Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
At the beginning of this album.
Okay.
Okay.
On check two.
Check two.
Check two.
I think we're good.
Okay.
All right.
Hello.
Hi.
Here we go.
Coming to you in three, two,one.
Hey, everybody.
All right.
Three, two, one.
(00:20):
Hello, everyone, and welcome tothe inner harbor cast from the
beautiful Inner Harbor MediaStudios.
My name is Skip Clark, your hostof the Inner Harbor Cast.
And we're always talking aboutthe community.
We're proud to be hometown.
Uh, and today we're uh shiningthe spotlight.
It's an incredible organization,changing lives, right here in
central New York.
(00:41):
Joining me this morning isJoanna Jewett.
She is the Chief CommunicationsOfficer for the Ark of Anadaga.
Uh, Joanna and her team work uhevery single day to empower
people with developmental andintellectual disabilities.
I have a son that kind of goeswith that as well, and uh
helping them live, work, andthrive as active members of our
(01:04):
community.
Joanna, good morning.
It's so good to see you.
SPEAKER_02 (01:07):
Oh, it's wonderful.
God, we go way back.
Way back.
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Let's not talk about how far we're just talking about
age and we're we're just talkingabout how time flies.
SPEAKER_02 (01:15):
Time flies, it really does.
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
You know, we had the opportunity of working together
and getting things done in thepast, and I know you're very
good at what you do, and it'sgreat to see you at an
organization like Ark ofOnadaga.
But um, for those who might notbe familiar, uh, what is the Ark
of Onadoga and what's the heartbehind what you do?
SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
Yeah, Ark of Onadaga, we're actually heading
into 75 years of providing Iknow, I know, of providing
supports and services to peopleuh with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
And we uh, you know, just aswe're heading into our 75th
year, you know, we started in avery grassroots way.
(01:58):
And you can probably relate tothis.
Okay.
Um, we started with parents whojust wanted their children with
disabilities to have the sameaccess opportunities as
non-disabled children.
So from there, 75 years ago,over the years, we have changed,
(02:18):
we've added, we've um, you know,tried to be tried to be as
inclusive to um provideopportunities in all aspects of
life.
So um we have a variety ofservices that we provide.
We operate uh residences, grouphomes, as some people would call
(02:39):
them, um, throughout the county,throughout Onondaga County.
We offer a lot of communitysupports to day habilitation,
community habitation.
And I would guess that you knowsome of your listeners have seen
our staff out with people thatthey support, you know, just at
the mall or at the fair orwherever.
We we we strive to um helppeople support people so they
(03:05):
can live meaningful lives inthis beautiful community of
ours.
SPEAKER_00 (03:09):
I love this.
What inspired you, Joanna, toget involved?
SPEAKER_02 (03:12):
Well, you know, I um I definitely have a heart for
nonprofit organizations.
SPEAKER_01 (03:18):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (03:18):
And I and I'm sure you can relate to this too.
I think, you know, I think it'sour responsibility to help those
who are more vulnerable than we.
And um, you know, unless youhave a connection, a personal
connection, a family member, afamily friend, most people may
not know what an intellectual ordevelopmental disability looks
(03:40):
like.
You know, after we graduate fromhigh school, where we're, you
know, where we, you know, seekids who benefit from special
education, we might not have alot of experience.
So um when I heard about theposition, I thought, oh, that's
a great organization.
And when I learned more aboutthe kinds of supports and the
(04:01):
people and what ARC does, Ithought, yeah, I need to be part
of that.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (04:08):
And you're blessed.
SPEAKER_02 (04:09):
I am, I am.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
Um, what are some of the biggest biggest
misconceptions of uh, you know,that the public still has about
people uh with developmentaldisabilities?
Some of those, you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (04:22):
I think you know, history, if you go back, you
know, 50, 60, even 25 years, youknow, I think the thought for a
very long time was people withIDD, I'm abbreviating,
intellectual and developmentaldisabilities, you know, that
they had to be sheltered, theyhad to be protected, they had to
be kind of, you know, kept away,kept safe.
That's not really, you know,where we live anymore.
(04:44):
You know, people with develop uhdevelopmental, physical, any
kind of disability, they justwant to be part of the
community, right?
They want to work, they want tolive, they want to enjoy all the
things that everybody does.
So I think that's probably thebiggest myth.
And, you know, what we see sooften, one of the one of the
services that we offer is uh anemployment uh program.
SPEAKER_01 (05:04):
Love it.
SPEAKER_02 (05:05):
Yeah, it's and and again, you know, uh, I'm sure
you can relate.
Um, you know, adults want towork.
Work, making making income, youknow, being able to support
yourself, live in asindependently as possible, those
mean a lot to the to an adult.
SPEAKER_00 (05:20):
It never used to be that way.
SPEAKER_02 (05:21):
Correct.
SPEAKER_00 (05:22):
I mean, if we go way back, I mean, for example, I
have a son that's 24, he's downsyndrome, and Zach, I mean, if
we were to go back 70, 50 or 75years, chances are he would have
been somewhere in aninstitution.
SPEAKER_02 (05:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
You know, that is thank God it's the past.
SPEAKER_02 (05:41):
Absolutely, absolutely.
And you know, the employers thatwe work with locally, the
companies that, you know, um,the like the VA and Wegmans and
Topps and Price Chopper, and youname it, we we have people that
we support working in a lot ofbusinesses.
In fact, October is uhdevelopmental employment
(06:03):
ability.
I'm sorry, I'm gonna say thatagain.
SPEAKER_00 (06:05):
It's that long.
SPEAKER_02 (06:06):
It is a long one.
It is.
It's Disability EmploymentAwareness Month.
Yes.
Which basically all we're tryingto do is let prospective
employers know that people withIDD want to work.
They're loyal, they they willcome, they have a work ethic.
SPEAKER_00 (06:24):
I'm behind that 100% because I see it every day.
SPEAKER_02 (06:26):
Yes, you do.
Yes, you do, and I think a lotof people do.
Um, so we're really just tryingto find the right opportunities
for people um because that's ourrole.
We just want to support them tobe all that they want to be.
SPEAKER_00 (06:40):
And I get so proud.
I have those proud moments whenI go to a ball game and I know
my son Zach is working in thepress box.
Yes, yes, you know, I mean, asone of their PA announcers as
well.
That's what I do.
Um, but even when I'm workingand I see the notes that are in
front of me, those are notesfrom my son.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Which is awesome.
Which is awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (06:58):
Yeah, you know, he's telling me what's going on, how
the announcements should beread, so on and so forth.
I love it.
So nobody should underestimateany of these individuals and
organizations like ArkabanaJaga, uh, they reinforce that.
And they get the individuals outin the work, the workforce
itself.
SPEAKER_02 (07:15):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I mean, you know, we'll we canplace the people, we can provide
the support, literallyone-on-one support.
Where um, you know, if if uhsomebody we support requires a
little bit longer training ormore in-depth training than a
business can provide, we canprovide the staff to get that
person moving ahead, learningwhat they need to learn, being
(07:37):
productive, you know, matchingtheir abilities to the task at
hand.
SPEAKER_00 (07:41):
Yeah, today we're talking to Joanna Jewitt, who is
the chief communication officerfor ARK of Onadoga.
Uh, Joanna, can you share astory that really captures the
impact of ARC, of the uh ARCthat it's had on someone's life
or family?
SPEAKER_02 (07:56):
Absolutely.
It's gotta be some of thosethings.
Oh, absolutely.
Well, I'll share this, Skiff.
So every uh March we host anachievement awards dinner.
And really the pinnacle of thatevent is uh the naming of the
person of the year.
It's somebody we support,somebody we provide supports and
services to, who's writing hisor her own success story.
(08:17):
We're helping, we're there, butthey're really doing it on their
own.
So I'll share the story of thisyear's uh young man.
Yeah, a young man named Anthony,okay.
Um, who um, you know, I thinkearly on, uh, you know, I think
the family heard a lot of no's,what wasn't possible for him.
SPEAKER_00 (08:36):
Which is not uncommon, by the way.
SPEAKER_02 (08:38):
I I can imagine, I'm sure, I'm sure, you know, uh,
well, this won't really work.
Well, he doesn't have the rightskill set.
Well, well, well, well, well.
And um, you know, you canimagine how discouraging that
would be for a family who lovesand believes in the abilities of
their son.
So um, after kind of hitting alot of brick walls, they found
(08:58):
their way, the family found itsway to Ark of Onondaga.
And now Anthony is gainfullyemployed at Okra.
He works at the recovery centerand he does it with pride, he
does it with humor.
His family, I mean, talk aboutpride and joy.
Um, the whole family came to ourevent and you know, they were
(09:19):
grinning ear to ear.
We created a video that thatreally told Anthony's story from
start to finish, and it waswonderful to see them
celebrating how far he has come.
And, you know, the sky is thelimit for him.
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
That's how you measure success.
SPEAKER_02 (09:34):
It is.
It's really one person at atime, you know.
And again, I'm sure you canrelate to that.
SPEAKER_00 (09:39):
Oh, 100%.
SPEAKER_02 (09:40):
Sometimes, you know, sometimes it's the big victories
and sometimes it's the littlewins, and we celebrate all of
them.
SPEAKER_00 (09:46):
Yeah, Joanna, can you tell us about some of your
key programs from employment,which we've been talking about,
to residential services, uh,day-to-day uh programs.
What makes each one unique?
SPEAKER_02 (09:59):
Absolutely.
Um, well, again, they're allinclusive, they all strive to
promote community inclusion.
Nobody needs to be separated,nobody needs to be prejudged.
People just want to live theirlives, right?
So our residential program isexactly what it sounds like.
It's houses that are inneighborhoods.
You, I'm sure everyone hasdriven by an arc house, but you
(10:21):
wouldn't know it's an arc housebecause it's just a house in a
neighborhood where people live,period.
We provide support 24-7.
You know, the people we supportum have varying degrees of
ability and disability.
So some people need a lot ofsupport, some are medically
frail, some are very, veryindependent, you know, and we we
(10:42):
support across that, across thatspectrum.
Um we, you know, we prov weprovide supports to get people
to their medical appointments oranything that comes up just in
daily life, like everybody else,grocery shopping and you know,
all that recreationalopportunities and fun stuff in
the community.
(11:02):
Um, our community supportsprogram, um, we provide uh
supports in in group settingsthat are very social and very
fun.
Um, a lot of the people, and I'msure you've seen them, a lot of
people we support really want togive back to the community.
So they're out volunteering atMeals on Wheels, you name it.
And again, you've seen them.
(11:23):
Um, we also operate an Article16 clinic that provides a
variety of um behavioral,physical, uh, you know,
occupational therapy, physicaltherapy, speech, behavioral.
Um, we provide autism testing.
So there's also the clinicalside of things.
Um, you know, I mentioned thethe employment program is is
(11:47):
really big for us.
Yes.
And and increasingly what wehear from families is, you know,
they want more opportunities fortheir school age kids.
And sometimes, and maybe you canrelate to this too, family need
families need a little break,right?
To catch up on, you know, Ithought with the holidays
coming, thinking about, youknow, getting ready for the
(12:09):
holidays.
So we do provide some respiteprograms.
Nice.
Yeah, where people can, youknow, teenagers and up can come,
they can enjoy um, you know, anart creation project or love it.
Um, yeah, yeah.
There's some really cool stuff.
We we a few years ago, we uhembarked on a big renovation
project um at our our mainlocation, which is right down
(12:32):
from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.
And now we have an art studioand we hired an arts
coordinator, and the art that isbeing produced out of that
studio is I mean, no disrespectto arts and crafts.
This is art.
This is real art.
I mean, this is painting andsculpture, and it's really it is
(12:52):
something really special.
SPEAKER_00 (12:54):
That's that's just a that's awesome.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm trying to think of the rightword to say awesome is the right
word.
Yeah, um, how does Arkabanodelgapartner with let's say local
schools, the businesses,community organizations?
So how do you guys do that?
SPEAKER_02 (13:09):
We're really fortunate.
We enjoy a lot of really greatpartnerships, and one that
always comes to the top of themind is the Red House Art
Center.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we've been working withthem for I think 10, I think
it's 10 years.
And every spring, people wesupport are involved in a
production.
Um, Big Fish was this year's,next year it's Pippin.
(13:31):
And the neat thing has been tosee kind of the evolution.
Um, when this partnershipproduction came up, people we
support were, you know, they hadsmall roles, they were part of
the groups, but now they have,you know, they have kind of
starring roles.
They sing, they dance, they,they uh act, and they do it in
(13:53):
partnership in tandem withprofessional actors and you
know, and singers andchoreographers.
And it's really, I mean, you canimagine the, you know, the
benefits from a program likethat, how it benefits how you
move, how you carry yourself,your self-confidence, getting to
know one another, makingfriends.
I don't know if your son everexperiences this.
(14:15):
I've seen I know how gregarioushe is.
Um, but you know, sometimespeople with developmental and
intellectual disabilities haveuh just don't have the exposure
to meet new people.
SPEAKER_00 (14:27):
He loves it.
SPEAKER_02 (14:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:28):
I mean, yeah.
And once, for example, Zachloves to meet people.
SPEAKER_01 (14:32):
I bet.
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
And you know, whether it's a hug or whether
they're shaking hands, yeah,once he meets you, yeah, he will
never forget you.
Uh it may be a couple of yearsbefore you see each other again.
And it's like, hey, he knowsyou.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:45):
So that's those are important, those are important
connections.
Yeah.
And the partnership with the RedHouse makes all of that happen.
And then we get to go enjoy livetheater that features single
week support.
You know, it's a win-win acrossthe board.
SPEAKER_00 (15:00):
All the way across the book.
What kind of uh Joanna Jewett,uh, the chief communications
officer for the Arkabanadaga?
Thanks again for being here.
But uh what kind of training orsupport uh do staff and
volunteers receive?
SPEAKER_02 (15:14):
Well, you know, as you can imagine, um Arkabonadaga
and agencies like ours that workwith the Office for People with
Developmental Disabilities,there's a lot of training
required.
Um, and you know, it's kind oflike that hard skills and soft
skills, right?
So, you know, they have to learnthings like CPR and you know,
(15:35):
because they are working withpeople who are vulnerable and
working in houses where peoplelive, and things come up, right?
Emergencies come up.
But there are also the other,you know, there's the other
training, right?
Because not only do we want tosupport people in challenging
times, but just day to day,right?
So how to um, you know, how tohelp them foster relationships,
(15:58):
how to help them um make thoseconnections, how to function and
really enjoy their community tothe fullest.
Um, I feel like we're alwaystraining, you know, the training
is probably all the time.
SPEAKER_00 (16:11):
I mean, it's just every day is different.
Every day you learn somethingand you get trained on
something, it just constantlyjust nonstop.
SPEAKER_02 (16:19):
And and uh just like a lot of different industries,
you know, we when we hirepeople, especially people in
support, you know, who work indirect care, what as we call it,
um, we want to keep them, youknow, because we the people, you
know, imagine you have somebodyworking in your home all the
time.
You want to know them, you wantthem to know you.
(16:41):
There has to be some familiaritythere, some trust, right?
Yeah.
So 100%.
When we when we bring on newstaff, we really strive to
provide a great experience sothey'll stay and stay in
people's lives.
That's good.
Yeah, that's good.
SPEAKER_00 (16:55):
And for those working there, they have a heart
for what they do.
Oh, you know what I mean?
It's not just somebody going inand uh, you know, punching the
clock and going to work andabsolutely not at 3:30, it's
time to go home.
No, no, no.
They're there because of this.
SPEAKER_02 (17:08):
Absolutely.
I mean, um, I'll tell you thatduring COVID, you know, uh just
like every other uhorganization, you know, we had
some times when we really neededto beef up our our you know, our
staff.
Sure.
And I in the communications andyou know fundraising department
worked one day in one of ourhomes.
(17:29):
And I I knew before, but aftermy seven-hour shift, uh-huh, I
really had such a deepenedrespect and appreciation for the
city.
SPEAKER_00 (17:38):
You always did, but maybe even just oh, so much more
so.
SPEAKER_02 (17:41):
Yeah, and and you know, sadly, nobody is going to
get rich doing this work.
Yeah, they're just it's like anyfunding just doesn't work.
It it has to, and it's so lovelyto see people who are working
really challenging jobs, youknow, but they do it strictly
because they love it.
And and inevitably, you know,there are a lot of people who
(18:04):
sometimes people leave for otheropportunities and they come
back.
And we actually started acampaign earlier this year
called Back to Arc, where we askpeople what brought you back,
and it's a one-word answer.
People, the people brought themback.
They missed oh my gosh, theymissed the interaction, they
missed, you know.
I can't tell you how many peoplesay, you know, I walk into work
(18:24):
and everybody's happy to see me.
Like, how often do you walk intoyour work and everybody's happy
to see you?
You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00 (18:31):
So no, totally, yeah.
And I was happy to see you thismorning when you walked through
the door.
So it's been a little bit.
But uh how has Ark of Anadagaadapted to the new challenges
that are out there?
There's a lot going on, whetherit's funding, technology,
changing uh community needs.
We see that every day.
SPEAKER_02 (18:48):
We do, we do.
You know, we we do try to adapt.
And I think just the nature ofthe the support that we provide,
we have to adapt.
Uh, you know, I mean, somebodymay be having a good day or a
not so good day.
And our staff is just, we'retrained for that.
We know the day could go great,the day might not go as great,
but we're ready and we're quickon our feet.
(19:09):
Um, and I think because of thecommunity partnerships that we
enjoy, um, opportunities likethis where we get to, you know,
hopefully educate the public,you know, we we count on a lot
of support from the from ourcommunity, which is really
wonderful.
Um, you know, part of my my roleis fundraising.
Um, you know, we host a coupleof events every year.
(19:32):
And all the money that we raisethrough the Ark of Onadaga
Foundation goes right back tothe people we support through
grants.
Yeah.
We just we just funded one umthe other day, a$10,000 grant.
Um so it all ultimately it's allabout the people that we
support.
SPEAKER_00 (19:48):
Tell me about some of the events.
SPEAKER_02 (19:50):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:51):
I know you have those going on.
You just mentioned a couple.
SPEAKER_02 (19:53):
We do.
Well, in September we hosted the31st annual ARC race, uh, which
is uh, you know, um presented bythe Ark of Anadaga Foundation,
which is a separate 501c3.
I work for both the agency andthe foundation.
And, you know, we offered a 5K,a 3K walk, a one mile kids fun
run.
If you want to see somethingadorable, line up a bunch of
(20:15):
kids on a starting line and saygo and watch them run.
It's wonderful.
Um, every March we host uh ourachievement awards dinner.
We have that coming up, and youknow, we've got a big event
coming up in March uh because weare celebrating our 30th, our
30th Achievement Awards dinner,but the 75th anniversary of
Arkhamana Daga.
(20:36):
It is huge.
SPEAKER_00 (20:36):
It is huge.
If somebody wanted to go tothat, can they go to that like a
website?
Yeah, absolutely.
Buy tickets.
SPEAKER_02 (20:41):
Yeah, we haven't opened the ticket buying window
yet, but yes, we do haveinformation.
Yeah.
So if they go to archon arc-o-ndot org, that's where they'll
find everything.
All the information, all theevents from all of our events,
all of our programs.
If they, you know, we do want tobe a resource to families.
If you know how to get started,if if you have a loved one who
(21:04):
could, you know, use somesupport, all of that information
is right on our website.
SPEAKER_00 (21:09):
What makes you smile?
Oh my gosh.
Um what really would put a smileon your face?
SPEAKER_02 (21:15):
Honestly, I gratitude is the key to
everything for me.
I I, you know, that's purely theend.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
And uh, you know, what uh if you could tell
somebody here in central NewYork one thing about Ark of
Anadaga, what would it be?
SPEAKER_02 (21:30):
I I think it would be a message of inclusion,
really.
Just trying to make ourcommunity even more inclusive
and accepting of people whomight look a little bit
different or act a little bitdifferent, but are still members
of the community who are justliving life like we are, you
know.
SPEAKER_00 (21:45):
You know, I'm gonna throw a question at you.
Yeah, and you're gonna go, thisis a tough one.
No, but um so um if Ark of On aDog ahead of theme, because I'm
into music.
SPEAKER_02 (21:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (21:54):
So if Ark of Anadog had a theme song, what would it
be?
SPEAKER_02 (21:58):
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_00 (21:59):
Told you.
It's gonna make you think alittle bit.
SPEAKER_02 (22:02):
You know, it's funny.
A few years ago, we created avideo and uh we brainstormed
what song uh, you know, and weinvolved the people that we
support and staff, and there'sand the song was respect by
Aretha Franklin, because youknow, that's really what we're
aiming for.
Then people of all abilitieswill be respected, invited,
(22:26):
included.
SPEAKER_00 (22:28):
Perfect.
Perfect answer.
Uh, and a perfect song for it.
It's a great song.
It is.
We've been chatting with JoannaJewett, she is the chief
communications officer for theArk of Anagaga this morning, and
hopefully you had some uh yougot some great information from
this interview.
Uh, just here it is.
It's another great organizationright here in our own backyard.
(22:49):
I know it personally, uh, forthose that know me, and of
course, we talked about itearlier, you know, raising a son
uh with Down syndrome.
Never a dull moment.
SPEAKER_02 (22:58):
Never a dull moment.
SPEAKER_00 (22:58):
There's always laughing and smiling and hugging
going on in the house.
He's got a job, which, you know,if it wasn't for the people like
at Arc and those that areguiding these individuals along
the way, I don't know where wewould be.
SPEAKER_01 (23:12):
Well, luckily, luckily were they don't have to
think about it.
SPEAKER_00 (23:15):
Yeah, so awesome.
Uh Joanna, thank you so much forcoming in this morning.
It's a pleasure to see you.
SPEAKER_01 (23:21):
Great to see you.
SPEAKER_00 (23:21):
It's a pleasure to chat with you and thank you for
watching and thank you forlistening.
It's been the Inner Harbor Castwith our four radio stations
here, right at the Inner HarborMedia Studios.
If you look out the window, yousee the Inner Harbor right over
there.
It's absolutely beautiful.
So uh thank you for watching.
Thank you for listening,everybody, and thank you,
Joanna, for being here.
(23:42):
Yay.
SPEAKER_02 (23:43):
Okay.
Good, good.
Yeah, I think so.
At the beginning of this album.
Okay.
Okay.
On check two.
Check two.
Check two.
I think we're good.
Okay.
All right.
Hello.
Hi.
Here we go.
Coming to you in three, two,one.
Hey, everybody.
All right.
Three, two, one.
(00:20):
Hello, everyone, and welcome tothe inner harbor cast from the
beautiful Inner Harbor MediaStudios.
My name is Skip Clark, your hostof the Inner Harbor Cast.
And we're always talking aboutthe community.
We're proud to be hometown.
Uh, and today we're uh shiningthe spotlight.
It's an incredible organization,changing lives, right here in
central New York.
(00:41):
Joining me this morning isJoanna Jewett.
She is the Chief CommunicationsOfficer for the Ark of Anadaga.
Uh, Joanna and her team work uhevery single day to empower
people with developmental andintellectual disabilities.
I have a son that kind of goeswith that as well, and uh
helping them live, work, andthrive as active members of our
(01:04):
community.
Joanna, good morning.
It's so good to see you.
SPEAKER_02 (01:07):
Oh, it's wonderful.
God, we go way back.
Way back.
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Let's not talk about how far we're just talking about
age and we're we're just talkingabout how time flies.
SPEAKER_02 (01:15):
Time flies, it really does.
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
You know, we had the opportunity of working together
and getting things done in thepast, and I know you're very
good at what you do, and it'sgreat to see you at an
organization like Ark ofOnadaga.
But um, for those who might notbe familiar, uh, what is the Ark
of Onadoga and what's the heartbehind what you do?
SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
Yeah, Ark of Onadaga, we're actually heading
into 75 years of providing Iknow, I know, of providing
supports and services to peopleuh with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
And we uh, you know, just aswe're heading into our 75th
year, you know, we started in avery grassroots way.
(01:58):
And you can probably relate tothis.
Okay.
Um, we started with parents whojust wanted their children with
disabilities to have the sameaccess opportunities as
non-disabled children.
So from there, 75 years ago,over the years, we have changed,
(02:18):
we've added, we've um, you know,tried to be tried to be as
inclusive to um provideopportunities in all aspects of
life.
So um we have a variety ofservices that we provide.
We operate uh residences, grouphomes, as some people would call
(02:39):
them, um, throughout the county,throughout Onondaga County.
We offer a lot of communitysupports to day habilitation,
community habitation.
And I would guess that you knowsome of your listeners have seen
our staff out with people thatthey support, you know, just at
the mall or at the fair orwherever.
We we we strive to um helppeople support people so they
(03:05):
can live meaningful lives inthis beautiful community of
ours.
SPEAKER_00 (03:09):
I love this.
What inspired you, Joanna, toget involved?
SPEAKER_02 (03:12):
Well, you know, I um I definitely have a heart for
nonprofit organizations.
SPEAKER_01 (03:18):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (03:18):
And I and I'm sure you can relate to this too.
I think, you know, I think it'sour responsibility to help those
who are more vulnerable than we.
And um, you know, unless youhave a connection, a personal
connection, a family member, afamily friend, most people may
not know what an intellectual ordevelopmental disability looks
(03:40):
like.
You know, after we graduate fromhigh school, where we're, you
know, where we, you know, seekids who benefit from special
education, we might not have alot of experience.
So um when I heard about theposition, I thought, oh, that's
a great organization.
And when I learned more aboutthe kinds of supports and the
(04:01):
people and what ARC does, Ithought, yeah, I need to be part
of that.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (04:08):
And you're blessed.
SPEAKER_02 (04:09):
I am, I am.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
Um, what are some of the biggest biggest
misconceptions of uh, you know,that the public still has about
people uh with developmentaldisabilities?
Some of those, you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (04:22):
I think you know, history, if you go back, you
know, 50, 60, even 25 years, youknow, I think the thought for a
very long time was people withIDD, I'm abbreviating,
intellectual and developmentaldisabilities, you know, that
they had to be sheltered, theyhad to be protected, they had to
be kind of, you know, kept away,kept safe.
That's not really, you know,where we live anymore.
(04:44):
You know, people with develop uhdevelopmental, physical, any
kind of disability, they justwant to be part of the
community, right?
They want to work, they want tolive, they want to enjoy all the
things that everybody does.
So I think that's probably thebiggest myth.
And, you know, what we see sooften, one of the one of the
services that we offer is uh anemployment uh program.
SPEAKER_01 (05:04):
Love it.
SPEAKER_02 (05:05):
Yeah, it's and and again, you know, uh, I'm sure
you can relate.
Um, you know, adults want towork.
Work, making making income, youknow, being able to support
yourself, live in asindependently as possible, those
mean a lot to the to an adult.
SPEAKER_00 (05:20):
It never used to be that way.
SPEAKER_02 (05:21):
Correct.
SPEAKER_00 (05:22):
I mean, if we go way back, I mean, for example, I
have a son that's 24, he's downsyndrome, and Zach, I mean, if
we were to go back 70, 50 or 75years, chances are he would have
been somewhere in aninstitution.
SPEAKER_02 (05:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
You know, that is thank God it's the past.
SPEAKER_02 (05:41):
Absolutely, absolutely.
And you know, the employers thatwe work with locally, the
companies that, you know, um,the like the VA and Wegmans and
Topps and Price Chopper, and youname it, we we have people that
we support working in a lot ofbusinesses.
In fact, October is uhdevelopmental employment
(06:03):
ability.
I'm sorry, I'm gonna say thatagain.
SPEAKER_00 (06:05):
It's that long.
SPEAKER_02 (06:06):
It is a long one.
It is.
It's Disability EmploymentAwareness Month.
Yes.
Which basically all we're tryingto do is let prospective
employers know that people withIDD want to work.
They're loyal, they they willcome, they have a work ethic.
SPEAKER_00 (06:24):
I'm behind that 100% because I see it every day.
SPEAKER_02 (06:26):
Yes, you do.
Yes, you do, and I think a lotof people do.
Um, so we're really just tryingto find the right opportunities
for people um because that's ourrole.
We just want to support them tobe all that they want to be.
SPEAKER_00 (06:40):
And I get so proud.
I have those proud moments whenI go to a ball game and I know
my son Zach is working in thepress box.
Yes, yes, you know, I mean, asone of their PA announcers as
well.
That's what I do.
Um, but even when I'm workingand I see the notes that are in
front of me, those are notesfrom my son.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Which is awesome.
Which is awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (06:58):
Yeah, you know, he's telling me what's going on, how
the announcements should beread, so on and so forth.
I love it.
So nobody should underestimateany of these individuals and
organizations like ArkabanaJaga, uh, they reinforce that.
And they get the individuals outin the work, the workforce
itself.
SPEAKER_02 (07:15):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I mean, you know, we'll we canplace the people, we can provide
the support, literallyone-on-one support.
Where um, you know, if if uhsomebody we support requires a
little bit longer training ormore in-depth training than a
business can provide, we canprovide the staff to get that
person moving ahead, learningwhat they need to learn, being
(07:37):
productive, you know, matchingtheir abilities to the task at
hand.
SPEAKER_00 (07:41):
Yeah, today we're talking to Joanna Jewitt, who is
the chief communication officerfor ARK of Onadoga.
Uh, Joanna, can you share astory that really captures the
impact of ARC, of the uh ARCthat it's had on someone's life
or family?
SPEAKER_02 (07:56):
Absolutely.
It's gotta be some of thosethings.
Oh, absolutely.
Well, I'll share this, Skiff.
So every uh March we host anachievement awards dinner.
And really the pinnacle of thatevent is uh the naming of the
person of the year.
It's somebody we support,somebody we provide supports and
services to, who's writing hisor her own success story.
(08:17):
We're helping, we're there, butthey're really doing it on their
own.
So I'll share the story of thisyear's uh young man.
Yeah, a young man named Anthony,okay.
Um, who um, you know, I thinkearly on, uh, you know, I think
the family heard a lot of no's,what wasn't possible for him.
SPEAKER_00 (08:36):
Which is not uncommon, by the way.
SPEAKER_02 (08:38):
I I can imagine, I'm sure, I'm sure, you know, uh,
well, this won't really work.
Well, he doesn't have the rightskill set.
Well, well, well, well, well.
And um, you know, you canimagine how discouraging that
would be for a family who lovesand believes in the abilities of
their son.
So um, after kind of hitting alot of brick walls, they found
(08:58):
their way, the family found itsway to Ark of Onondaga.
And now Anthony is gainfullyemployed at Okra.
He works at the recovery centerand he does it with pride, he
does it with humor.
His family, I mean, talk aboutpride and joy.
Um, the whole family came to ourevent and you know, they were
(09:19):
grinning ear to ear.
We created a video that thatreally told Anthony's story from
start to finish, and it waswonderful to see them
celebrating how far he has come.
And, you know, the sky is thelimit for him.
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
That's how you measure success.
SPEAKER_02 (09:34):
It is.
It's really one person at atime, you know.
And again, I'm sure you canrelate to that.
SPEAKER_00 (09:39):
Oh, 100%.
SPEAKER_02 (09:40):
Sometimes, you know, sometimes it's the big victories
and sometimes it's the littlewins, and we celebrate all of
them.
SPEAKER_00 (09:46):
Yeah, Joanna, can you tell us about some of your
key programs from employment,which we've been talking about,
to residential services, uh,day-to-day uh programs.
What makes each one unique?
SPEAKER_02 (09:59):
Absolutely.
Um, well, again, they're allinclusive, they all strive to
promote community inclusion.
Nobody needs to be separated,nobody needs to be prejudged.
People just want to live theirlives, right?
So our residential program isexactly what it sounds like.
It's houses that are inneighborhoods.
You, I'm sure everyone hasdriven by an arc house, but you
(10:21):
wouldn't know it's an arc housebecause it's just a house in a
neighborhood where people live,period.
We provide support 24-7.
You know, the people we supportum have varying degrees of
ability and disability.
So some people need a lot ofsupport, some are medically
frail, some are very, veryindependent, you know, and we we
(10:42):
support across that, across thatspectrum.
Um we, you know, we prov weprovide supports to get people
to their medical appointments oranything that comes up just in
daily life, like everybody else,grocery shopping and you know,
all that recreationalopportunities and fun stuff in
the community.
(11:02):
Um, our community supportsprogram, um, we provide uh
supports in in group settingsthat are very social and very
fun.
Um, a lot of the people, and I'msure you've seen them, a lot of
people we support really want togive back to the community.
So they're out volunteering atMeals on Wheels, you name it.
And again, you've seen them.
(11:23):
Um, we also operate an Article16 clinic that provides a
variety of um behavioral,physical, uh, you know,
occupational therapy, physicaltherapy, speech, behavioral.
Um, we provide autism testing.
So there's also the clinicalside of things.
Um, you know, I mentioned thethe employment program is is
(11:47):
really big for us.
Yes.
And and increasingly what wehear from families is, you know,
they want more opportunities fortheir school age kids.
And sometimes, and maybe you canrelate to this too, family need
families need a little break,right?
To catch up on, you know, Ithought with the holidays
coming, thinking about, youknow, getting ready for the
(12:09):
holidays.
So we do provide some respiteprograms.
Nice.
Yeah, where people can, youknow, teenagers and up can come,
they can enjoy um, you know, anart creation project or love it.
Um, yeah, yeah.
There's some really cool stuff.
We we a few years ago, we uhembarked on a big renovation
project um at our our mainlocation, which is right down
(12:32):
from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.
And now we have an art studioand we hired an arts
coordinator, and the art that isbeing produced out of that
studio is I mean, no disrespectto arts and crafts.
This is art.
This is real art.
I mean, this is painting andsculpture, and it's really it is
(12:52):
something really special.
SPEAKER_00 (12:54):
That's that's just a that's awesome.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm trying to think of the rightword to say awesome is the right
word.
Yeah, um, how does Arkabanodelgapartner with let's say local
schools, the businesses,community organizations?
So how do you guys do that?
SPEAKER_02 (13:09):
We're really fortunate.
We enjoy a lot of really greatpartnerships, and one that
always comes to the top of themind is the Red House Art
Center.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we've been working withthem for I think 10, I think
it's 10 years.
And every spring, people wesupport are involved in a
production.
Um, Big Fish was this year's,next year it's Pippin.
(13:31):
And the neat thing has been tosee kind of the evolution.
Um, when this partnershipproduction came up, people we
support were, you know, they hadsmall roles, they were part of
the groups, but now they have,you know, they have kind of
starring roles.
They sing, they dance, they,they uh act, and they do it in
(13:53):
partnership in tandem withprofessional actors and you
know, and singers andchoreographers.
And it's really, I mean, you canimagine the, you know, the
benefits from a program likethat, how it benefits how you
move, how you carry yourself,your self-confidence, getting to
know one another, makingfriends.
I don't know if your son everexperiences this.
(14:15):
I've seen I know how gregarioushe is.
Um, but you know, sometimespeople with developmental and
intellectual disabilities haveuh just don't have the exposure
to meet new people.
SPEAKER_00 (14:27):
He loves it.
SPEAKER_02 (14:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:28):
I mean, yeah.
And once, for example, Zachloves to meet people.
SPEAKER_01 (14:32):
I bet.
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
And you know, whether it's a hug or whether
they're shaking hands, yeah,once he meets you, yeah, he will
never forget you.
Uh it may be a couple of yearsbefore you see each other again.
And it's like, hey, he knowsyou.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:45):
So that's those are important, those are important
connections.
Yeah.
And the partnership with the RedHouse makes all of that happen.
And then we get to go enjoy livetheater that features single
week support.
You know, it's a win-win acrossthe board.
SPEAKER_00 (15:00):
All the way across the book.
What kind of uh Joanna Jewett,uh, the chief communications
officer for the Arkabanadaga?
Thanks again for being here.
But uh what kind of training orsupport uh do staff and
volunteers receive?
SPEAKER_02 (15:14):
Well, you know, as you can imagine, um Arkabonadaga
and agencies like ours that workwith the Office for People with
Developmental Disabilities,there's a lot of training
required.
Um, and you know, it's kind oflike that hard skills and soft
skills, right?
So, you know, they have to learnthings like CPR and you know,
(15:35):
because they are working withpeople who are vulnerable and
working in houses where peoplelive, and things come up, right?
Emergencies come up.
But there are also the other,you know, there's the other
training, right?
Because not only do we want tosupport people in challenging
times, but just day to day,right?
So how to um, you know, how tohelp them foster relationships,
(15:58):
how to help them um make thoseconnections, how to function and
really enjoy their community tothe fullest.
Um, I feel like we're alwaystraining, you know, the training
is probably all the time.
SPEAKER_00 (16:11):
I mean, it's just every day is different.
Every day you learn somethingand you get trained on
something, it just constantlyjust nonstop.
SPEAKER_02 (16:19):
And and uh just like a lot of different industries,
you know, we when we hirepeople, especially people in
support, you know, who work indirect care, what as we call it,
um, we want to keep them, youknow, because we the people, you
know, imagine you have somebodyworking in your home all the
time.
You want to know them, you wantthem to know you.
(16:41):
There has to be some familiaritythere, some trust, right?
Yeah.
So 100%.
When we when we bring on newstaff, we really strive to
provide a great experience sothey'll stay and stay in
people's lives.
That's good.
Yeah, that's good.
SPEAKER_00 (16:55):
And for those working there, they have a heart
for what they do.
Oh, you know what I mean?
It's not just somebody going inand uh, you know, punching the
clock and going to work andabsolutely not at 3:30, it's
time to go home.
No, no, no.
They're there because of this.
SPEAKER_02 (17:08):
Absolutely.
I mean, um, I'll tell you thatduring COVID, you know, uh just
like every other uhorganization, you know, we had
some times when we really neededto beef up our our you know, our
staff.
Sure.
And I in the communications andyou know fundraising department
worked one day in one of ourhomes.
(17:29):
And I I knew before, but aftermy seven-hour shift, uh-huh, I
really had such a deepenedrespect and appreciation for the
city.
SPEAKER_00 (17:38):
You always did, but maybe even just oh, so much more
so.
SPEAKER_02 (17:41):
Yeah, and and you know, sadly, nobody is going to
get rich doing this work.
Yeah, they're just it's like anyfunding just doesn't work.
It it has to, and it's so lovelyto see people who are working
really challenging jobs, youknow, but they do it strictly
because they love it.
And and inevitably, you know,there are a lot of people who
(18:04):
sometimes people leave for otheropportunities and they come
back.
And we actually started acampaign earlier this year
called Back to Arc, where we askpeople what brought you back,
and it's a one-word answer.
People, the people brought themback.
They missed oh my gosh, theymissed the interaction, they
missed, you know.
I can't tell you how many peoplesay, you know, I walk into work
(18:24):
and everybody's happy to see me.
Like, how often do you walk intoyour work and everybody's happy
to see you?
You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00 (18:31):
So no, totally, yeah.
And I was happy to see you thismorning when you walked through
the door.
So it's been a little bit.
But uh how has Ark of Anadagaadapted to the new challenges
that are out there?
There's a lot going on, whetherit's funding, technology,
changing uh community needs.
We see that every day.
SPEAKER_02 (18:48):
We do, we do.
You know, we we do try to adapt.
And I think just the nature ofthe the support that we provide,
we have to adapt.
Uh, you know, I mean, somebodymay be having a good day or a
not so good day.
And our staff is just, we'retrained for that.
We know the day could go great,the day might not go as great,
but we're ready and we're quickon our feet.
(19:09):
Um, and I think because of thecommunity partnerships that we
enjoy, um, opportunities likethis where we get to, you know,
hopefully educate the public,you know, we we count on a lot
of support from the from ourcommunity, which is really
wonderful.
Um, you know, part of my my roleis fundraising.
Um, you know, we host a coupleof events every year.
(19:32):
And all the money that we raisethrough the Ark of Onadaga
Foundation goes right back tothe people we support through
grants.
Yeah.
We just we just funded one umthe other day, a$10,000 grant.
Um so it all ultimately it's allabout the people that we
support.
SPEAKER_00 (19:48):
Tell me about some of the events.
SPEAKER_02 (19:50):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:51):
I know you have those going on.
You just mentioned a couple.
SPEAKER_02 (19:53):
We do.
Well, in September we hosted the31st annual ARC race, uh, which
is uh, you know, um presented bythe Ark of Anadaga Foundation,
which is a separate 501c3.
I work for both the agency andthe foundation.
And, you know, we offered a 5K,a 3K walk, a one mile kids fun
run.
If you want to see somethingadorable, line up a bunch of
(20:15):
kids on a starting line and saygo and watch them run.
It's wonderful.
Um, every March we host uh ourachievement awards dinner.
We have that coming up, and youknow, we've got a big event
coming up in March uh because weare celebrating our 30th, our
30th Achievement Awards dinner,but the 75th anniversary of
Arkhamana Daga.
(20:36):
It is huge.
SPEAKER_00 (20:36):
It is huge.
If somebody wanted to go tothat, can they go to that like a
website?
Yeah, absolutely.
Buy tickets.
SPEAKER_02 (20:41):
Yeah, we haven't opened the ticket buying window
yet, but yes, we do haveinformation.
Yeah.
So if they go to archon arc-o-ndot org, that's where they'll
find everything.
All the information, all theevents from all of our events,
all of our programs.
If they, you know, we do want tobe a resource to families.
If you know how to get started,if if you have a loved one who
(21:04):
could, you know, use somesupport, all of that information
is right on our website.
SPEAKER_00 (21:09):
What makes you smile?
Oh my gosh.
Um what really would put a smileon your face?
SPEAKER_02 (21:15):
Honestly, I gratitude is the key to
everything for me.
I I, you know, that's purely theend.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
And uh, you know, what uh if you could tell
somebody here in central NewYork one thing about Ark of
Anadaga, what would it be?
SPEAKER_02 (21:30):
I I think it would be a message of inclusion,
really.
Just trying to make ourcommunity even more inclusive
and accepting of people whomight look a little bit
different or act a little bitdifferent, but are still members
of the community who are justliving life like we are, you
know.
SPEAKER_00 (21:45):
You know, I'm gonna throw a question at you.
Yeah, and you're gonna go, thisis a tough one.
No, but um so um if Ark of On aDog ahead of theme, because I'm
into music.
SPEAKER_02 (21:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (21:54):
So if Ark of Anadog had a theme song, what would it
be?
SPEAKER_02 (21:58):
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_00 (21:59):
Told you.
It's gonna make you think alittle bit.
SPEAKER_02 (22:02):
You know, it's funny.
A few years ago, we created avideo and uh we brainstormed
what song uh, you know, and weinvolved the people that we
support and staff, and there'sand the song was respect by
Aretha Franklin, because youknow, that's really what we're
aiming for.
Then people of all abilitieswill be respected, invited,
(22:26):
included.
SPEAKER_00 (22:28):
Perfect.
Perfect answer.
Uh, and a perfect song for it.
It's a great song.
It is.
We've been chatting with JoannaJewett, she is the chief
communications officer for theArk of Anagaga this morning, and
hopefully you had some uh yougot some great information from
this interview.
Uh, just here it is.
It's another great organizationright here in our own backyard.
(22:49):
I know it personally, uh, forthose that know me, and of
course, we talked about itearlier, you know, raising a son
uh with Down syndrome.
Never a dull moment.
SPEAKER_02 (22:58):
Never a dull moment.
SPEAKER_00 (22:58):
There's always laughing and smiling and hugging
going on in the house.
He's got a job, which, you know,if it wasn't for the people like
at Arc and those that areguiding these individuals along
the way, I don't know where wewould be.
SPEAKER_01 (23:12):
Well, luckily, luckily were they don't have to
think about it.
SPEAKER_00 (23:15):
Yeah, so awesome.
Uh Joanna, thank you so much forcoming in this morning.
It's a pleasure to see you.
SPEAKER_01 (23:21):
Great to see you.
SPEAKER_00 (23:21):
It's a pleasure to chat with you and thank you for
watching and thank you forlistening.
It's been the Inner Harbor Castwith our four radio stations
here, right at the Inner HarborMedia Studios.
If you look out the window, yousee the Inner Harbor right over
there.
It's absolutely beautiful.
So uh thank you for watching.
Thank you for listening,everybody, and thank you,
Joanna, for being here.
(23:42):
Yay.
SPEAKER_02 (23:43):
Okay.
Good, good.
Yeah, I think so.
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