Our Mission
Our Vision
Our Values
Executive Team
Ulster-Greene ARC Board of Directors
Ulster Greene Facts
To offer people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities opportunities to live and experience full lives.
The dreams, desires and needs of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities are realized through innovative services and advocacy.
Ulster-Greene ARC strives to be a values-based organization with a commitment to:
Respect – We treat everyone affiliated with our agency – people we serve, their families and our employees – with the same dignity and respect that we would want for ourselves. This includes respect for the cultural diversity and individual beliefs that are an integral part of the richness of our organization.
Integrity – With integrity as a foundation for all our actions, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness and principles in all our interactions with the people we serve, their families and advocates, our co-workers and all others.
Compassion – We exhibit kindness, understanding, empathy, and concern for the people we serve and our co-workers.
Excellence – We dedicate ourselves to provide the highest standards of care to the people we serve on a daily basis, well beyond the requirements of our regulatory bodies. We take pride in helping to define their needs and meeting those needs in cooperation with others.
In adopting these values as our guiding principles, we promise to work together to encourage equally, the people we serve, their families and
our employees to grow and flourish
Laurie
Sal
John
Bhakarappointed Director of Residential Services when he joined Ulster-Greene ARC in December, 2009. Bhakar has 17 years of experience in healthcare and social services and worked at Mountain Lake Services, the Essex County Chapter of NYSARC as Director of Eastern and Southern Regions upstate. He holds an M.B.B.S. degree ( the U.S. equivalent to an M.D.) from University of Rajasthan, India, and and an MBA degree in Healthcare Management from University of Phoenix, AZ. He lives with his wife Kusum, daughter Reya, and son Rahul in Lake George, NY. Bhakar’s special interest in the Autism spectrum and those with Down’s Syndrome stems from his early direct care work with individuals; he always tries to see the potential in people.
2011-2012 Executive Committee
- Todd McNutt, President
- *Thomas Hitchcock , 1st Vice President
- Sheree Cross 2nd Vice President
- Valerie Dwyer, Treasurer
- Kathleen Farrell, Ph.D., Secretary
- Ryan Arold
- *Robert Boening
- Craig Crump
- Jack Deyo
- Dennis Doyle
- John Dwyer
- *Kathleen Freese
- Robert J. Gaus
- *Helen Gonyea
- *Joe Kames
- Thomas Lindgren
- Elizabeth Loebbaka
- Matthew McCoy
- William Muirhead
- *Roxanne Pecora
- *Mark Storch
- Cheryl Hobart, President
- Susan Sadler, Vice President
- Kim Turck, Secretary/Treasurer
- Susan Alecca
- Lisa Arold
- Michael Ascenzi
- *Merriam Boening
- Jeff Budik
- Kathleen Fitzpatrick
- Suzanne Gordon
- Judith Gould
- Barbara Graff
- Jonathan Kaplan
- Laurie Kelley
- Paul Kesick
- Verna Lomax
- Patrick Oji
- Dawn Scannapieco
- *Diana Lou Wolff
- *Robert Boening(agency liason)
- *Mark Storch(agency liason)
- Nancy Storey(foundation staff)
- Kara MacIntyre(foundation staff)
ABOUT OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Our Board of Directors serve with a passion for Ulster-Greene ARC's mission, "To offer people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities opportunities to live and experience full lives."
Mark Storch is a retired high school science teacher. He's been one of the strongest advocates for the human rights of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. He says that as a parent of a very vulnerable daughter with autism, there's constant worry about her care and safety. "I trust Ulster-Greene ARC and the staff members who care for Jenny. They are just like family to Jenny and me. That's why I'm involved in Ulster-Greene ARC; I have a strong vested interest in this agency's success and future."
Tom Hitchcock’s daughter Alison is fiercely independent. She was raised with a focus on her abilities, not disabilities. Tom and Alison's Mom, Lonna, are retired educators who enjoy travel and visiting with grandchildren. Tom says they can be away with a lesser sense of worry about Alison who lives semi independently and works in the community, because they know Ulster-Greene ARC is there to help her succeed. "When you have a child with a disability, the concerns are constant. We put our trust into UGARC because we know the staff and the leadership team is totally dedicated to Alison and the other people they serve."
The Board of Directors of Ulster-Greene ARC serve as community volunteers who share their insights, passion and expertise in assuring that our agency remains a sound choice for high quality assistance for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Board members include people with expertise in the areas of financial and strategic planning, education, health care, real estate development as well as other areas.
We are a not-for-profit agency that serves nearly 2000 people who have developmental delays or disabilities throughout the mid-Hudson and Catskill Mountains region. The disabilities include mental retardation, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, to name just a few.
Developmental disabilities are those that have an onset usually at birth but before the age of 21 and which are permanent in nature. The exception is traumatic brain injury which can occur at any time, but which is permanent in nature.
We teach people daily living skills that can lead to higher levels of independence. These skills might include personal hygiene, learning how to take public transportation, learning how to open and manage a bank account, learning how to shop, cook, and keep a home. Basically, our services are centered around personal and family choice.
We provide advocacy for families by helping them obtain the services they need at Ulster-Greene ARC or other area agencies. This advocacy might take the form of assisting someone with the legal process of guardianship or obtaining special education services or finding ways to become better included in the community.
We are able to act as lifetime guardian for people with disabilities providing peace of mind for often elderly parents who worry about the future of their children. We are able to assist family members in securing legal guardianship for themselves and are able to assist when it comes to preparing for the future.
We advocate for funding and legislative policies that preserve and improve needed services for people with disabilities.
Our own transportation system includes 150 vehicles that travel about 1.8 million safely-driven miles each year. In our rural community, transportation is the vital link to work, to neighbors, to church and synagogue, to recreation. It means the difference between segregation and community inclusion.
As part of our outreach, we offer defensive driving courses to the public in the interest of community safety. These courses are taught by our certified driving professionals.
We act as good neighbors by upgrading our properties, keeping them well-maintained and beautifully landscaped.
We believe strongly in the ideals of voluntarism. The people we serve, their families and our staff give generously of their time to help the community by volunteering at fire and rescue squads, religious groups or organizations, sports associations, local soup kitchens, school groups, service clubs and in many other ways.
Our Residential Services meets the individual needs of people for housing or related services. We offer services that help people with disabilities remain with their families by providing services in their home. We also offer a range of choices from help in finding an apartment to 24-hour care in one of our community homes.
About Us .png)