Liberty ARC Stories

“Working with Harry Bugasch isn’t like work at all,” Liberty ARC Direct Support Professional (DSP) Sue Pacillo said. “Harry’s fun, he’s got a great personality and he puts me in my place sometimes, which is what everyone needs from time-to-time.”

“He’s helped me become a great magician,” Cody Schultz said of Liberty ARC’s Behavior Support Specialist Jeremy Purtell. “A great magician never reveals his tricks, but I’ll just say that Jeremy has helped me become a great one.”

“You owe me another Uno rematch,” Kenny Hotaling said with a smile. “I need another chance to be champion – you won’t beat me this time.”

“What did the dog say to the sandpaper?” Joey Then’s joke app on his iPad asks. Joey waits a few seconds to see if anybody knows the answer, when nobody responds, he presses the answer button. “’Ruff’,” the app answers. Everybody laughs, including Joey.

Deitra Stockwell, an Assistant Hab Specialist 1 at Liberty ARC, was given the opportunity to take an individual on his dream vacation, and it’s a memory she’ll never forget. “To see how happy he was to finally be there was the best feeling in the world for me,” Deitra said. Deitra, who’s been with the agency for 19 years, took Lester Hogabone – an avid racing fan – to Daytona International Speedway a couple of years ago, making his dream come true. “Lester is very much into racing,” she said. “He goes to the races at the Fonda track, he watches the races on TV every Sunday, he collects model cars – so going to Daytona was something he always dreamed of doing.”

Wouldn’t it be great to have the opportunity to visit a vacation destination as part of your job? Do you enjoy seeing the happiness on peoples’ faces when you help them experience something amazing for the first time? If so, why not consider applying for a job as a Direct Support Professional at Liberty ARC? Jen Payst, a Residential Assistant Manager at the agency, recently had the opportunity to visit a vacation destination along with two individuals she supports. “We all had a fantastic time,” she said. “Everything went smoothly and we all had fun.”

Marina Quatrini’s personal trips to Cape Cod have always been memorable – the ocean, the views, the places to visit – she’s always enjoyed vacationing there. When she was given the opportunity to bring an individual from Liberty ARC to Cape Cod for the first time, however, that memory easily became her favorite. “Just seeing him smile as he felt the sand and the ocean and listened to the waves all for the first time was amazing,” she said. Marina has worked at Liberty ARC for seven years. She’s currently a residential assistant manager at the home where Joe Moran lives in. Joe always wanted to visit the ocean – he always wanted to smell the salt water, feel the sand between his toes and listen to the waves crash against the beach. Last summer, Joe finally made it to the ocean with Marina by his side.

“God saved my life a few years ago, so I decided I wanted to pursue becoming a minister,” Ben Martin, a Direct Support Professional at Liberty ARC said. Ben says working at the agency has allowed him to pursue his dream of studying Pastoral Ministries at Asbury University in Kentucky. “It’s been tough because the academic level is very high, but I’ve had so much support from Liberty ARC,” he said. “The flexibility of working here has made it possible for me to pursue this dream and come back home to a job when the semester is over.” Ben has only worked at the agency for a year, however, he says he’s already deeply connected to his job and is excited to be coming back for the summer.

When she’s not away at school, Keisha Carter works fulltime as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) in Liberty ARC’s Family Support Services (FSS) program. Keisha said that her position as a DSP in the FSS program, as well as her mom, have influenced her to pursue a career working with children who have disabilities. “My mother has worked at Liberty ARC my whole life,” she said. “I would go visit the programs and meet the individuals and go to some of the Christmas events – I grew up with Liberty ARC, so it’s no surprise that I got a job here as well. I love coming back to work here – I love seeing how happy the individuals get when they see me; it’s a great feeling knowing you can make them happy.”

Kierra Reid, an Assistant Habilitation Specialist 2 at Liberty ARC, says the flexibility of her schedule, coupled with having understanding supervisors, made working and going to college not only possible – but enjoyable. “Liberty ARC is so flexible with hours,” Kierra said. “I chose when I could work around my classes and when I couldn’t. I even had to change those hours a couple of times because my supervisor and I realized that I wasn’t allowing myself enough time to study and do my homework. They really helped me make the schedule I needed to do both.” Kierra has worked at Liberty ARC for the past year, and during that time she’s attended Fulton Montgomery Community College. She’ll be receiving her Associate Degree in Health Studies on Wednesday, and after that she plans to take a year off from school so she can apply to nursing programs in the area.