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Cesar Martinez poses with his plaque Personal Achievement at the Berkshire County Arc annual meeting last week.
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Board Chair Michael Ferry welcomes the gathering at the Country Club of Pittsfield.
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Award recipients pose with their plaques.
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Berkshire County Arc Celebrates Individuals, Staff at Annual Meeting

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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President and CEO Maryann Hyatt says the agency carries on thanks to state leadership and a community that values its work. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Applause roared through the Country Club of Pittsfield on Thursday as Berkshire County Arc celebrated individuals and staff members who make up the organization. 

"You may have noticed all the headlines this year about federal cuts and social services for agencies like ours. It can be distracting and devastating, but we carry on," President and CEO Maryann Hyatt said. 

"Fortunately, we live in a great state where leadership understands the value of our work with the most vulnerable population, and we live in a great community where there is such collaboration." 

Last year, BCArc celebrated 70 years of enriching the lives of those with developmental disabilities, brain injuries, and autism. In the last fiscal year, it supported 196 individuals through live-in programs, 260 individuals through day programs, and 105 families through the Adult Family Care Program. 

Board Chair Michael Ferry pointed out that lives depend on the decisions, systems, protocols, and training provided to the 850 staff members, as well as the quality of the facilities and the programming that enables participants to live their lives. 

"This kind of human service work comes with a lot of accountability. First and foremost, we are accountable to the people we support and their families, but we are also accountable to many organizations on numerous levels," he said. 

"Also, we audit ourselves. Berkshire County Arc teams look at all facets, including our houses, our record keeping, the administration of medicines, and on and on. We are consistently and continuously assessing risk to ensure the health and safety of our individuals served." 

He added that there are no shortcuts at Berkshire County Arc: "Lives are on the line." 

"Today, we celebrate the successes in the ability to enrich lives," Ferry said. 

"You will see that people thrive here. They find friendship, they have work success, they have social success, and they feel proud to be part of the family." 

Guest poet Tina Buffi read a piece that details her move into an apartment. Buffi was commended for the leap of independence, which also included a career change, and the self-advocacy she exhibited during the process. 


Buffi explained she appreciates the new freedom, "but I know it needs more responsibility," and feels lucky to have her job. 

"I realize friends are not free. Friendship is a responsibility. I appreciate my mom, which she couldn’t attend tonight. I hope she can be healthy for many years. She is the best. I appreciate everyone who cares about me and everyone who thinks about me. Everyone who worries about me, I am OK, but thank you for caring," she read. 

"I appreciate and understand my responsibility to care for others, to think about others, and to do things for others. I know for sure that it is a two-way street; when one side of the street closes, the other side gets jammed up too. Life is hard, but I also know how great it can be, and I appreciate what I have right now. I appreciate being asked to do this, but I'm happy now that it is over." 

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, a former BCArc employee, pointed out that the organization focuses on the people it serves having full lives. 

"And that means living in dignity. That means working with dignity. That means being able to have a complete life, not just home to work, work to home, and work that has meaning to it," she said. 

"And when we talk about work, I really want to emphasize this: Berkshire County Arc focuses on its workers and supports the workers every step of the way and as much as possible." 

Longtime employees were recognized as part of the ceremony, with tenures as long as 40 years.  Farley-Bouvier said "The retention level of this organization, other organizations do not have this, I promise you." 

"I’d like you to look around this room. Look at the people at your table. Look at the people at the table next to you, look at the people at the other side of the room, because this, people is what community looks like right here in this room," she said. 

The Employer of the Year Award was given to Blue Q and the Innovative Business Partner of the Year to The Notch Insurance Partners. Shiwen "Wendy" Kanel received the Employee of the Year Award.

Individual Awards

  • Work Achievement Award: Gus Gundlach 
  • Work Achievement Award: Bruce Stiles 
  • Personal Achievement Award: Jill Reed 
  • Personal Achievement Award: Cesar Martinez
  • Community Achievement Award: Katherine Butler
  • Community Achievement Award: RosemarieTessier

Staff Awards

  • Nicole Negri for this year's Carol Craighead Mission Award 
  • Sharon Johnson for the Debra Jarck Advocacy Award

 
 


Tags: annual meeting,   berkshire county arc,   

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Companion Corner: Princess at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is an energetic girl waiting to find her new home at the Berkshire Humane Society.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.  

Princess is a six year old shepherd mix that has been at the shelter for just over a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Princess.

"She's very social, very friendly. When you're out walking her, she just wants to go say hi to every single new person. Loves to make new friends. She's a lot of fun. She's very active. She's very spunky. She's very playful, and she's going to need a very very active family who's going to do a lot with her." 

But Princess is no stranger to the shelter. She was a puppy five years ago and got adopted quickly, but now she needs a new family to take care of her.

"She was adopted out fairly quickly as a young puppy. She's been in the same home for the past five years. Unfortunately, they were moving out of state somewhere," Olivieri said. "They could not take her with them, so she ended up coming as a return to shelter, and she came back to stay with us."

Princess needs to go to a home as the only animal or with other male dogs that are her size or bigger.

"Her perfect home would be kids eight and up. No cats. No small animals. She has quite a prey drive. She could go to a home with another dog around her size or larger, preferably a male dog. She does a little bit better with male dogs, and she's looking for a home where people are home quite a bit, so that she's not left alone for too long. She has some separation anxiety," Olivieri said. 

She also needs a very active home that can let her use her energy every day, as she is very rambunctious. Especially with playing with her favorite toy, the flirt pole.

"She could use a home where people are going to give her a lot of attention and more than just a few walks a day; she's going to need lots of exercise, lots of playtime, lots of mental stimulation," Olivieri said. "She likes to learn, so someone who would be willing to take her to training classes or work on some training with her, as well as hikes, getting out and about, doing new things, different things. She is very athletic. She'd excel at things like agility, some dog sports. Just someone who is really going to want to engage and do a lot of different kinds of activities with her." 

Once you let her get her energy out, she is a cuddler who wouldn't mind being held like a baby from time to time.

"She's very sweet. She's very cuddly. She's very affectionate, but she is not a couch potato. She will stay on that couch with you for a little bit, and then she's ready to go off and do something else. So she's very busy. She's very active," Olivieri said. "Once all of her exercise needs are met during the day, she will settle down nicely, and she will want to be right by your side, cuddle with you at night on the couch, sleep with you."

Princess is very healthy but does experience some anxiety and is not fully potty trained and might have the occasional accident.

"She does have a little bit of anxiety, so she is on some medication for it right now," Olivieri said. "So a lot of structure, a lot of outlets, and familiarity, getting used to a new routine and everything is gonna be really good for her. I mean, she's just lovely. Like I said, she's very social. She likes to play with other dogs. She likes to meet new people."

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