By Andy Furman
Point/Arc
Christe Casebolt says she was just looking for some fun this summer.
Ashley Edwards wanted to provide a service that was not in existence.
Together they organized – and head — The Point/Arc’s Adult Day Training Program (ADT).
And they are more than qualified. Casebolt celebrated her 19th year serving The Point/Arc this March – it will be year seven for Edwards at the 53-year-old non-profit facility come September.
“For 12 years,” Casebolt said, “I lived with family in one of our residential homes, while serving as Residential Manager. We lived in the basement of the home, while serving the individuals living there.”
The Point/Arc has sixteen residential homes serving individuals with an intellectual or developmental (I/DD) disability. The homes are staffed 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year.
As Program Development Director, Edwards manages all medical equipment for residential homes and oversees vehicle maintenance as well as residential needs. “I always wanted to work with individuals with special needs,” she said. “My grandma was a Special Education teacher in the Erlanger (Ky.) school system. That probably got me hooked.”
But what they both do together – well – it is called magic.
“We have six individuals between the ages of 21 and in their 50s in our ADT Program,” Edwards said. “We’re open five days-a-week, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.”
And all they do is have fun.
“We’ll do our scheduling in advance,” she said. “We’ll send the calendar to our participants; and they simply pick the activities they want.”
Those activities include Volunteer Work on Fridays; Life Skills – including grocery shopping, and handling finance on Tuesdays, and of course, some form of exercise Monday through Thursday; which includes water exercise, chair yoga and, of course walking.
But how does the Dynamic Duo of Casebolt and Edwards attract their group?
“I send a flyer to all of our Behavior Specialists and Case Managers recruiting individuals,” Edwards said. “And participants are both residents of The Point/Arc as well as new individuals.”
Casebolt says the schedule calls for two outings a-day – one in the morning session and one after lunch. “We really want to get everyone involved and acclimated in our community,” she said.
And they certainly do – with visits to the YMCA, library, museums, animal shelters, homeless shelters, food pantries and sporting events.
“We check in at The Point,” Casebolt said, “And off we go. Our goal is to find activities they enjoy doing. I try to change our calendar as much as I can; every activity is different every day. And some individuals need that.”
Community Inclusion, says Edwards, is a way for individuals to build rapport, make friends, and become more involved in their community.
“And, of course,” says Edwards, “Have fun. It is a service we provide that is not in existence.”
The Point/Arc, now in its 53rd year – founded in 1972 by a group of parents fighting for the educational rights of their children, who were diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental (I/DD) disability. The mission – to help people with disabilities i achieve their highest potential educationally, socially, residentially, and vocationally. More than this, The Point/Arc has been an organization that identifies gaps in services and provides care and support to fill these gaps – even when government funding sources are not available.
The Point/Arc