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May 2019 Newsletter

Artwork by Self-Advocate Joe Shultz

Meet and Greet A Success

One of the many blessings of my job is to meet and talk with people about the fantastic things we do at the Arc.

In May the Arc held

a meet and greet at the Franklin Terrace in Troy, NY. We invited community business leaders to hear us speak about our Arc and invite them to become Partners for a Promising Tomorrow.

I had the pleasure of being joined by Jim and Lori Snay, longtime participants who spoke to the group about the things that they do each day. They spoke of their passion for writing and sharing their poetry with a group called the "Voice". They also talked about the assistance we provide them and how it helps them in their daily living. Ed Bartz, who always amazes me with his words of wisdom, gave a moving speech as he talked about the importance of the Direct Support Professionals in his life and the lives of others who live with a disability.

Steve Bouchey, President of Bouchey Financial Group and last years Honorary Chair of the Evening on the Lake, spoke about the partnerships The Arc has fostered with Rensselaer County. One that goes unnoticed is that the Arc leases many of our properties. This is beneficial to us because it keeps our supports flexible and avoids expensive property repairs. It is also a positive side effect for our partnership with the towns, cities and county because it allows these properties to remain on the tax rolls instead of being owned by a not for profit business who does not have to pay property taxes.

Keith Algozzine, founder and CEO of United Concierge Medicine (UCM), spoke of the mission of providing the highest quality care in the least restrictive environment. With our similar blend in philosophy UCM and the Arc are driven by the same purpose. We are excited to share that Keith has agreed to be our Honorary Chair for our Evening on the Lake Event on June 26th!

With this first Meet and Greet such a success we have decided to have more "Coffee and Conversation" in the future to raise awareness, increase opportunities for partnerships, and to collaborate on visions of the future.

B ring on summer,

Don Mullin, CEO

You are invited to join us and our Honorary Chair Keith Algozzine,PA and co-founder of United Concierge of Medicine (UCM) along with our Master of Ceremonies, Lydia Kulbida from Channel 10 news, for this exciting, should not be missed event! Live auctions will be brought to life by Ralph F. Passonno Jr, CAI, AARE, GR of Uncle Sam AUCTIONS.com, Inc.

Items galore donated by local businesses and friends of the Arc will fill our silent auction tables. Fun, friendship, good food and great prizes. What more could you ask for in an evening?

Some of the live auction items include Yankee tickets, Mets tickets, and Red Sox tickets; The Kartrite Indoor Water Park including park admission and over night accommodations; recliner chair from the The Old Brick are just to name a few! Plenty of silent auction items are being added on a daily basis as well! There are gift cards, art, jewelry, and so much more donated by our local businesses and beyond. There is something for everyone! Tickets are $75 ahead of time and $100 at the door which includes your admission, elegant appetizers and desserts. Cash bar is available throughout the evening.

To purchase tickets go to our website www.renarc.org or

call 518-274-3110

Our CEO Wins

Financial Mangers Association Award

On May 8 our CEO, Don Mullin was awarded the FMA Member of Distinction award. Don wrote these words of thanks...

"I would like to thank many people for helping me become the professional I aspire to be. Jim Flanigan, Hanns Meissner, colleagues past and present who serve on our Administrative Team, as well as the incredible employees I worked with over the last 20 years who work in the Business Office and Human Resources Department are among those that I would like to thank. In addition, I add a shout out to the retirees in that group: Eileen, Marilyn, and Mandy.

I thank the group of individuals who,over the years, sat on the Finance Committee. Through the partnership with you I was able to learn, think and grow. So thank you, Jim Stewart, Robert Hergrueter, Jim Moran, John Santora, Martin Dunbar Sr, and Steve Muller.

A shout out to The Arc of NY Northeast Region CFO group. You folks are the best people to work with. I do miss those meetings now that I am in my new role. When people say we do not collaborate enough they have no idea the constant brainstorming, emails, phone calls, and information sharing that does happen and all to benefit the individuals we support. It is what makes the difference in our success.

To my family thank you for allowing me the flexible to work many hours here are the Arc. Lisa, Josh, Ariana, and Katarina I appreciate your help and support.

To the self-advocates, employees, families, both current and in the past, thank you for your help in making me to become a better person. I hope, in turn, that I improved your life in some way. I am humbled, Don."

Below is the speech read in his honor.

"It is my honor to be with you this evening to present the 7 ^th annual FMA Member of Distinction Award. This award recognizes an FMA member for their demonstrated leadership and ongoing outstanding service to the community of disability agencies and gives us the opportunity to put the spotlight on the financial professionals that work countless hours supporting the mission of non-profit agencies.

It is my pleasure to announce that Don Mullin is the honored recipient of the 2019 FMA Member of Distinction Award.

Don Mullin walked into the Arc of Rensselaer County 24 years ago looking for a job, and he found a passion. He quickly realized that even as an Accountant you could have a positive impact on people’s lives. Working side by side with many great people who had the same belief that all individuals should be included in society if offered the opportunity to explore their talents and skills.

Since that first day, Don has been a key factor in his agency’s fiscal health. He is known by all as a positive contributor to crafting solutions to financial, administrative and program related issues. He is a consummate collaborator and problem-solver – ready at any time to be of assistance. He works equally well with traditional service areas and the development of innovative support arrangements. His partnership with program staff has led to the development of many new and exciting individualized support arrangements for people with developmental disabilities. He has been an inspiration to everyone at The Arc of Rensselaer County.

His deep knowledge and expertise in the many rate based systems of OPWDD waiver services, the consolidated fiscal report and other fiscally related areas critical to running an effective and efficient DD agency has led other agency CFO’s, trade associations and NYSARC to consult with him on a routine basis. He often is ready, willing and able to assist other agencies and CFOs when called upon. He has been active member with FMA groups looking at rate issues and other administrative concerns. For example, he was a critical leader in the work done by an FMA group on Fiscal Intermediary changes. In addition, he has sat on an OPWDD task force related to various rate reforms.

Don credits two people who had the biggest impact on him, the late Henrietta Messier and Edie Hall. Both were parents of children with a disability who taught Don that you need a balance and partnerships to make supports work. It was this lens that Don used to guide growth for individuals served and supports offered at the Arc of Rensselaer County. Don has had many accomplishments, but he identifies his most significant accomplishment as realizing the role you play for your agency. Once you know you go to work every day to perform with all your heart and work as a partner with your coworkers to help people in a responsible manner reach for the stars, you will maximize your revenue and minimize your expenses and change lives for the better.

We are honored to present this year’s award to Don and to thank him for his years of service to our field and look forward to his contributions in the future.

In closing, please join me in congratulating Don on receiving the 2019 FMA member of Distinction Award."

Kudos to NY Wine and Liquor

for Wine Tasting Event

For the second straight year Rensselaer County business NY Wine and Liquor hosted a fundraising event with the support of our Foundation Board Member Maureen Kronau. The bottles that are donated help us stock our Wine Pull and compliment other Silent Auction baskets for our Evening on the Lake event. Our event, held on May 8, 2019 exceeded our expectations as we collected over 140 bottles for the event.

Thank you Maureen!

Thank you NY Wine and Liquor!

Thank you Arc of Rensselaer County community!

for making this event a great success!

Self Advocate John Larose

Rocks his Acting Debut!

Self Advocate John Larose joined the cast of the musical Drowsy Chaperone presented by SYFI Youth Theater Company (Staging Youths' Future Inc. ( https://www.syfitheater.com/ ). Fearlessly, John stepped out of the stage playing a building super. Excellent in his comedic delivery, he brought laughter to the crowd with his humor. Between that and John's infectious smile you couldn't help but share this joy filled moment with him.

A shout out to Jake Goodman and Josh Mullin, the co-directors of the show, for their help and support. Also, a bigger shout out to Katherine LaRosa, the Producer of the show and the leader of SYFI. She gives tirelessly to the community in making opportunities for students to perform. Fellow actors, ages 10-17, were great in helping John be comfortable on and off stage, and everyone was there to give him praise at the end.

Many times we hear of the bad in teenagers these days. I see compassion, camaraderie, teamwork, as well as a sense of community and belonging time and time again from the kids in these local groups. Standing ovation to all. I wish I could name every one of you from the show because I was impressed with your maturity, acceptance, and good fellowship.

Lastly, I would like to thank Kathy for supporting a 50/50 raffle in honor of our Direct Support Professionals fund. We made $70 to put toward our DSP fund!

To all who made this a huge success and an ever lasting memory for John I tip my cap to you!

PS I had a blast as well – Don Mullin.

2019 Annual Membership Meeting Members Elect New Board of Directors

Did you know that we are a membership organization? What this means is that our government voice is direct proportion to how many members we have saying that they support what we do. By joining us as members, we gain voices. The voices are crucial for several important reasons. We are a Chapter of The Arc of NY. The internal benefit of a large membership gives strength to the vote within the organization on policy and direction guidance. The external importance of being a member is you stand with us to tell Government, politicians, and the community that you support our mission: that everyone should be included in society and allowed to make a difference in the world. Our Annual Membership Meeting for The Arc of Rensselaer County was held in May. At the meeting, I gave an update on the programs we offer and the accomplishments we achieved in the last twelve months. Below are some highlights of those:

Achieved accreditation by the Council on Quality Leadership (CQL) in November 2018. This is a four-year accreditation where CQL comes in for a week and reviews our practices, policies, and programs.

Completed the transition of 3 top-level retirements: CEO Hanns Meissner, 39 years; Ed Martin Associate Executive Director of Adult Supports, 40 years; and CJ Heins Director of Quality Assurance, 13 years.

In September I was proud to hand out five year Service Awards to 21 Staff; 10 year Service Awards to 15 staff; 15 year Service Awards to 6 staff; one 20 year Service Award; three 25 year Service Awards; one 30 year Award and one 35 Years of Service Award. Also, we handed out 25 awards for staff recognized by their peers for going above and beyond.

We performed over 97,000 units of service. The Arc is funded by the units of service providing support for our individuals.

To me, the most significant accomplishment is our Direct Support Professionals fund (DSP fund) that was kicked off at our Lake Event on June 27, 2018. From that point until the beginning of December we fundraised over $113,000 to support the Direct Support Professional Fund. In December we were able to give our DSP up to $400 as a one-time payment. You might wonder why we did this instead of putting the money into programs? The DSP’s are core to our work. However, the government funding right now for their pay is not enough. They should be compensated better. We are working again to raise even more money for our DSP in 2019! Go to our website www.renarc.org to find out how you can donate!

To help as a resource to our Residents, Residential Staff, and Nurses, we added the ability to call telemedicine to support residents in need of medical care. Through this program, we diverted over 140 calls from possibly going to the Emergency Room which saves Residents from waiting for ER Care, saved staff from going to ER, and saved the funders over $200,000.

We hosted a variety of employee recognition events in addition to the the annual picnic; E Biz Docs our NYSID partner hosted a BBQ Lunch; Brunswick Center held a hall of appreciation; and we held our first employee night at the Valleycats.

We held various employment recruitment events such as a Haunted House; an Easter Egg Hunt; an Ice Cream Social. In addition we held Walk-in Wednesdays every week for those seeking employment and participated in numerousl local area job fairs. In all, we hired 215 employees in 2018.

On a sad note, we said goodbye to our Work Center which was a home base for some of our first Arc services. OPWDD was closing the funding for this area. The good news is that we have started a new venture with some of the employees from the Work Center moving to an affirmative business model. We are looking for to great success in that program.

Another sad note we said goodbye to Medicaid Service Coordination as OPWDD changed the way that service was delivered. We worked with local providers to find a new entity for the ten staff from MSC but said goodbye to these staff as our employees on July 1^{st. 2018.}

We also elected the new Board of Directors for the 2019-2020 Year. First, let me say thank you to Mary Muller, our President, for the last three years. Mary has been a huge resource for me as we went through the transition. She will remain as the Vice President. We are excited to have Edward O. Spain move into the President role. Ed has been on the board since June of 2015 serving on various committees. Also, we happily report we have added Sue Rosa, Vice President of the Commission on Economic Opportunity located here in Troy. These officers are joined by the following to round out the Board of Directors: David Borge, Charlette Burgess, Diane Dearborn, Sally Dunbar, Edie Hall, Deborah Hanish-Schreyer, Robert Hergrueter, Kathy Jimino, Peter Jones, Michelle Kearnan, Dee Kronau, Lisa Mahar, Julie Martin, Ani Mooney, James Moran, Debra Nuttall, Chrisse Rasmussen, Mindy Serkez, Kathleen Sheeran, and Jacqueline Tureby.

I express my sincere thank you to this group for their help in guiding the mission and strategy of The Arc of Rensselaer County, especially through my first year as the CEO. I look forward to another year.

Key Bank Make a Difference Day Helps The Arc

For the last 29 years, Key Bank has allowed its employees to step out of the branch and into the community to lend a helping hand. The Arc of Rensselaer was honored on May 15 to have two groups of Key Bank employees help us out this year. One group helped spread mulch and clean the winter debris from our residential home on Garfield Road. The other group helped us spruce up the Sensory Garden at Brunswick Center Services, getting it ready for the summer. BCS Director Carrie Painter wrote this to the group, “The work you did outside really looks awesome, and we are so grateful for your contribution.” Thank you Key Bank!

CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge

The CDPHP® Workforce Team Challenge 3.5-mile race took place on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Each year thousands of runners, walkers, and volunteers from hundreds of organizations throughout the area gather with their co-workers to take part in the largest annual road race in the Capital Region. Once again, with the help of Jaeger and Flynn Associates, we had 50 employees participate. Walkers and runners alike completed the race. A big thank to Kalynn Droz and John Greene for being this year's Co-Captains.

Three Arc Employees Honored

Build it forward is the motto of these 3 Arc employees. On a cold day in January, with just one day notice, Kim Burns, Chad Roose, and Jim Blessing teamed together to come to the aid of a former Arc employee and her son, a current Arc employee. Claudia, now suffering from serious health issues, needed help to move to a new apartment that would allow her to continue to live in her own home. St. Peters honored these three gentlemen for their efforts for performing this extraordinary task.

Special Needs Trusts: Best Practices When Choosing a Trustee

May 2019

By: NYSARC Trust Services

Choosing the right trustee can be one of the most important and difficult decisions you make when establishing a special needs trust for your loved one. The trustee is responsible for managing the trust and understanding how distributions from the trust could affect the services your loved one receives through government benefits. Some responsibilities of a trustee include:

· Communicating with the trust beneficiary, family and/or service providers

· Making appropriate distributions that do not adversely affect benefit eligibility

· Collecting proper documentation of distributions and maintaining records for reporting

· Prudent investment management

· Providing statements and accountings to appropriate agencies as needed

· Annual tax reporting as needed

Who can serve as trustee?

A parent or other relative, trusted friend, or a professional such as a lawyer, trust company, bank or other professional fiduciary can serve as the trustee of your loved one’s special needs trust. Give yourself extra peace of mind by also choosing a successor trustee/s who will take over the trust if your first choice is no longer around or able to manage your loved one’s trust account.

Some individuals or organizations will only agree to serve as a professional trustee for larger trust accounts. If you have a modest sum of money to protect and there is no family member available or willing to take on this responsibility, a pooled trust could be a good option to consider. Pooled trusts are run by not-for-profit organizations and offer experienced trustees at a significantly lower cost than a professional trustee of a standalone trust.

What makes a good trustee?

A good trustee is knowledgeable, trustworthy, and exercises due diligence to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to administer the trust appropriately and in the best interest of the trust beneficiary when making investment or purchasing decisions.

To protect your loved one’s benefit eligibility, it is crucial that the trustee you choose is committed to understanding your loved one’s needs and complying with the rules and regulations set by the Social Security Administration for making disbursements and substantiating the use of funds. No matter whom you are considering, be sure that the person or entity is:

1. Willing to serve as trustee

2. Familiar with your loved one’s needs and personal aspirations

3. Committed to acting in the best interest of your loved one

4. Knowledgeable in government benefit rules or willing to learn

5. Financially responsible and has the knowledge to manage investments or hire a professional

Do you have questions? To learn more, contact NYSARC Trust Services at (518) 439-8323 or visit www.nysarctrustservices.org. NYSARC Trust Services has administered supplemental needs trusts since 1972, helping thousands of people protect their eligibility for benefits and improve their quality of life.

During our Council in Quality and Leadership (CQL) re-accreditation last fall we were praised by the re-accreditation team on our history of promoting individual rights. One area that we determined needed some more work was talking to people about which rights are most important to them and then devising a strategy with that person in attaining more control over rights in that area. Our agency policy on individual rights was revised this spring and updated to include a section on working with people to determine which rights are most important to them and then working with that individual in pursuing that goal. The revised policy is on our agency website. To view it follow this link https://www.renarc.org/images/stories/Documents/Annual_Policies/Individual-Rights-Policy--final-5.15.19.pdf .

The Stronger Our Membership The Stronger Our Voice

Do You Support The Arc of Rensselaer County and what our agency does? Then become a member today! Go to our website www.renarc.org and sign up. For more information click on the video link. For questions call Lisa at 518-274-3110, ext 3028.

Don't Delay! Do It Today!!

Click To See Our Video On Membership

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBpyn4ie72k&feature=youtu.be

TIME TO WATCH OUT FOR TICK BITES

Tick bites left untreated can quickly turn more serious, and lead to other medical issues, such as Lyme disease.

HELP FROM UCM ON REMOVING A TICK FROM A CHILD'S NECK

The mother of a 12-year-old boy named James called in to United Concierge Medicine , concerned that she'd just found a tick with a 'huge back end' stuck to the back her son's neck. James and his friends had been outside earlier that day playing in the nearby wooded area—and she knew that it was important to remove this tick from right away.

The UCM emergency medical provider asked if Mom would be willing to set up a video chat in order to further assess and assist with her son, and she said she'd feel much more reassured to do just that, so she happily agreed; within minutes, she was on a video chat with the UCM emergency medical provider.

Right away, the UCM provider could see a large dog tick present and it was moving its legs. Mom, anxiously awaiting guidance on what to do next, mentioned she had a tick remover, but was unsure exactly how to use it.

PROVIDING VIRTUAL CARE RIGHT AWAY

The UCM emergency medical provider discussed the importance of removing the tick quickly and completely in order to have the best chance of preventing tick-borne disease; but he reassured her that using her tick remover, along with his instructions, she'd be able to remove the tick.

Note: A tick removal device can be obtained from a pharmacy, but a simple pair of tweezers will also work just as well.

With the tick removal device in hand—and James holding very still—the UCM emergency medical provider instructed the mother to get the tweezers as close to the tick head attachment point as possible, and to pull with gentle and even pressure up until both of the hooks on the tick’s head released.

After a few seconds, the mother was successful in removing the tick and showed the site to the UCM provider who was able to verify her success. He instructed her to immediately wash the tick bite area with an alcohol wipe. James was very happy that the tick was painlessly, and quickly, removed!

FOLLOW-UP CARE AND INSTRUCTIONS

Since the tick had not been in place for more than 24 hours, James had a low chance of contracting tick-borne disease of any kind, and therefore, did not need an antibiotic regimen. However, the UCM emergency medical provider explained, the mother needed to mark down the “tick bite day” on a calendar so she could monitor James for the next six weeks; should a patient develop a fever or rash any time within six weeks or so after a tick bite, they should be re-evaluated by a medical provider.

Both James and his mother were relieved to have the situation taken care of quickly and under the watchful eye of the UCM emergency medical provider ... and without a trip to the urgent care or emergency room.

In a follow-up call, the mother reported that James has had an uneventful post-bite timeframe, and says that he's not let inside from playing without a thorough body-check to screen for ticks!

Do you know what to do when you see a tick on your skin?

Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.

Company Name | The Arc of Rensselaer County www.renarc.org