabilities.
“I’m passionate about advocacy, about being a voice for those who don’t have one,” Connie said.
Eventually, she left BCArc to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse, and spent 12 years working in a hospital setting. Looking for more flexibility and a better work-life balance, Connie returned to BCArc, where she has spent the last three years an RN Case Manager.
In this role, she provides support to BCArc homes and day programs, providing follow up care and helping individuals with navigating the healthcare system. Her favorite thing about this job is interacting with people and learning their stories.
“Being a nurse is more than a paycheck to me, it brings me satisfaction to know that someone else’s life is better because I was a part of it.”
“The individuals I work with have gotten to know me well, so when I walk into the day programs, it feels like a family reunion,” she said.
Connie with Jaime, the individual she is a Shared Living Provider for.
Connie’s dedication to helping others extends beyond her professional life and into her personal life. For the past five years, she has been a pastor at Price Memorial Church of Pittsfield, alongside her husband, who is a minister. Utilizing her skills as a nurse, she has started a Health and Wellness Initiative in the church that provides healthcare screenings and other free services. She is also a foster parent, and is in the process of adopting her foster child.
Inspired again by her mother’s passion for caregiving, Connie has been a shared living provider for the past 16 years, something that she has found to be challenging at times but also incredibly rewarding. Shared Living is a program in which a provider will open their home to an individual with disabilities, providing services such as transportation, meal preparation, and incorporating them into daily life. Connie enjoys the opportunity to be a role model and to provide a space for the individual in her home to grow and flourish.
“I won’t take credit for it, because she is the one who has put in the work, but it has been amazing to witness everything that she has overcome and how much she has grown,” Connie said.
With all of these responsibilities, Connie has discovered the importance of setting healthy boundaries and finding balance in life. Despite the challenges, she wouldn’t change a thing, and encourages anyone interested in a similar career path to pursue it.
“Most people spend more time at work than they do with their family, so it’s important to find a job that you love,” she said. “Being a nurse is more than a paycheck to me, it brings me satisfaction to know that someone else’s life is better because I was a part of it.”
