Letters from the President & CEO

This was originally published in Visions, Issue II 2025.

May 1, 2025 –

The future is never certain. This has always been the case for Berkshire County Arc, which has operated with a sound budget for decades through a financially conservative approach and steady growth.
We hear a lot about Medicaid getting cut at the federal level. At a recent legislative breakfast – see page 4 — Berkshire County’s state legislators told the crowd that the state can absorb a large federal cut on the short term, but may not be able to sustain services year after year with significant cuts.
BCArc – like most human service organizations – relies on MassHealth for many of its programs, which is the state’s provider of Medicaid. BCArc is well-positioned for lean times. Our mission will stay the same – enrich the lives of the people we support. We are large, but we can be agile. We are prepared for a change in state funding. We have weathered many storms in 70 years.
We will also continue to stay front and center in Boston with our partners in the Berkshires and our Arc colleagues – 18 Arcs across the Commonwealth.
BCArc is lucky to have the support of its lawmakers throughout the state, and particularly in Western Massachusetts. This is a state that cares about its most vulnerable population. We know they will do their best to fund basic services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and brain injuries. We also know they will face tough choices if Medicaid is reduced significantly.
Meanwhile, we will keep shouting about our most important issues – higher wages for staff who are committed to this work, better transportation services for all of Western Massachusetts, and numerous other related areas that impact the disability community and all of our communities.
Thank you everyone for your interest and support in caring for people with disabilities. When we stick together, we get things accomplished.

Maryann Hyatt

President & CEO

This was originally published in Visions, Issue I 2025.

Jan. 1, 2025 –

Happy New Year.
This year looks to be an ambitious year. The list is long for BCArc. Here are a few items we look to accomplish this year.

New Housing
Find land to build a home for four individuals with a brain injury. The waiting list of individuals with brain injuries is long at the state level, and we hope to move new individuals in this year.

Higher Wages
We will continue to fight for higher wages for our staff, and aim to pay them as much as BCArc can afford. This year already we raised wages 5% for direct support professionals.

Adult Family Care
More than 100 homes who take care of a loved one in their home use this program to receive nursing support, a monthly stipend, and assistance with future planning. We know there are hundreds more families in Western Mass who would benefit from this program, and we will work hard to find them this year.

New Businesses — The Green Redeem and Speedy Fulfillment
BCArc launched two new businesses last year, and looks to grow them both in 2025. The Green Redeem, a bottle and can redemption center, and Speedy Fulfillment, a fulfillment center to manage inventory, pack mailings, and ship items. Both businesses employ individuals with disabilities. We are excited about this.

Community Integration
At the heart of this Agency’s mission is to integrate the lives of individuals into the community. This enriches their lives, and also creates a more diverse and educated community. We do this through employment, volunteering, community service, and pursuing the chores of daily living – shopping, recreation, travel, and more.

There is so much more activity going on that I cannot list in this small space. It all happens through the great work of BCArc’s staff and leadership, through the support of the community, and its partners. BCArc advances best when everyone moves forward together.

To a happy and healthy new year.

Maryann Hyatt

President & CEO

This was originally published in Visions, Issue IV 2024.

Dec. 1, 2024 –

An estimated 160,000 people with developmental disabilities live in Massachusetts, according to the Mass. Developmental Disabilities Council. The Commonwealth sees 73,000 cases of traumatic brain injury annually, according to MassAbility. These injuries occur through unintentional falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports, violence, and more.

Clearly the need for our services will continue to increase for years — for generations.

Individuals who come for support to Berkshire County Arc come with a wide range of situations. They vary in age, functionality, family support, cultural backgrounds, and economic status.
Berkshire County Arc provides several models for support, some which require direct care staff, and some which rely on families or community members.

Adult Family Care: BCArc supports more than 100 families or community members who provide support in their own home for individuals who need assistance with daily living. This program provides a monthly stipend, nursing oversight, and case management. Many individuals and families are eligible for this program but unaware of the services. If you know anyone who might be eligible, please contact us.

Residential Services: BCArc has 43 residential programs throughout the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley – homes that provide full support every day of the year. This is where most of BCArc’s direct care staff work. Typically BCArc builds a new home every year to respond to the state’s needs.

Shared Living: BCArc matches an individual with disabilities to live with a caregiver in the caregiver’s home. BCArc provides training and ongoing supervision to ensure a successful partnership.
Supported Living: Individuals live semi-independently in their own apartments, with the opportunity to be part of a community in a co-op building.

All the programs above include personal annual plans with specific personal goals. We also provide programs outside home life like Employent Services and Day Habilitation Programs, to name a few.

We know the need for our services will continue to grow. While there are always challenges to expansion, we are positioned well to respond, as we have for the past 70 years. We look forward to answering the call.

Maryann Hyatt

President & CEO

This was originally published in the Annual Report 2024.

September 1, 2024 –

We are in full stride, operating at full speed.

• Our staff numbers are at their highest levels.
• Our day programs serve its highest numbers – while similar programs around the state closed during or after Covid.
• We built and opened a home in Southampton.
• We plan to build a program in Lanesborough.
• We are opening a Recycling Center in Pittsfield, the only one of its kind in the region.
• We serve 15 area high schools to evaluate their students’ employment levels. We served only four high schools two years ago.

Not bad for an agency turning 70.

I can go on and on about our growth, the energy we’re feeling at the Agency. Growth itself is not a measure of success. But at 70, we are smarter than ever. Our staff, our leadership team, our systems, our trainings, our tools — we are current and state-of-the-art to best serve an increasingly complex human services world.

None of this would matter if we didn’t have the support of our communities. This agency started as a grassroots group – a small number of parents trying to support one another for their children with disabilities. From these seeds BCArc came to be — through legislative advocacy, lawsuits, and fierce determination for respect and human decency.

Those years of advocacy at the local family level remains in our DNA. We are now a large organization – 800 employees with more than 50 locations from the Berkshires to Pioneer Valley. But that feeling of grassroots advocacy hasn’t left us. And that’s what makes us young and vibrant and determined to move forward.

This is why we continue to grow. As long as there are unmet needs in the region, we will stay ready to respond to give individuals with disabilities the life they deserve. And the communities that surround us – the families, our supporters, our lawmakers, and our staff – should expect the most from us.

Marching through the Pittsfield Parade on July 4 with our staff and individuals, I felt a huge sense of pride and support from the crowds on the side. Their cheering for our folks was inspiring. Every one of our walkers made it the whole way, likely from the support they were feeling with every step. So many people came out from the sidelines to hug a BCArc marcher — a family member, a former employee, a supporter. I always enjoy the support we have in the community.

Maryann Hyatt
President & CEO

This was originally published in Visions, Issue II 2024.

May 1, 2024 – We have one job to do here at Berkshire County Arc — support individuals with disabilities. That mission is focused, but to do it right — provide rich lives with opportunities to feel fulfilled, and gain independence — can be complex. BCArc is a large organization that faces all the challenges and opportunities any mission-driven large organization experiences — whether for-profit or not-for-profit.

Moving the Agency forward is critical. Staying still is not an option. Well into my second year as its leader, I am amazed at the pace of change in our work, and the need to stay agile as an Agency employing more than 750 staff and caring for 1,000 individuals with disabilities from Down Syndrome to brain injuries.

This year we celebrate BCArc’s 70th year of growth as a human services agency and as a community member. They are both connected and inherent to what we do. We will celebrate our seventh decade with a Gala on Sept. 19. Our staff is creating a float for the Pittsfield July 4 parade to recognize our hallmark year. We continue to create new programs, explore new initiatives, and embrace new technologies and advanced approaches to better support the people we serve. Every corner of our Agency moves forward faster than ever.

Staff drive our changes. We add new training programs as the times change. We are always improving our facilities, honing the programs we offer, and developing new programs.

Reaching milestone years forces you to look back at your own history. There are many lessons in BCArc’s history that teach us how to move forward, and I thank my predecessors for those lessons as BCArc begins to celebrate its 70th anniversary.

Maryann Hyatt
President & CEO