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Berkshire County Arc Celebrates 60th Anniversary
By Rebecca Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
10:19AM / Tuesday, November 18, 2014
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Ed Kozak, Ed Therrien, Michael Kuvent and Tim Schnopp, who were the first four residents of 22 Copley Terrace, the first group home opened in Western Massachusetts in 1971, are recognized Friday at the 60th annual Berkshire County Arc meeting.

BCARC President and CEO Kenneth Singer welcomes the annual meeting crowd.

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier gives remarks on behalf of the area's legislative delegation.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a staff delegate, Everett Handford, to read a citation honoring BCARC's 60 years in the community.

The annual Citizen Advocate of the Year Award was presented to staff member Erin Manson for her commitment to her protegee and friend Janet.

Leo Sarkissian, executive director of The Arc of Massachusetts, called BCARC an 'anchor organization for advocacy' in the state.

Staff honors.

Staff honors.

Staff honors.

Staff honors.

Yessenia Salina celebrates winning the Outstanding Residential Employee Award.

The Berkshire County Arc Employee of the Year Award was presented to Amber Steele.

Client awards.

Client awards.


Kenneth Singer, center, president and CEO of Berkshire County Arc, greets wife Christine, executive director of Berkshire County UCP, on Friday as BCArc honored UCP with the Long-Standing Partnership Award. Board Chairman Joseph Woitkoski looks on.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's not easy to keep a secret from someone you work with, never mind someone you live with.

But that's exactly what Kenneth Singer, president and CEO of Berkshire County Arc, managed to do leading up to his organization's 60th annual meeting on Friday morning.

Singer was able to surprise his wife, Christine Singer, with BCArc's Long-Standing Partnership Award, given to United Cerebral Palsy of Berkshire County, of which she is executive director. The award honored UCP for its "commitment and continued support to Berkshire County Arc."

In announcing the award, board Chairman Joseph Woitkoski acknowledged the collaboration the agencies have done over the years to support people with disabilities in Berkshire County, including working together on the annual legislative breakfast, family support conference and more.

"We do have a little bit of a relationship with them," he joked. "They're quite a duo."

Upon hearing UCP as the award recipient, Christine Singer, who was sitting in one of the tables near the front of the room, gasped: "I didn't know that!" To which husband Kenneth responded from behind the podium, "Surprise!"

Christine Singer accepted the award after a hug and kiss from her husband.

"I'm rendered speechless," she said. "I'm glad our family business has been supporting the lives of people with all disabilities.

"We love you all," she concluded to the people in the room who use BCArc and UCP services. "You are us. We can't ever thank you for enriching our lives."

That was a theme echoed throughout the breakfast meeting, as other awards were given out both to staff who help enrich their clients' lives and the clients themselves, who also enrich the lives of those around them.

Kenneth Singer, in his greetings to the crowded Itam room, offered a reflection of the 60 years BCArc has been operating, including the nearly 35 he has been with the organization. He recalled the genesis of the organization, which started with a handful individuals.

"It was just a group of families saying, 'My kid deserves what every other kid deserves,' " he said.

The Joan Grant Self-Advocate Award is presented to Brandy Buckingham on Friday at the Berkshire County Arc annual meeting in Pittsfield.

And while those seven have blossomed into more than 650 people being served by the agency, Singer urged the audience to remember that while the awards and accolades BCArc receives are important, that's not the true measure of success.

What is?

"The people that we serve are happy," he said. "When you think about life, isn't that what matters most?"

Singer then recognized Ed Kozak, Ed Therrien, Michael Kuvent and Tim Schnopp, who were the first four residents of 22 Copley Terrace, the first group home opened in Western Massachusetts in 1971.  

"They're doing great still," Singer said as the four men posed for pictures.

That they and the agency are doing so well can be partly attributed to support received from the region's elected officials, many of whom attended Friday's breakfast. Singer thanked them in his opening remarks.

"You have made a huge difference in the lives of many people," he told them.

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said helping BCArc in her role as an elected official was an easy transition for her, as she had a personal connection she shared with the meeting. She recalled how as a child growing up in Pittsfield, a neighboring family had a daughter the same age as her who lived in a hospital far away. That seemed odd to a young Farley-Bouvier.

"Why wouldn't Lisa be living with the family?" she recalled asking. But at some point, Lisa was able to come home, with support from agencies like BCArc, and was even able to attend  high school with Farley-Bouvier and go to work in the community.

"Now that's progress," she said, also mentioning the recent passage of the state's Real Lives Bill, which allows individuals qualifying for services to have a voice in plans for their own development. "I just can't wait to see what we can do in the next 60 years."

BCArc also gave awards to other clients served by the organization, including Citizenship Awards presented to Ryan Schwendenmann and Marc Dunn; an Achievement Award presented to Mark Paone and Irene Morrison; an Achievement in Personal Growth Award presented to Alex Pettus; a Work Achievement Award presented to Tom Coutherut; and the Joan Grant Self-Advocate Awards presented to Brandy Buckingham and Lisa Harrington.

In addition to honoring UCP, BCArc gave the 2014 Employer of the Year to The Ponds at Fox Hollow for longtime employment of its clients and the Business Partnership Award to Berkshire Health Systems, which assisted its ongoing connection with Zip N Sort as well as sponsoring regular seminars about topics important to BCArc.

Woitkoski himself was honored with the Board Member Service Award for his 30 years of service.

The annual Citizen Advocate of the Year Award was presented to staff member Erin Manson for her commitment to her protegee and friend Janet, whom she continued to advocate for even when a job promotion brought her to a different house.

Other employees awards included the Carol Craighead Mission Award presented to John Walsh; the Outstanding Vocational Services Employee Award presented to Matt Alibozek; the Outstanding Advocacy & Family Support Employee Award presented to Victoria Vaughan-Carra; the Outstanding Administrative Employee Award presented to Sally Hunt; the Outstanding Day Program Employee Award presented to Virginia Donovan; the Outstanding Residential Employee Award presented to Yessenia Salinas; and the Berkshire County Arc Employee of the Year Award presented to Amber Steele. BCArc also recognized employees who have been with agency for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years.

Steele, in her remarks to the crowd, said she was honored to receive the Employee of the Year Award in an agency of so many wonderful people.

"We each have the power to change the world, even if you have to do it one person at a time," she said. "We work among the most compassionate and driven people I know. You are all amazing people doing amazing things."

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