2019-2020
Annual Report
Table of Contents
4 Executive Management
6 Early Intervention
8 Residential Services
11 Vocational Services
15 Human Resources
16 Quality Resources
17 Development
18 Fiscal
19 Board of Directors
BARC’s mission and commitment to
providing quality supports to
individuals with intellectual
disabilities and autism – this is the
true passion of the agency.
About the Executive Director: Mary Sautter
has over thirty years experience working with
individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Prior to joining BARC, Mary worked for 4
years with ICF/ID programs as both a
Resident Supervisor and Staff Trainer, and
also worked 2 ½ years as a Supported Living
Caseworker. Mary first joined BARC in
1994 as a Program Coordinator in the
Residential Department. After 6 years, she
transferred to the Quality Resources
Department for 2 years. After working for
another agency as the Residential Services
Director for 2 years, Mary returned to BARC
in March 2005 as the Regional Residential
Director for the Upper Bucks area. In 2009,
the department was re-structured and Mary
was promoted to Residential Director. In
January 2020, Mary was again promoted to
the role of Executive Director. Mary holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from
Gettysburg College and a Master of Science
in Organizational Leadership from
Quinnipiac University. She is an agency
trainer of Putting People First, Gender and
Cultural Diversity, and Is This Abuse Too.
She is a member of the American Association
on Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities (AAIDD).
BARC Developmental Services (BARC)
is a private, non-profit agency whose
mission is to advocate for and serve
people with intellectual disabilities and
autism. The goals of BARC include
offering exceptional supports in a
fiscally responsible manner,
collaborating with community resources,
remaining small enough to foster a
family-like atmosphere, maintaining
positive relationships with government
entities, and developing talented and
compassionate staff. Individuals are supported in 3 service
departments: Early Intervention,
Vocational, and Residential. Our Early
Intervention Department now provides
home-based services from birth to age
three working cooperatively with the
Bucks County Office of Mental
Health/Developmental Programs. The
Residential Department supports over
100 residents in homes located in Bucks,
Lehigh, and Philadelphia counties. The
type of living situation for each
individual depends on the level of
support they need. The Vocational
Department provides work experience
in various settings: there are two light
manufacturing programs, two food
services training programs, one program
to place workers in community jobs, and
one program to provide community
inclusive activities. Referrals to our
Adult Day Care Programs, Senior
Programs, and Autism Spectrum
Disorder Program continue to grow.
In addition, there are several support
departments that help the Agency fulfill
its mission. The Human Resources
Department provides oversight to
ensure the following: legal compliance;
all employees are
treated fairly; managers
are continually
developing, motivating and
evaluating subordinates;
employees are engaged; and a
comprehensive training program is
in place. Our annual staff surveys
continue to support the importance of
supervisory relationships as critical in
staff satisfaction and our staff reminds
us every year that the majority of these
relationships are very satisfying. The
Quality Resources Department provides essential components of a
comprehensive quality management
process by adhering to our core values
of accountability, integrity, self-respect,
quality, and diversity. The
Development Department continues to
grow, supporting a large fundraising
effort. The Development team is
expanding support into community
integration and awareness programs,
with the participation of many staff and
volunteers. The Fiscal Department
contributes to our financial health by
providing timely financial reports,
analyzing expenses against related
funding, and preparing necessary
funding proposals for extraordinary
needs. Overall, BARC is financially
solid with the diversity of our programs
and funding streams.
As we celebrate 69 years of advocacy
and services to children and adults with
intellectual disabilities and autism, we
are very proud of the quality of service
we provide. Our services have long been
the recipient of praise from our staff,
licensing inspectors, colleagues, and
families that receive the service for their
family members. All associates support
A message from the
Executive Director Mary Sautter, MSOL
3
Eric Macklin graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from
Kutztown University. He has worked at BARC Developmental Services for over
25 years, starting as a Direct Support Professional in 1993. He was then
promoted to Assistant Home Manager, Home Manager, Program Manager, ICF
Quality Assurance Manager, Regional Residential Director and Program
Director. Eric held the position of Program Director for ten years prior to
being promoted to Residential Director in January 2020. He is currently a
trainer for Medication Administration, Heartsaver CPR, Heartsaver First Aid,
Is This Abuse & Wheelchair Van Safety. Eric has been a Putting People First
trainer in the past. Additionally, Eric is a member of Peer Review Committee,
Advocacy and Human Rights Committee, and Social / Recreational Committee
that plans events for the individuals to attend and enjoy. Eric is also the Bingo
caller at the now twice annual Handbag Bingo Fundraiser.
Scott Kulp graduated from East Stroudsburg State College with a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Psychology, and from the University of Scranton with a Master
of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.
He joined BARC Developmental Services in 1976 as a Job Placement
Counselor, was promoted to Rehabilitation Manager at BARC Production
Services Quakertown in 1978, Site Manager of that facility in 1985, Clinical
Supports Administrator for the Vocational Services Department in 1999, and
Director of Vocational Services in 2001. In addition to his duties as Director
of Vocational Services, Scott is also the Director of Development. He is a long
time member of the agency Advocacy/Human Rights/Quality Resources
Committee, the agency Relationship and Sexuality Committee, and a founding
member of the BARC Developmental Services Foundation. Scott celebrated his
40th anniversary with the agency in August 2016 and is the first associate to
achieve this milestone!
Our Executive Staff
Noreen Coleman joined BARC Developmental Services in November 1999. She
started at the Central Bucks Preschool site as the Center Coordinator and
moved into the Program Director of Infant/Toddler and Preschool services
position responsible for Central and Upper Bucks Early Intervention in 2003. In
January 2016, she was promoted to the position of Department Director of
Early Intervention. She is currently a trainer for Preventing Vehicle Accidents
and Gender & Cultural Diversity. Noreen is a member of the Early Intervention
Providers Association of PA as well as the agency committees; Workforce
Enhancement and Advocacy/Human Rights/Quality Resources.
Noreen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from
Millersville University and is Certified K-12 in Pennsylvania.
4
Barry Johnston, Director of Quality Resources, joined BARC Developmental
Services in 1992 as a Rehabilitation Manager in Vocational Services. In 2013,
Barry was promoted to Director of Quality Resources. Barry earned a Master's
Degree in Training and Organizational Development from St. Joseph's
University, a Post-Master's Certificate in Social Service Administration from
Temple University and a Master's Degree in Counseling from Shippensburg
University. He is also a Training Center Faculty member for the American
Heart Association. Barry is a member of the Association for Talent
Development and conducts several training courses for BARC in addition to his
regular job duties. He is also a member of the Society for Human Resources
Management.
Lori Vail joined BARC Developmental Services in August 1993. She received
her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Mankato State University in
1983 and began her professional career as an accountant with the Higher
Education Assistance Foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lori started working
for BARC as a part-time Bookkeeper in 1993. She was promoted to Accountant
in 1998, and in 2005 she was promoted to the position of Chief Financial
Officer.
5
Kathy Rancourt joined BARC Developmental Services in May 2007 as
Recruitment Manager. She took on additional Human Resources Generalist
duties and was promoted to Director of Human Resources in October 2013.
Previous to joining BARC, Kathy worked in Human Resources and Volunteer
Coordinator positions for non-profit agencies in the Bucks County area and in
New York State.
Kathy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education/Social
Sciences from Russell Sage College and a Master of Science in Administration,
Human Resources Concentration, from Western Connecticut State University.
She is a member of SHRM, the Society for Human Resources Management, and
the Lehigh Valley chapter of SHRM. Kathy is a Certified Professional (SHRM-
CP) by SHRM and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) by the Human
Resources Certification Institute.
6
Early Intervention We look forward to the upcoming
year and have plans to move to an
electronic parent survey and to
streamline our paper parent
handbook, and provide parent
information in a brochure with links
to online information since our
parents have indicated a preference
for content in electronic format.
The Early Intervention Department
provides service to over 400 children
and their families in our Infant/Toddler
Program across Bucks County. Services
continue to be provided in the child’s
natural setting during typical family
routines, in their home, child-care or
community. We once again partnered
with the Department of Mental Health
and Developmental Programs to
participate in the Family Coaching Grant
with the Office of Child Development
and Early Learning, expanding the
knowledge and understanding of the
Coaching Model with families and
professionals. We process referrals for
service and provide guidance to our 80
independent contractors providing
Speech, Occupational and Physical
therapies, and the teachers providing
Special Instruction for the families.
The team enjoyed providing a
parent/child playgroup at our Croydon
site. This allowed the children and
parents to learn together. Opportunities
for outings to the park, zoo and farms
for hayrides were enjoyed by the
children, parents and staff alike.
Supporting each family both at home
and in the community is important for
the generalization of new skills.
Parents surveys are completed at the
time a child is transitioning at age three
or exiting due to any reason including
being age appropriate and no longer
needing service. This year the feedback
continues to be very positive.
Some comments from the families:
“We couldn’t be happier with the
program. Our son’s progress surpassed
all of our expectations and he had so
much fun and enjoyed all of it.”
“We were extremely pleased with our
son’s EI experience. His therapists were
wonderful!”
“Our speech therapist was awesome
with my child. She is patient, kind and
makes learning fun for them. She was
always a positive and helpful resource
for problems that would arise.”
“I absolutely loved the team of people I
had for my child. They will be greatly
missed! I especially loved how they
worked together to give him the best
possible help.”
“I had a great experience with my team
members. They did a fantastic job of
educating me on my child’s issues and
provided solutions. Above all, they all
cared about him so much and that meant
a lot to me.”
“Very grateful and satisfied with the
services provided by BARC.”
7
The Early Intervention Department
participated in the State’s 2019
Evidenced Based Implementation Grant
for Home Based Coaching. The grant
was to increase family engagement with
services and expand the skill set of the
teachers/therapists. Courtney Robertson
a contracted Speech & Language
Pathologist is our External Coach. As
the coach she provides support and
resources to the providers. The goal is
to share strategies with each other and
the caregivers to better support the
children in their daily routines.
Alyson Etter, Physical Therapist
I have been an Early Intervention
provider with BARC for the past three
years. The thing I enjoy most about this
setting is the interaction and
involvement I have with families and
their routines. The opportunity to
participate in the coaching grant has
been a unique and enriching experience.
The collaboration I have with my coach
and the team has helped me refocus my
practice and work to become a better
coach for my families. It has guided me
to look past some of my experience and
clinical knowledge and use it as just a
part of my toolkit. Being a coach is
much more than demonstrating and
observing techniques,
and answering questions.
The coaching grant has
helped me shift my primary
focus towards empowering
families and caregivers to be
the leader of the therapy team
and of each individual session.
Using the coaching model more
effectively, I am able to lead caregivers
to ask questions, create goals, and
problem solve as opposed to providing
all of the answers and demonstrating
every approach. This places more
meaning and gives more control to the
families, which impacts their ability and
desire to carry over sessions throughout
their typical day to day routines. The
family I have been working with in this
grant is a prime example of how this can
be very effective. Ms. Giacoponello
now readily leads our sessions and
problem solves. Watching her develop
alongside her child demonstrates the
power behind this approach to therapy. I
look forward to continuing this work
with them and with other families in our
community.
Alyson Etter Physical Therapist
Residential Services The Residential Services program
offered by BARC Developmental
Services provides care and support to
over 100 individuals in over 30 homes
located throughout the areas surrounding
Upper and Central Bucks County. There
are a variety of programs available to
meet the needs of each individual on a
personal level. Intermediate Care
Facilities (ICF/ID) provide structured
24-hour daily supervised programs
where active treatment is the focus. This
concept involves the idea that every
person is able to take part in every
aspect of their daily routine. Direct
Support Professionals ensure this occurs
by providing the level of prompting that
each individual needs. This can be as
little as a few words of encouragement
or a much as taking a person’s hand in
theirs and fully doing the task with
them. The involvement in active
treatment occurs for each individual
during dressing, bathing, eating, taking
medications, communicating, working,
household chores, leisure time, and
community outings. It is sometimes the
case that individuals in an ICF home
have complex medical diagnoses and in
these circumstances the nursing team, in
conjunction with Direct Support
Professionals, work together to make
certain that each individual has a full
and enjoyable life with as many
opportunities as their housemates who
do not have these diagnoses.
Community Living Arrangements
(CLA) provide structured programs with
varying levels of supervision. As with
ICF homes, the focus in BARC’s CLA
homes is on the individual and their
strengths while developing strategies to
work on the areas the individual wants
to improve upon. The team process is
used to develop action plans that are as
detailed as necessary based on the
individual. Each member of the team has
a voice, with the individual’s being the
guiding influence. Supervision levels are
more varied within CLA homes, with
some individuals having periods of time
where no Direct Support Professionals
are in the home. While some individuals
residing in CLA homes within BARC
Developmental Services require
assistance with Activities of Daily
Living, such as showering and cleaning,
often the assistance needed is in social
situations such as during community
outings to develop the skills to interact
with others or during a movie or concert
to learn societal norms.
Two additional residential services
available are Supported Living and Life
Sharing. In Supported Living, an
individual lives alone, or with a
roommate. A Direct Support
Professional assists them for less than 30
hours per week with tasks such as
shopping, cleaning, medication
management, banking and budgeting.
8
Life Sharing arrangements provide
services to individuals living with a in the family’s home. The name of
this service is what the goal is, for
the individual and the family to truly
share all aspects of their lives
together.
BARC Developmental Services
residential department is more than
the four programs it offers. There are
many ‘extras’ that dedicated
associates have developed as a result
of years of caring and striving for the
best. Examples include weekly and
biweekly events for individuals that
include movie night, bowling, indoor
and outdoor swimming, petting zoos,
bingo, holiday themed crafts, and
barbeques. The individuals enjoy an
annual spring formal dance, an
annual track and field event, and an
annual winter holiday dance. Each
year many individuals go on bus
trips and vacations in other states and
countries. Many individuals are
invited to the homes of Direct
Support Professional for holiday
meals.
Wayne By: Christine Undercuffler,
ICF Program Coordinator
9
Wayne has lived with BARC since
1990, first at a home in Sellersville and
then at another home only a few miles
away, still in Sellersville. Many people
know Wayne because of his gentle
nature, big beautiful smile and love of
creating artwork. Wayne also loves most
kinds of food and many different types
of animals. He and his housemates have
a bearded dragon (lizard) named Bob.
Wayne likes to stack all of the throw
pillows on the loveseat next to him, and
no one else is supposed to touch them!
Wayne has a brother named Tyrone who
used to live locally. They went to the
same day program back then, so they
saw each other on a weekly basis.
Tyrone moved away and no one was
sure where he went, so he and Wayne
did not see each other for a while.
Eventually, Tyrone’s new provider made
contact. Now Wayne’s Home Manager
(Jen) ensures that he and Tyrone get
together every few months just to hang
out and enjoy some food since this is
what they both prefer.
As long as he has been with BARC,
Wayne has had a difficult time with
medical appointments and procedures.
They would be
unsuccessful and his
team would have great
concern about him not
receiving necessary
medical care. Many staff
over the years have worked
with Wayne and continue to
do so to support him during these
stressful times. Wayne is now able
to complete appointments and
procedures, even if it takes a couple
of times to have success in this area.
Lastly, Wayne has always been pleasant,
but would put his arms out to indicate he
did not want anyone in his personal
space. He would pull away sharply and
make a loud unhappy noise if anyone
touched him, even just on the shoulder
or trying to shake hands. Over the past
two years or so, Wayne has started to
seek out affection from others. It started
with him playing “got your nose” by
grabbing someone’s nose and smiling.
Then he would put his face forward so
his nose could be “gotten” as well. Now
Wayne likes preferred staff and familiar
people to sit next to him. He will lean up
against you and take your hand because
he wants his beard or head rubbed.
Sometimes Wayne even wants to hold
someone familiar’s hand. He loves to
grocery shop and shakes hands with
other shoppers he meets in the store.
In some ways, he is the same Wayne I
met back in 1995. In other ways he has
grown due to compassion, care and
feeling comfortable and safe. I can’t
wait to see where Wayne’s journey takes
him next.
About the author:
Christine (Chris) Walb Undercuffler has been with BARC Developmental Services for over 20 years. She started as a Support Associate with no experience
in the field. She thought she could work at a group home until finding something better. What happened is that she got to know many of the individuals we
support and became invested in being a part of an agency trying to ensure the supported individuals have the best lives possible. She is currently working in
the Residential Department as a Program Coordinator for two of the ICF/ID homes in the Quakertown area.
Chris is the very proud Mom of 20-year old Madison, who is transferring from Montgomery County Community College to West Chester University to
continue her studies in Theater: Design and Production. Chris is currently attending Western Governors University for a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare
Administration, online due to working full-time. Her other interests are spending time with family and friends, theater and other live shows, museums and
art exhibits, walking/hiking (nature, not mountains), traveling and of course her cats.
Karen, also known as
“Pickles” by most of her
friends resides in
Quakertown. Karen is
spunky and loves to joke
around with her staff, family and
friends. She loves Diet Pepsi,
riding her trike in her development,
doing ceramics and playing UNO.
In late January of 2018 Karen became
very ill and was admitted to the hospital
where she was diagnosed with very
serious medical conditions and ended up
in the ICU for quite some time. Karen
wasn't able to breathe on her own. She
was placed on a breathing machine
(ventilator) via a tracheotomy until her
lung status improved. At times the
prognosis seemed very gloomy and she
was heavily sedated to keep her
comfortable. But her family, friends and
BARC family never lost hope. Family
and friends rallied around Karen,
visiting her as much as possible in the
ICU, playing her music, rubbing her feet
and hands with lotion, and creating
vison boards to help the nurses know
what is important to know about Karen.
Eventually Karen began getting stronger
and was transferred on February 21 to a
rehabilitation unit. Karen worked hard
to wean off the ventilator and eventually
be able to breath on her own. On April
11, 2018, Karen was able to come
home. She was thrilled to be back in her
home with her housemate and staff, but
that wasn’t enough for Karen. She was
physically weak and needed to do
PT/OT to regain her strength with the
hopes of getting back to her baseline
prior to the hospitalization. Karen gave
it her all and before we knew it she
could ditch the walker and had regained
full mobility independently. Her
determination and perseverance paid
off.
Soon enough Karen was riding her trike
around her development with her staff,
attending her Yoga classes again, and
participating in all of the activities she
had previously enjoyed. Karen was
back and better than ever. She appeared
to have a new appreciation for her life.
Karen “Pickles” is our miracle and I
cannot think of a better example of true
success!
About the author:
Stephanie began working at BARC Developmental Services in April of 1997. She is now the Program Coordinator for four CLA homes in the Quakertown
area. Additionally, she and her family shared their lives through the Lifesharing Program with Bobby for almost 9 years prior to his untimely passing in
2017. As is a theme with many managers, when Stephanie first started at BARC, it was working directly with the individuals in several of the homes.
Stephanie speaks fondly of those days and says it gives her great insight when leading her teams. Stephanie has an associate’s degree in business and
merchandising. She is just shy of her bachelor’s degree and hopes to one day return to school once her children are more independent because you are
never too old to stop learning. Stephanie is a Personal Outcomes interviewer for BARC, previously she was a Mandt trainer and will be re-certified as a
Mandt trainer this year. She has also taught Non-Verbal communication in the past. She is raising her two children, Carter and Lyla, and their Border
Collie, Polly. Stephanie enjoys photography, trout fishing, painting, traveling, finding unique things at thrift stores and spending time with her family.
10
Karen By: Stephanie Giberson,
CLA Program Coordinator
The Community Participation Supports
(CPS) Program continues to be a major
focus for the department. The Office of
Developmental Programs (ODP) has set
the expectation that the individuals we
support in our facility based programs at
BARC Production Services Quakertown
and Warminster (BSPS & BPSW) must
spend at least 25% of their time in
community activities of their choice.
During 2019, the number of folks we
serve who enjoyed community inclusive
events increased significantly, as did the
places they go to and the things they do
in the community. While we have not
yet reached the goal of 25%
participation, we continue to focus our
efforts on doing so. At the present time,
about half the people we serve are going
on community outings regularly. At
BPSW there are six (6) different outings
each day. Program Specialists are also
working diligently with Supports
Coordinators and team members to
acquire variances for folks who do not
wish to be involved in community
outings, or who wish to do so, but not
25% of the time.
ODP has also mandated that all Program
Specialists and staff who supervise our
Direct Support Professionals (DSP)
complete a rigorous certification training
that takes 40 – 60 hours to complete,
known as ACRE training (Association
of Community Rehabilitation
Educators). The training is a
combination of on-line course work and
11
field assignments guiding a supported
individual through the community
employment process.
The JOBS Program (Joint Opportunities
for Business and Society) experienced a
major resurgence in 2019. The program
received a record number of referrals
from various OVR Counselors. Brynn
Zwickel, JOBS Manager, did an
outstanding job securing employment
for those on her caseload. She achieved
a record number of job placements in
2019.
Bill Keleher, Sales Representative,
continues to attract new customers, and
maintain positive working relationships
with existing contract customers.
Through his efforts, and the jobs he has
brought into the shops, our folks in the
Workshop program have increased their
work skills and productivity, improved
their earnings, and take pride in doing a
good job.
Our dedicated and capable staff are the
heart and soul of the department. They
continually strive to meet and exceed
expectations, providing quality care and
supports to those we serve. Inspectors
from the Department of Health, who
oversee our ICF programs, continue to
offer praise to our staff regarding the
standard of care offered, and the quality
of the services we provide, with no
citations for well over two years, which
is remarkable!
Vocational Services The annual Capital Campaign
Solicitation (CCS) continues to
directly benefit the Food Services
Programs at both our Quakertown
and Warminster sites. Our donors
have steadfastly supported this
campaign through their very
generous donations enabling us to
provide free and delicious lunches to
our folks who cannot afford to buy
lunch on a regular basis, and to offset
costs.
The Capital Improvement Plans for
both sites, and the Strategic Plan for
the department, are the critical
benchmarks to ensuring we maintain
and enhance our facilities, making
them safe and welcoming to all. Our
full-time Maintenance Technician
splits his time between BPSQ and
BPSW, and has done a fine job
keeping both sites in excellent
condition, completing a number of
vital projects.
The new decade will bring new
challenges that we will continue to
address in a positive and proactive
manner as dedication to our mission
remains our guiding and primary
focus.
12
up when staff
complimented her on her
fashionable clothes. Tosha
also began joking with staff
and peers and having fun with
everyone. She also likes to
compliment others letting them
that know that they look nice. Tosha
is very kind, well –mannered, and
considerate. Tosha once stood up in the
program room and talked to everyone
about treating others with kindness.
Tosha always has something nice to say
about others. Once, a staff wore a yellow
shirt to work and as soon as Tosha saw
this staff, she said “here comes the sun”.
This sure brightened the staff person’s
day.
Tosha has a great work ethic. She is a
very hardworking, diligent, and
wonderful worker. According to staff
who work with her, Tosha works with
good focus. Tosha creates a good quality
of work with minimal errors. She is also
flexible and will move around to
different areas of the workshop to try
new jobs. Tosha will also sometimes
seek out learning or trying the various
new jobs that are available. In addition
to her job responsibilities on the
production line, Tosha also does trash
duties; collecting trash from the
Cafeteria, bathrooms, and staff offices.
This is a job she shares with other peers
so she has specific days that the does
trash collection. She always has a smile
on her face when she is working.
Tosha is a self-advocate, and she let her
team members know that she was ready
to work in the community. So she
worked very hard on the job application
process with her OVR counselor and in
December, Tosha got the call that she
had been hired as a seasonal worker at
Kohl’s Department Store in Plymouth
Meeting. Tosha was overjoyed because
all her hard work had paid off. Tosha
started working at Kohl’s in December
and it took her a while to get used to the
new rules and expectations of
community employment. She had to
adjust to a new working environment
and new people; she worked hard to
prove that she deserved her new job. At
the end of the Christmas Season, Tosha
found out that she was hired as a
permanent dressing room attendant at
Kohl’s and she was overjoyed. She
works three days a week at Kohl’s –
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and
the other 2 two days – Tuesdays and
Thursdays, are spent working at the
BPSQ Workshop.
Tosha continues to work very hard at
Kohl’s. She is on point with her job
tasks and has great interactions with
both the Kohl’s customers and her
coworkers. Tosha was recently
recognized for all of her hard work with
assisting in Loss Prevention. According
to her job coach, she does an awesome
job of collecting and turning in tags that
have been torn off by shoplifters.
Tosha is an awesome lady, and we all
wish her continued success in her
community job, as well as her job at the
Quakertown Workshop.
Tosha started attending the BPSQ day
program with a Residential 1:1 staff due
to behavioral concerns. She was then
attending on a trial basis because the
team did not know if the BARC day
program would be a good fit for her.
During that time, Tosha was very quiet
and kept to herself a lot. Overall she
seemed unhappy and would rarely speak
to anyone. After her trial period was
over, Tosha was accepted to attend the
day program full time.
Once Tosha started attending on a
regular basis, she began to open up to
staff. She started having conversations
with staff about things that are important
to her. Tosha talked to staff about
clothes, her hair, and nails. Tosha has a
great sense of style and always dresses
up in the latest fashions. She would light
Tosha By: BARC Production Services
Quakertown Staff
On the morning of July 9, 2019 Huns
places on his knitted hat, glides into his
wool gloves, and zips up his insulated
jacket as he declares he is ready to
embark on his new expedition. He takes
a deep breath, and then steps foot into
the cold blast of air and exhales as he
watches his puff of heated breath leave
his body. Huns is surrounded by cases
of chilled soda bottles, crates full of
white milk, and racks of ready-to-
purchase beverages. Huns is now an
official “Customer Service Associate”
of the Bensalem Boulevard Wawa! His
task: stock the cooler-shelves of
beverages in the “cold box” by
transferring the bottles from their
delivery packages and crates.
Huns’ body immediately warms up
from the excitement he has developed
of striving towards learning the names
of numerous Wawa iced tea flavors. I
explain to Huns, “It’s a scavenger hunt,
look to see what rows need to be
stocked and find its matching bottle on
the delivery shelf.” Due to Huns’ focus
and attention to detail, it does not take
him long to build his momentum to
fulfil this mission.
Each week now, Huns
dedicates sixteen hours
of ensuring the parking lot
and inside of the store are
welcoming for patrons, and is
maintaining the stocked rows
of beverages in the cold-box.
Much praise is given to Huns from
his co-workers and managers for his
eagerness to fulfill any additional tasks
he is asked to complete, and for the
quality of work he consistently
produces.
The remaining hours of Huns’ week are
spent at home with his mother and
rescued-pup, Blondie. Huns’ mother
states that Huns is “good to everyone”,
she is proud of him because he is a help
not only to her, but also to his brother,
nieces, and nephews. Huns takes on the
town at night by occasionally going to
Miller’s Ale House to get some wings,
and seasonally attends the Summer
Concert Series to listen to u7 music and
to see people he knows. Some of Huns’
hobbies include purchasing the local
newspaper so he can follow the
Philadelphia Sixers and Flyers, and
Huns By: Brynn Zwickel,
CPS/JOBS Manager
taking Blondie on three walks per day.
Huns’ expedition in life is full of
achievements, only because, he takes on
adversity with courage and bravery
resulting him in reaching the tops of
mountains.
About the author:
Brynn graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation and Human Services in 2016. She joined the BARC
team as an Intern in 2016 and directly upon graduation moved into her role of Production Coach, and then a Program Specialist, at BARC Production
Services Warminster. In September 2017, she was promoted to JOBS Manager, and in July 2018 she moved into the CPS/JOBS Manager position. In 2019,
she entered her fourth year of being a Unified Partner in the running sports of Special Olympics Bucks County. Brynn also holds CESP certification, which
is now required to provide community employment supports.
13
comes in with a smile and
acknowledges every person that walks
by. She brings this energy with her
every other Monday at the Holy
Redeemer Thrift Shop. When she walks
into the store she says “hello” to every
employee and volunteer. They are
always very excited to see her because
of the hard work she does. Yaymarie
wipes down anything that is dusty,
hangs and sorts the clothes, wipes down
the mirrors, and organizes the jewelry.
Yaymarie says she helps her mom with
the dishes and cleaning so she knows
how to clean things properly. When she
is doing a task and a customer has a
question, Yaymarie is very good at
helping the customer and directing them
to someone who works there. Each
week she is improving tremendously on
each task. She walks into the thrift shop
and knows exactly where to go and who
to see to find out what she has to do for
the afternoon.
Connie & Yaymarie
About the author:
Brittany Kodroff is a student from Pennsylvania State University. She is currently doing her internship at BARC and will graduate May of 2020 with a
Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation and Human Services.
14
By: Brittany Kodroff,
Intern
Connie started
volunteering at Holy
Redeemer Thrift Shop in
2019. Every Wednesday
afternoon Connie waits
patiently to depart to her
volunteer shift. When she arrives,
she tells all of the workers that she
is ready to work today. At the thrift
shop, Connie does multiple tasks, which
include cleaning the shoe racks, cleaning
the mirrors, and sorting and hanging the
clothes. Connie tends to try to move fast
so she can move on to the next task, but
she has improved by taking her time and
making sure everything is done the right
way. When it is time to return to BPSW
she always says “Wow, I worked hard
today, I did a lot”. She is very proud of
her accomplishments at the thrift shop.
Each week she improves her skills.
Connie brings her enthusiasm and
motivation to BARC and the thrift shop
every day.
Yaymarie can light up any room that she
walks into. Each day at BARC she
The role of the Human Resources
Department is to ensure that quality
professional support is provided to the
children and adults served by BARC
Developmental Services. The
department remains committed to
making appropriate hires and helping to
maintain a culture at BARC that is
inclusive and provides opportunities for
job satisfaction and growth. This is done
through recruitment, orientation,
training, benefits administration and on-
going employee relations guidance to
supervisors.
BARC Developmental Services
employed an average of nearly 260 full
time, part time and provisional staff in
2019 and seventy-two new associates
were hired. It continues to be
challenging to fill open direct care
positions with permanent BARC staff;
however, there is low turnover in
management and supervisory positions.
New direct care positions were created
in response to increased levels of
support needed for some individuals. We
are pleased to continue our partnership
with Penn State Abington’s
Rehabilitation and Human Services
undergraduate program. The agency
provides internship opportunities for
students completing their degree
requirements and many interns choose to
remain with BARC after graduation to
begin their careers.
Just as important as recruitment is
retention of valued associates and
providing a career path for those who
desire more responsibility. Through a
supervisory training course as well as
one-on-one conversations with Human
Resources staff, supervisors are trained
in best practices to encourage open
communication, development and
guidance of associates. Both Agency-
wide and Department specific training is
provided to ensure staff meet regulatory
requirements and have up-to-date
knowledge and skills to perform their
job to the best of their ability. The Job
Opportunity process is used to request
changes in position and last year ten
associates were promoted. Several
associates took advantage of the
Educational Assistance Awards to
continue their education.
Associate benefit offerings are reviewed
annually, and plans are amended as
needed in order to continue to offer an
attractive benefit package to all eligible
associates. In October and November,
the Human Resources Department
facilitated thirteen open enrollment
presentations at three locations. These
meetings are an opportunity for staff to
learn more about the excellent benefit
package offered at BARC and to make
the selections that are best for their
individual situation.
Information Systems is also an integral
part of the Human Resources
Department and ensures the
Human Resources continuity of network and computer
services throughout the agency
through planning, technical
leadership and project
implementation. Service is provided
to approximately 120 users in five
office locations and all group homes
throughout Bucks County by
monitoring and administering the
day to day security, availability and
maintenance of the network and
agency website.
A long-standing BARC tradition is
the annual Length of Service
ceremony and reception held in
October at Peace Valley Park. In
2019 twenty-three associates who
reached employment milestones of 5,
10, 15, 20, 25 30 and 35 years of
service were recognized. At this
ceremony, the fourth annual Justin T.
Schram Award, created by the
BARC Foundation to honor the
memory of the son of former
Executive Director Robert H.
Schram, was presented to two
associates and one runner-up. These
associates were nominated by their
peers for their outstanding
contributions to the individuals at
BARC and the winners were selected
by BARC Foundation members. This
ceremony is highly anticipated and
an opportunity for all to learn about
the inspiring work done at BARC Developmental Services every day.
15
16
The Quality Resources Department,
guided and oversighted by the
Advocacy/Human Rights Committee of
BARC Developmental Services,
continues to focus on quality
improvement and risk management for
persons supported by the agency.
Quality Resources is responsible for the
agency’s incident management system
and the agency's Quality Management
Plan. The Advocacy/Human Rights
Committee, in collaboration with
Quality Resources, oversights activities
through a monthly review of reportable
incidents.
Quality Resources provides oversight
and risk management of the agency’s
medication administration practices
through a monthly analysis of errors.
The Advocacy/Human Rights
Committee reviews individual and
aggregate medication error data each
month.
Quality Resources continues review
protocols for individuals who have
critical concerns in the areas of
behavioral health, physical health,
and risk of restraints. The Peer
Review Committee provides reviews
of selected individual treatment plans
throughout the year. Reviews focus
on the plan's clinical appropriateness,
safety, informed consent, credentials
and training. The Peer Review
Committee provides monthly review
and semi-annual approval of all
restrictive treatment plans.
Quality Resources
Development
17
In the past year, the Development
Department coordinated the following
fundraising events: The Ivyland
Invitational for BARC Developmental
Services golf outing, which took place at
Five Ponds Golf Course in Warminster
and generated $8,500; the Mercedes-
Benz Raffle Party at Spring Mill Manor
in Ivyland where 415 tickets were sold
netting $18,000; the Gift Card Raffle,
held in conjunction with the Mercedes
Benz Raffle, sold 550 tickets and
generated $7,000; the Annual Autumn
Luncheon, which took place at Spring
Mill Manor in Ivyland generated a profit
of $8,500, and the Phillies/Trenton
Thunder Raffle that netted $3,000 after
expenses. The Community Capitol
Campaign, which began in 2013, has
generated $43,000 in contributions this
past year and was used to support our
Hot Lunch initiative that provides our
vocationally supported individuals with
free, nutritious lunches throughout the
year.
In 2019, Development continued its
partnership with the Residential
Social/Recreational Committee.
Another successful Designer Handbag
Bingo event, which took place at Trinity
Episcopal Church in Buckingham, and
generated a profit of $6,000 for the
Residential Activities Fund was
orchestrated. Due to the event’s
resounding success, in 2020, two
Designer Handbag Bingo events will be
held, one in the Spring and one in the
Fall. In addition, the department
continues to manage a Spring and Fall
apparel fundraiser, a catalogue of BARC
Developmental Services branded
clothing and accessories available for
purchase to our associates, individuals
and their families.
In 2018, the Development team worked
closely with the Vocational Department
on the design and execution of the Trees
of Life at both BARC Production
Services Warminster and Quakertown.
Donors are able to purchase bronze
leaves or boulders in honor or memory
of their friends and/or family.
Collectively, the Tree of Life fundraiser
has generated $4,000.
The department was also instrumental in
overseeing the Annual Membership
drive, which generated 182 members
and $13,000 in donations. They continue
to ensure that PROGRESS, our agency
newsletter, is completed and mailed to
supporters two times per year.
Throughout 2019, the Development
Department coordinated and distributed
12 issues of Hand In Hand, a monthly,
associate driven newsletter, and
coordinated and designed the agency
Annual Report.
The department continues to send an
email based newsletter, Bits of
BARC, which is distributed to our
growing email base of supporters
each month.
The Development Department
continues to remain active in keeping
the agency website content up to
date. In an effort to gain more
visibility and more website traffic,
the Social Media Committee
continues to maintain active agency
Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram
pages.
The BARC Foundation continues to
remain fully operational. There are
currently three supporters
participating in our Charitable Gift
Annuity program.
18
Fiscal The Fiscal Department remains
dedicated to the agency, the
programs and the individuals
supported by BARC Developmental
Services. This commitment is
evident in the ongoing efforts to
provide timely and meaningful
financial reports; accurately project
income and expenses to ensure stable
programs with proper fiscal
planning; obtain additional funding
for extraordinary expenses to
continue quality care and meet the
needs of the individuals served; and
support the service departments with
timely and accurate information.
The department monitors income and
expenses for all programs throughout
the year and works proactively with
the service departments to ensure
continued revenue for all programs
predicated on reasonable and rational
needs of the individuals we support.
In fiscal year 2018-19, we obtained
additional funding from the
Pennsylvania Department of Human
Services, Office of Developmental
Programs (ODP) which was
necessary for the agency to capably
support the individuals’ ongoing and
changing needs. A request for
additional funding for fiscal year
2019-20 was approved by Bucks.
County MH/DP and additional funding
is under consideration by ODP/ICF.
Fiscal Year 2018-19 closed with a
surplus on annual expenses of
$25,081,783 offset by revenue of
$25,508,320. As of 6/30/19, assets were
$11,352,780 and liabilities were
$6,259,262 for net assets of $5,093,518.
We are proud to report that the auditors
continue to be satisfied with our internal
controls and note no material
weaknesses. This is a reflection of the
dedication, concern, professionalism and
teamwork demonstrated by each
member of the Fiscal Department in
cooperation with our service
departments on behalf of the individuals
that we support.
84%
8% 8%
2018-2019 Revenue
PA Dept. of HumanServices - $21,510,271
Bucks County MH/DPFunding - $2,052,900
Other - $1,945,149
Dr. Dana Teeling-Hernandez
19
Philip J. Carey
1st Vice-President
1st
Vice President
J. Scott Kramer, Esquire
Secretary
Richard E. Brown, Jr.
Kathleen Grasmeder
Sherri T. Portnoy
Patricia A. Schuck
Teresa “Teddy” Manero
President
President
Michael W. Mills, Esquire
Treasurer
Meet Our Board of Directors
Nicholas Ciliberto
4950 York Road, P.O. Box 470
Holicong, Pennsylvania 18928-0470
www.barcprograms.org
To serve and advocate for people with
intellectual disabilities and autism.
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