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A Newsletter from Easterseals Arc Winter 2021

Easterseals Arc, Passages Plan MergerEasterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana is growing again through a merger with Passages, Inc. in Whitley County.

Easterseals Arc and Passages each have more than 65 years of history supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Merging the two organizations will allow them to provide additional services to more individuals and families in Whitley County.

Upon completion of the merger, targeted for March 1: � Easterseals Arc will be the

umbrella for services throughout Northeast Indiana

� Operations in Whitley County will be known as Easterseals Passages

� Operations in Steuben County will continue to be known as Easterseals RISE

“This move will prepare Passages for the future and allows us to partner with a fantastic organization in Easterseals Arc,” said Passages President/CEO Jason Meyer. “With our combined expertise and resources, we can provide more opportunities for people with disabilities to thrive in Whitley County.”

Easterseals Arc President/CEO Donna Elbrecht shared Meyer’s enthusiasm and commitment to growth.

“We are always committed to serving individuals and families in Northeast Indiana,” Elbrecht said. “This is a great opportunity to provide new and innovative services and supports in Whitley County. We know we can do more together with Passages by combining our strengths.”

Easterseals Arc and Passages are committed to making the transition as smooth as possible for individuals served by Passages. Passages direct care staff will become part of the Easterseals Arc team, providing

consistency and stability for the individuals they support.

New opportunities for individuals in Whitley County may include expanded employment and recreation services; behavior consulting; and more offerings for children younger than 12.

Passages also operates Whitley Crossings Neighborhood Corporation (WCNC), which

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RISE � Based in Angola � Serving Steuben and LaGrange counties

Passages � Based in Columbia City � Serving Whitley County

� Based in Fort Wayne � Services throughout Northeast Indiana

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Donna ElbrechtPresident & CEO

As 2020 Ends, Take Pride in Making a DifferenceI want to take a minute to reflect on 2020, a year of great challenges. At many times we had more questions than answers, and we saw more

uncertainty than stability, more fear than hope.

I’d like to share one of my favorite Winston Churchill quotes: “An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” This quote came to mind as I was reflecting. Not that any of us were opportunistic during COVID, but we created opportunities out of the calamity of COVID by learning to do things we have never done before.

Look at our purpose statement: making profound, positive differences in people’s lives every day. What we did in 2020 reflects this so blatantly and clearly! Our staff rose to the occasion — delivering meals; developing tele-health and virtual program options; getting supplies, implementing new protocols; calming fears; delivering paid work to consumer homes; figuring out virtual fundraising events; keeping people as healthy and safe as possible. This would have been enough, but we took it to the next level. We knew we could make a profound, positive difference in people’s lives every day in Steuben County through a merger with RISE. Together we have stabilized services and jobs, started innovative new services, and we are growing.

As if that wasn’t enough, we stepped in to help consumers from Cardinal Services when their world was tossed upside-down very suddenly. We ensured they received health care, comfort, and support. We made a profound, positive difference in their lives for the two weeks they were with us … and beyond.

But wait, we still weren’t finished! Passages suggested we could make a bigger difference together in Columbia City. We will once again deliver on our purpose statement by making profound, positive differences in people’s lives every day in Whitley County when merge this spring.

I know 2020 year was a tough year for all of us. I am so grateful to all of you: our staff, consumers, families, donors and community partners for trusting us and supporting each other. Together, we made opportunity out of calamity. Together, we lived our purpose. We have made a profound difference. I will never be able to convey my pride and gratitude to all of you.

I know we will still be handling COVID and other challenges in 2021. I know we will be working closely with the team at Passages to help them transition smoothly to Easterseals. I know we will still have days when we have more questions than answers. I also know together we can do so much!

I hope you all feel pride in what we have accomplished. I hope you all feel amazed and humbled by the difference we are making in people’s lives every day. I look forward to working together in 2021 as we make profound, positive differences in Northeast Indiana!

` Easterseals Arc, Passages Plan Merger (continued from Page 1)

provides affordable housing for a wide range of people, including senior citizens and people with disabilities. With the merger between Easterseals Arc and Passages, Brightpoint will take on Whitley Crossings. Brightpoint is a non-profit organization based in Fort Wayne that focuses on removing the causes and conditions of poverty for individuals and families throughout Northeast Indiana.

“I’m proud of the work we have done through Whitley

Crossings,” Meyer said. “Having Passages and Whitley Crossings each affiliated with a larger organization of similar focus will ultimately improve both organizations.”

“Brightpoint has a long history of serving Whitley County with a wide variety of programs, and we have developed affordable housing in other areas of northeast Indiana,” Brightpoint President/CEO Steve Hoffman said. “We’re excited by the opportunity to serve Whitley County in this way in the future.”

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Cooking Program Encourages Nutritious MealsA program to help Easterseals Arc consumers learn to cook has already cleared the most important hurdle: The meals taste good.

“We got feedback that, yes, the meals are nutritious, but they’re still enjoyable,” said Stacey Duell, director of program operations. Duell is one of the people expanding the “Let’s Cook!” program to more homes where Easterseals Arc consumers live.

The program is based on the book “Let’s Cook!,” by Elizabeth D. Riesz and Anne Kissack. The late Riesz had a daughter with Down syndrome who inspired development of many of the recipes.

Duell described Riesz as “a nutritionist with lots of experience in our field. The

recipes in (‘Let’s Cook’) are very nutritious, but they’re also very easy to follow and very affordable.”

Each recipe in “Let’s Cook” — which is also what Easterseals Arc is calling its program on healthy eating — includes a photograph of the prepared dish, a list of ingredients (“What I Need”), a list of cookware and kitchen utensils (“What I Use”), and information on serving sizes and nutrition.

Jodi, along with two roommates, was one of the consumers who tried out “Let’s Cook!” recipes last summer. She said she enjoyed making the meals.

“I sure did,” she said. “I like to cook, like, healthy meals.”

She remembered liking a veggie omelet made following the “Let’s Cook!” instructions. Jodi and her roommates don’t routinely cook, although sometimes they help cook meals on the weekends, she said.

The book also includes suggestions for making full meals built around the recipes in the book. For example, the authors suggest making Chili Macaroni a meal with Speedy Tossed Salad and Baked Apple.

Late last summer, Duell said, Easterseals Arc tested

the “Let’s Cook!” program in a few houses where Easterseals Arc consumers live. Based on the response to those trial recipes, they plan to expand the program this year. Part of the appeal is the low cost of the program. Expanding it will require buying more copies of the “Let’s Cook!” book. Beyond that, the consumers already buy groceries, and staff members who will help already work in the homes where consumers live. There’s not much additional cost in trying a new approach to helping consumers learn to do more of their own cooking, which is a fundamental skill for living more independently.

Above: Jodi prepares a veggie omelet as part of the “Let’s Cook!” program. Left: Each recipe in “Let’s Cook!” includes information on nutrition, ingredients and required utensils.

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Retirees Stay Active After Leaving Work BehindEasterseals Arc consumers are much like other workers when it comes to deciding to retire. Sometimes health or mobility becomes an issue. Other times, they like the idea of more leisure time.

Marlin, 85, is an old hand at retirement. When staff member Bonnie Reeves started working in his home

on Haffner Drive nine years ago, Marlin was already retired. He’d worked for many years in Easterseals Arc’s

Projects Drive Group (PDG), assembling products ranging from parts of Powerwheels for children to components used at General Motors’ Fort Wayne Assembly Plant. Marlin also remembers working in the laundry at Parkview Hospital.

Steve, who also lives at Haffner, retired more recently after many years working in PDG. “I was tired,” he said. Now Steve enjoys working on puzzles, sometimes on his own, sometimes with housemates. He also enjoys bowling and was on a bowling team.

Marlin said he enjoys “taking life easy,” but he still gets in on many activities, including bowling and visits to the YMCA. He also enjoys listening to live music. “I do everything,” he said.

Supported Living Director Rachel Pemberton explained that retiring from work doesn’t mean giving up suppport from Easterseals Arc. The most important service — one central to Marlin’s and Steve’s lives — is staffing their home 24 hours a day with Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). Part of the mission of those DSPs is keeping the people they serve active and involved, even when they retire.

“Instead of doing paid work, they’re doing activities, they’re going out in the community,” Pemberton said. “They’re still active.”

Some PDG retirees shift to the Adult Day Center. There they can join in art and music classes; participate in yoga and meditation adaptable to people with many degrees of physical ability; help with gardening projects outdoors; play games; enjoy movies together;

or pursue many other activities.

Easterseals Arc assits consumers in another fundamental way: helping them decide whether and when to retire. Pemberton said staff who are most familiar with a consumer approaching retirement meet with the consumer, guardian and/or family member, case manager, and a behavioral consultant or other advisers. Together the whole team considers the impact of retirement on a consumer’s life.

Cindy, pursuing her ‘best life’Cindy, 68, had wanted to retire for at least a year or two. Her sister, who also is her guardian, was cautious about the prospect of Cindy retiring. She was concerned about Cindy becoming too sedentary.

Cindy didn’t do traditional work at PDG, but she went there to sew. She enjoys sewing, and behavior consultant Sherry Walton helped her establish “Cynthia Sews,” a business through which she sold items that she made. Earlier in life, Cindy worked at the American Red Cross, a grocery store and a nursery.

In Cindy’s case, the spread of COVID-19 helped prompt her team to support her retirement. Elsie Davis, a staff member who works with Cindy, said Cindy hasn’t gone to PDG since March.

Part of retirement planning is considering how retirement can contribute to a consumer living her “best life,” a life that brings the greatest satisfaction

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For more photos and information, visit bit.ly/EastersealsRetirees Bonnie Reeves calls numbers during a bingo game at

Haffner House with Marlin, left, and Steve, center.

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` Retirees Stay Active (continued from Page 4)

and fulfillment. Pemberton said Cindy’s vision of her “best life” would be sewing, watching Westerns on television and playing with her cat, Stella. It also might be so sedentary that it could be bad for her health.

“Our goal isn’t to have them turn into couch potatoes,” Pemberton said. “We still try to have them do a lot of engagement activities.”

Now Cindy is working on a big sewing project, a tablecloth, and she has plenty of time for Stella and Westerns. But Davis ensures that she has more in her life, too. “She’s retired, but I’ve signed her up for some volunteering,” Davis said.

Davis has worked with her for six years and knows her well enough to choose outings and activities that Cindy enjoys.

Cindy’s definite about her new routine. “YES!” she answers enthusiastically when asked whether she likes being retired.

Joyce, at home with family

Joyce, 59, grew up primed to work as one of eight children in her Steuben County family. Neither her size — she is 3 feet tall — nor her Down syndrome excused her from doing chores. She remembers vacuuming, mopping floors, cleaning her bedroom and doing dishes.

“I was really good at doing the dishes,” she said. An older sister, Robin Hammond, said, “She’s always had a special set of stairs they’d put up to the sink so she could get up there and help do all the chores. She pulled her weight!”

Joyce tried her hand at jobs in the community, but work in local businesses didn’t adjust to fit her in the same way her family adjusted chores. “That’s the part

that’s been a real challenge for her to get a job out in the community, because of her size. It’s a big person’s world, and she’s just so short,” Hammond said.

Easterseals RISE proved to be an exception. Joyce lived with her parents until her mother’s death in 2004. From then until fall of 2020, she lived in homes with one to three roommates, all of whom were Easterseals RISE consumers.

Nikki Hile, an Easterseals RISE supervisor who has worked with Joyce, said “her ideal job was to be a secretary in an office.” So, one day a week, Joyce joined the Eaterseals RISE office crew.

“We were working on skills such as answering the phone and transferring phone calls,” Hile said. When the agency had a bistro operated by consumers, one of Joyce’s duties in the office was taking orders from staff members and conveying them to the people making lunches in the bistro.

But as Joyce aged, her arthritis worsened. She now has more difficulty getting around, and she uses a walker.

A younger sister, Margie Salinas, invited Joyce to live with her after Joyce retired in October. Thanks to a younger brother, Dan, Joyce has a room that’s sized to suit her.

Living with her sister, Joyce has many opportunities to do things she enjoys, such as working jigsaw puzzles and shopping for purses and craft supplies.

Of course, she still has jobs to do in her new home: “Keeping my room straightened up. And my bathroom. And putting my laundry away.”

Cindy sorts papers as part of volunteer work at the Volunteer Center in Fort Wayne.

Joyce and her sister Margie Salinas work on Christmas cookies together.

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Show Support through a Birthday FundraiserWe couldn’t have navigated 2020 without the support of donors like you. COVID has taken so much, but

your gifts to Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana give back hope and allow Easterseals Arc to continue empowering individuals who depend on us as a place of community and endless opportunities as we change the way the world defines disabilities.

Easterseals Arc can always use your help to continue providing services. As we kick off a new year, why not make your birthday more meaningful? Choose

Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana as your charity of choice when celebrating your birthday.

Social media have gained traffic and created opportunities to invite others to support organizations that we believe in. More than 45 million people send birthday wishes each day on Facebook, and Facebook gives you a chance to create a fundraiser with very little effort — allowing you to make your special day more meaningful.

How? Two weeks before your birthday, Facebook will provide a message in your newsfeed giving you an option to create a fundraiser for your birthday. There is no cost to you or to Easterseals Arc. When your friends send you a birthday message, they will have the option to donate to the charity of your choice —which we hope is us!

If I can offer any further insight on helping you set this up, just contact me at sward@esarc.org. What a simple way to give back and allow others to support your passion for our mission as we celebrate you in 2021!

sheri wardDirector of Development

Thank You to Funders Providing GrantsEasterseals Arc is thankful to the following organizations for their generous grant awards: � AWS Foundation, $48,000 to support the

Transitions program at Easterseals RISE � The Carson and Rosemary Noecker Family

Foundation, $20,000 for operating expenses � The English Bonter Mitchell Foundation, $35,000

to support education and pre-employment services for young adults in the Transitions program

� The Fort Wayne Health and Education Foundation, $2,000 for assistive technology

� Lilly Endowment Inc., $36,000 to offset expenses related to providing support services to youths with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

� The Magee-O’Connor Foundation, $10,000 to help implement educational programs in learning labs targeting employment preparation

� The M.E. Raker Foundation, $5,000 to support education and pre-employment services for teens and young adults

� The Robert H. Reakirt Foundation, $10,000 for assistive technology

� Steuben County Community Foundation, $20,000 to Easterseals RISE to support a Pre-Manufacturing Academy, which will be offered in partnership with The Steuben County Economic Development Corporation (EDC)

� United Way of DeKalb County, $25,000 to develop a Transitions program in DeKalb County

Virtual Event Raises $140,400Old National Bank’s third annual Culinary Queens event in Fort Wayne raised $140,400 for Easterseals Arc. Participants in the virtual event raised funds online, contributed a recipe for a cookbook, and shared cooking tips via live videos on Zoom and Facebook.

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Upcoming Events

FEBRUARY 2/19 Parents Night Out, 6 to 9 p.m., Whitley County Family YMCA, 950 E. Van Buren St., Columbia City,

Ind.; contact Ashley Bouthot, 260.456.4534 ext. 294 or abouthot@esarc.org, for more information 2/20 Sibshops; contact Sarah Savage at ssavage@esarc.org or Jamie Mann at jmann@esarc.org for

information on Zoom session

MARCH

3/20 Sibshops; contact Sarah Savage at ssavage@esarc.org or Jamie Mann at jmann@esarc.org for information on Zoom session

APRIL 4/5-4/9 Spring Break Dream Teens and Mini Dreamers; contact Aimee Green, agreen@esarc.org or

260.456.4534 ext. 276, for information 4/10 Passages #GiveMeaning 5K/10K, 8 a.m. Morsches Park, Columbia City, Ind.; visit passagesinc.org/

race for more information or to register. 4/17 Sibshops; contact Sarah Savage at ssavage@esarc.org or Jamie Mann at jmann@esarc.org for

information on Zoom session. 4/30 Parents Night Out, 6 to 9 p.m., Caylor-Nickel Foundation Family YMCA, 550 W. Dustman Road,

Bluffton, Ind.; contact Ashley Bouthot, 260.456.4534 ext. 294 or abouthot@esarc.org, for more information

MAY 5/15 Sibshops; contact Sarah Savage at ssavage@esarc.org or Jamie Mann at jmann@esarc.org for

information on time and location.

Cancellations and ChangesSome meetings and events frequently included in this calendar have been canceled or changed due to COVID-19 concerns: � Boundaries Crossed, Asperger’s Youth Group: Usually meets the first Tuesday of every month. However,

meetings are on hold. For more information, contact Tommy Guest at tommy@partnersinautism.com. � Self Advocates: Usually meets the third Friday of every month. However, meetings have been

temporarily suspended. For more information, contact Danielle Jones at djones@esarc.org. � Adult Asperger’s Group: Usually meets the second Monday of every month. However, meetings have

been shifted to a Zoom format, and dates and times may vary. For more information, check out The Asperger’s Group at Lutheran Hospital on Facebook or contact Jamie Mann at jmann@esarc.org.

� Aktion Club: Usually meets the first and third Wednesdays of every month. However, meetings have been cancelled until further notice.

Holiday 5/31 Memorial Day, Easterseals Arc offices and day programs closed

Dancing with the Arc StarsWatch our Facebook page and website for information coming soon on a virtual celebration of Dancing with the Arc Stars in March.

taking on disability together

4919 Coldwater RoadFort Wayne, IN 46825

WINTER 2021

Easterseals RISE Collaborates with CahootsEasterseals RISE has launched a new Transitions program with Cahoots Coffee Café to help young adults develop skills for independence and workplace success.

“The Cahoots mission of ‘providing a safe space for youth to thrive’ meshes perfectly with the Transitions program goal of helping teens and young adults with disabilities learn to live and work in the community,” said Crystal Church-Stavitzke, Easterseals RISE executive director.

Easterseals RISE will rent space at Cahoots in downtown Angola for Transitions classes and activities; help with staffing at Cahoots by training program participants to fill various roles; and share Easterseals RISE resources, such as technology and curriculum, with Cahoots. The Cahoots site also will serve as a hub for Easterseals RISE Transitions

participants to be picked up and dropped off for outings, work experiences and other activities.

“We are excited to begin this new chapter in our history of community partnerships that make Steuben County a great place for all people,” said the Rev. Tom Adamson, executive director of Cahoots. “We believe this partnership helps us live into our mission more fully.”

Transitions participants are encouraged to pursue employment goals, explore education opportunities, and learn independent living skills. In addition, the program will include enrichment activities such as music, art and yoga classes as well as education on emotional and mental health.

“We envision this becoming a truly inclusive environment for our participants and the Angola community, with Cahoots patrons participating in activities alongside the individuals we support,” Church-Stavitzke explained.