theAdvocate the Advocate Summer 2007 The Arc of Baltimore Mission Statement To ensure that people with developmental disabilities have maximum opportunities to actively participate in all aspects of community life and to offer programs and services that support them in doing so. J K Ferrell has a passion for safety. “In The Arc’s efforts to help people with developmental disabilities be as independent as possible, we need to help them learn how to plan for the unexpected and to respond to emergencies and disasters. Having that knowledge is an important part of leading a responsible adult life.” That rationale is one of the driving forces behind JK’s commitment to creating, coordinating and centralizing a comprehensive safety plan for the agency. Clearly, doing so is no small task for an organization the size of The Arc of Baltimore, especially when you consider that the plan includes home and workplace safety, safe driving and emergency and disaster preparedness. Fortunately, JK has a good sense of humor to help him stay grounded while tackling that enormous undertaking. “All employees of The Arc of Baltimore have safety responsibilities, so I’ve got plenty of help. In fact, I like to think that I supervise the agency’s largest department!” Kidding aside, JK is recruiting and training employees to be safety officers to help administer the safety plan throughout the agency. Each Day Center will have one officer; the larger Employment Center at Seton will have two. Safety officers from the Community Living division will over- see several sites. In addition to training their peers, safety officers will identify potential hazards and suggest ways to eliminate The Arc Intensifies its Focus on Safety CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 M ike Eikenberg and Chuck Shettle, veteran co-chairs of The Arc of Baltimore’s celebrity golf tournaments, have a reputation for going the extra mile to ensure success, and their efforts paid off again this year. The 13th annual tourney was held at the Diamond Ridge and Woodlands golf courses on a picture-perfect, warm May day with sunny skies, no humidity and just the right amount of breeze. Two hundred twenty golfers, including celebrities Tom Tasselmyer, Brooks Robinson, Lenny Moore, and Dave Johnson raised more than $100,000 for The Arc’s programs and services. Winners at Diamond Ridge included the following teams: Longo’s Appliance Center, 1st place; Allstate Leasing, 2nd place; Golf Tournament Hits the Sweet Spot The team from Texas Liquids (l to r)—Pat Carmen, Patrick Carmen, Chris Baloga and Mike Stallings—won first place at the Woodlands Golf Course.
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theAdvocatetheAdvocateSummer 2007
The Arc of Baltimore Mission StatementTo ensure that people with developmental disabilities
have maximum opportunities to actively participate
in all aspects of community life and to offer programs
and services that support them in doing so.
JK Ferrell has a passion for safety.
“In The Arc’s efforts to help people
with developmental disabilities be
as independent as possible, we need to
help them learn how to plan for the
unexpected and to respond to
emergencies and disasters. Having that
knowledge is an important part of
leading a responsible adult life.”
That rationale is one of the driving
forces behind JK’s commitment to
creating, coordinating and centralizing
a comprehensive safety plan for the
agency. Clearly, doing so is no small
task for an organization the size of The
Arc of Baltimore, especially when you
consider that the plan includes home
and workplace safety, safe driving and
emergency and disaster preparedness.
Fortunately, JK has a good sense of
humor to help him stay grounded
while tackling that enormous
undertaking.
“All employees of The Arc of
Baltimore have safety responsibilities,
so I’ve got plenty of help. In fact, I like
to think that I supervise the agency’s
largest department!”
Kidding aside, JK is recruiting and
training employees to be safety officers
to help administer the safety plan
throughout the agency. Each Day
Center will have one officer; the larger
Employment Center at Seton will have
two. Safety officers from the
Community Living division will over-
see several sites.
In addition to training their peers,
safety officers will identify potential
hazards and suggest ways to eliminate
The ArcIntensifies itsFocus on Safety
C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3
C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 2
Mike Eikenberg and Chuck
Shettle, veteran co-chairs of
The Arc of Baltimore’s
celebrity golf tournaments, have a
reputation for going the extra mile to
ensure success, and their efforts paid off
again this year. The 13th annual tourney
was held at the Diamond Ridge and
Woodlands golf courses on a picture-perfect, warm May day with
sunny skies, no humidity and just the right amount of breeze. Two
hundred twenty golfers, including celebrities Tom Tasselmyer,
Brooks Robinson, Lenny Moore, and Dave Johnson raised more than
$100,000 for The Arc’s programs and services.
Winners at Diamond Ridge included the following teams:
Longo’s Appliance Center, 1st place; Allstate Leasing, 2nd place;
Golf Tournament Hitsthe Sweet Spot
The team from Texas Liquids (l
to r)—Pat Carmen, Patrick
Carmen, Chris Baloga and
Mike Stallings—won first place
at the Woodlands Golf Course.
Title Sponsor
Scientific Plant Service
Awards Sponsor
R. J. Princinsky & Associates
Media Sponsors
Baltimore Business JournalComcast
Hole in One Sponsor
Bob Davidson Ford
Bay Buddies Special Sponsor
Allegis Group Foundation
Masters Sponsors
Erickson RetirementCommunities
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston
Eagle Sponsors
Bay National BankBlades & RosenfeldExpressway Office SolutionsOak ContractingSC&HTexas LiquidsUBS
Beverage Sponsor
R. W. Bozel Transfer
Birdie Sponsors
Advance Business SystemsAflacAllstate Leasing
Austin Pharmacy &Medical Supplies
Barrett Business ServicesBlue Dot of MarylandCareFirst BlueCross BlueShieldCollins/Snoops & AssociatesCompass Point MortgageConstellation NewEnergyDelmarva Data CenterFireline CorporationKronosLafarge North AmericaLearning SystemsInternational
Leonard Paper CompanyLongo’s Appliance CenterMutual of AmericaNew Carpet CompanyRiggs, Counselman, Michaels& Downes
CFS Medical Supply GroupDanaher CorporationDatapriseDundalk Center Parents GroupMcEnroe Voice and DataMLSS TitleNational Title and TagProfessional PressRosemore, Inc.Stanton CommunicationsThe Perennial Farm
Golf Tournament Hits the Sweet Spot
2
Delmarva Data Center, 3rd place; McGladrey & Pullen, 4th place; and MetLife,
5th place. Bryan DelMonte, from McEnroe Voice & Data, hit the men’s longest
drive; Robin Busch, of Fireline Corporation, was the winner in the women’s
competition. Closest to the hole contest winners included Mike Benhoff,
Hollins Organic Products; Bob Spangler, Columbia Amusements; and Rich Rosa,
Longo’s Appliance Center.
At Woodlands, the team from Texas Liquids came in first, followed by
foursomes from CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, 2nd place; Compass Point
Mortgage, 3rd place; Lafarge North America, 4th place; and RJP (R. J. Princinsky
& Associates), 5th place. Steve Ready, from RJP, had the men's longest drive,
while Beth Gasiorowski, from Whiteford Taylor Preston, took the ladies’ honor.
Closest to the hole contest winners included Jeff Weese, Compass Point
Mortgage; Geb Buchness, CareFirst; and Charles McCusker, Wachovia Bank NA.
Many thanks to the event’s planning committee: Co-chairs Mike
Eikenberg and Chuck Shettle, Loretta Letke, Joe Pandullo and Allan Sanders.
Your hard work paid off big time! ■
And now…A word TO ourtournament sponsors:
“Thanks!”
From left: Chris Grant, Gene Parry, Tom Tasselmyer and Brent Humphries played for Hollins Organic.
Baltimore Colt legend Lenny Moore poses happily with Whiteford Taylor
Preston’s Anna Kelly (left) and Abby Ross.
C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1
3
or reduce them to nip problems in the bud. “Their input
also will help us improve safety inspections, incident
investigations, emergency plans and emergency readiness,”
JK explains.
The agency’s safety director also hopes to improve the
tracking system for safety-related programs, incidents and
data.
Historically, The Arc has been exceedingly safety-
oriented, but September 11th, the CARF accreditation
process and Hurricane Katrina made JK want to revisit the
agency’s safety program in an effort to make its policies
more global and to centralize its administration.
“After revising our emergency readiness and response
plan, I feel comfortable that it is much more detailed than
before. It spells out specifically who’s going to do what,
when and where.”
During the revision process, JK did extensive safety
research and became somewhat of an expert in the field.
Recently, he led safety workshops at The Arc of the United
States’ convention in San Diego and at the Pacific Rim
Conference on Disabilities in Honolulu. He focused on
general safety, medical emergencies, natural disasters, utility
failures, home security and strategies to assist direct service
providers with emergency readiness efforts.
Despite his wealth of safety knowledge, JK attends
training sessions regularly to keep abreast of the latest
information. Sponsors include the Chesapeake Region
Safety Council, The Arc’s insurance companies, the
Developmental Disabilities Administration and a group
called the Disability Preparedness Center. ■
JK also is chair of the agency’s Risk Management
Committee that oversees safety functions, insurance and safety
prevention. In his “spare” time, JK coordinates The Arc’s Red
Cross blood drives and is already recruiting donors for the
next two, slated for Friday, August 31 and Friday, November
2. Both will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Arc’s
headquarters, 7215 York Road.
If you want to make JK’s day, call him at 410-296-2272 to
register to be a blood donor. If you also remember to stay alert
when you’re behind the wheel and use your knees instead of
your back to help lift heavy objects, JK will likely swoon!
C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1
Making a Case for Safety
As part of the The Arc’s emergency readiness and
response plan, JK Ferrell is seeking donors to
provide emergency kits for every facility and every
person in the agency. “Shelter in Place” kits are intended
to supply the needs of residents of a home or occupants of
a building for up to 3 days. Contents include a flashlight,
non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered radio and
extra batteries, important documents, extra prescription
medicines, a small tool kit, a first aid kit and other
essentials.
The “Go Kit” is a smaller, more portable version of the
Shelter in Place kit. It is meant to be carried by a person
who needs to evacuate an area quickly. Go Kits will be
stored in backpacks, small rolling suitcases or duffle bags.
Contents include items such as a cell phone and charger,
food, water, a utility pocket knife, a hat, a watch and Medic
Alert bracelets.
The estimated cost of a Shelter in Place Kit is $200; Go Kits
are valued at $100. If you would like to contribute a kit,
please send a check to The Arc of Baltimore, 7215 York
Road, Baltimore, MD 21212, Attn: Safety Kits. ■
Several golf tournament sponsors discovered the value of their support when they toured the Employment Center at Seton and met with Arc
supported employees who work in landscaping and grounds policing. Shown here, from left: Bob Libertini, Constellation NewEnergy; Crystal