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March 28, 2024
Dear Stakeholders,
All of us at Liberty ARC and Schenectady ARC are excited to be just a few weeks away from the official unification of our two Agencies, which will happen on May 1st, 2024. I wanted to provide you with an update of some of the things happening as our agencies come together. Thanks to all of the input from our survey, we have a new logo and tag line to debut! Our new logo can be seen here. It brings together elements of the Schenectady ARC and Liberty ARC identities, showing how our newly merged organization is a continuation of both of these wonderful entities. The tagline, “Grow Together” speaks to how our services empower the people we support, and how our agency improves the lives of our staff, volunteers, people we support, and the community. We will be updating our materials with the new logo, and offering some items with the new logo on it. We’ll also be merging our websites, Facebook pages, and other online presences – so be on the lookout for an invitation to like and follow to keep up with all of the great things happening at Liberty ARC!
We're very pleased to welcome six new members to the board of directors of our unified agency who previously served on the Schenectady ARC board of directors: Karen Bona, Arthur Breault, John Bresonis, Holly Gray, Tammy Krisher, and Sarah Wilson-Sparrow. They each bring a fantastic commitment to our mission and the important board experience of the Schenectady County programs and services to our unified agency.
With the unification underway, this year we will be launching a combined membership campaign. Your membership in our new unified agency is so important, as a strong membership gives us a powerful voice at the statewide table. Membership remains only $5 per year and it shows your support of the programs and services in Schenectady and Montgomery counties. As a member-based organization, it’s critical that we have a strong and engaged membership in both counties.
Our operations team and support departments have been working closely with one another, getting ready for the official merger. From Finance, to Staff Training, Human Resources, Communications, and more, we are excited to leverage the experience and expertise of our newer, larger team. Operations teams in residential, day habilitation, without walls, clinical, family support services, and self-directed services are working together to provide the very best in services and supports to people with disabilities, from children to seniors, in Schenectady and Montgomery counties. I couldn’t be prouder of our wonderful team of nearly 1,200 employees and all the work they have done to make this transition seamless for the people we support.
If you have questions, suggestions, or concerns about the merger process, please reach out to Candace Opalka, Chief Operating Officer, at 518-954-3303 or Sue Meiklejohn, Director of Program Administration, at 518-688-8284.
On behalf of all of us, thank you for being an important part of our work – with your support and dedication, we can continue to ensure that people with disabilities have a quality of life that each person values!
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