Kevin Ierardi and his mother, Kate, attended the ribbon cutting. Kevin will be one of five to live in the home.
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Gerald Ierardi was scared the day he drove his son, Kevin, to Berkshire Meadows.
He knew his son had special needs — needs above what one family can provide on their own. But still, he was worried. Will these people be able to give his son the support and care that he needs? Will they take care of him?
But the organization put him at ease.
"The staff has been great over the years. This has become Kevin's home," Ierardi said on Friday afternoon when the non-profit celebrated the new construction of an adult home for those with special needs.
The 4,000 square foot, five-bedroom, house tucked just outside of downtown on Christian Hill Road will be Kevin's new home. He and four others with developmental disabilities will receive 24/7 care.
"This home will be fully accessible and modern while still blending into the community," said Andy Pond, president of the Justice Resource Institute, which operates the Berkshire Meadows program.
Kevin and his roommates will be fully included in the community when he shops downtown or goes out for recreation.
"We do a lot of things in the community. It is learning not only in your house and day program but also in your community," said Liisa Kelly, Berkshire Meadows program director.
The house is set to open this summer and will be the program's sixth — all in Great Barrington. The program serves both children and adults with disabilities but the house is for adults who need to move past the services provided to children.
"When kids turn 22, it is time for them to move onto a different program. Over the years, it has been harder to find adult housing," Kelly said.
State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli remembers a time in American history when people like Kevin would be institutionalized. But that doesn't provide a good quality of life, he said.
"This building is about community," the Lenox Democrat said.
Pignatelli was flanked by state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, who echoed his sentiments. Downing said the new home is a "special place" that improves the quality of life for those involved.
Everybody has something to offer the community, Downing said, and Berkshire Meadow's new home helps those with disabilities contribute to society. And the town is supportive of the organization's programming.
"Great Barrington has a lot of offer and is an extremely welcoming place," said Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin. "This is no small action and the town is behind you."
Berkshire Meadows serves 66 people and is one of Great Barrington's largest employers with 180 staff members. It was one of the Justice Resource Institute's first programs. Now, the Needham-headquartered institute serves 20,000 people spanning four states and employs about 2,600.
"Berkshire Meadows is still a place where I send people if I want them to experience a place that really cares for people," Pond said. "Without Berkshire Meadows there would be no JRI."
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Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.
Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.
"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."
The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.
"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.
One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.
"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.
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