Page 3 - TR Spirit of Jacksonville

THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRATGAZETTE • SPIRIT OF JACKSONVILLE SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2016 3SS
NONPROFIT
NONPROFIT
Individual victories
ORGANIZATION HELPS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FIND PATH TO INDEPENDENCE
By Sarah DeClerk
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
Finding a job or housing is not always easy, and individuals with disabilities may face unique challenges to living independently. With support from
organizations like Pathfinder Inc., however, everyone can reach his or her full potential.
The nonprofit organization offers services to children and adults with developmental disabilities, mental-health issues and some physical disabilities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome involve impaired physical function, learning, language or behavior, while mental illnesses such as schizophrenia involve disordered mood, thought or behavior.
Pathfinder works to maximize the independence of the people the organization serves in terms of their living situation, community integration, employment and all facets of life, executive director Mike McCreight said, adding that Pathfinder serves a diverse group.
“There’s a wide variety of individuals,” he said. “We have some that have significant intellectual disabilities. We have some that, without real probing, you wouldn’t be able to guess they have any limitations. We also have some that have significant physical issues. Some of them are in better shape than we are.”
Children ages 6 weeks to 5 years can par ticipate in Pathfinder’s preschool ser vices in Jacksonville and Little Rock. Early intervention during that critical learning period can minimize the impact of a child’s disability and maximize the child’s ability to function in public school, McCreight said. Pathfinder also offers full-time mental-health services to about 16 schools in the Pulaski County Special School District and two in the Little Rock School District, he added. In addition, the organization recently began providing prevocational ser vices that teach young people the “soft skills of employment,” such as resume and relationship building, so they can graduate ready to enter the workforce, he said. Adults can receive occupational, physical and speech therapy; counseling; and vocational training through
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Above: Pathfinder offers a preschool program for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Below: D’vonte Cook goes in for a layup during the Special Olympics State BasketballTournament in Russellville.
ser ved through suppor t employment. He added that he also hopes to see an increased use of technologies like telecommunication and teleconferencing.
“There’s a lot of areas where there’s not access to a lot of professional staff that are available in Little Rock that the telemedicine would make those available to,” he said.
Pathfinder blazed a trail when it started in 1971, he said, adding that there were no federal requirements to provide educational ser vices to children with disabilities before 1974. The organization began in Jacksonville with six children, one employee and $12,000, he said, and now has a $46 million budget and 1,250 employees, and ser ves 18 counties.
Gary Martin, 28, of Sherwood, said he began doing piece-rate work at the adult training facility in Jacksonville 10 years ago, and now he has several responsibilities. He prepares food, serves meals, carries mail, helps with clerical work and is a familiar face at the facility.
“I really like them. I like helping them,” he said, adding that he attends monthly dances hosted by the organization and that his favorite day was when troops from the Little Rock Air Force Base came to play baseball with those at the facility.
“Pathfinder is fun, and you can learn a lot,” he said.
Tom Brancheau, assistant director of adult- development programs, said Martin blossoms when he takes on new oppor tunities. “If we’re in the business of helping people become more independent and having them reach their full potential, we should be the first ones to open the opportunity to let somebody do that,” he said.“Gary is a prime example of that philosophy.”
Staff members at Pathfinder may feel proud when they see an adult they served maintain a job, or a preschool child defy projections by learning to walk and talk, McCreight said.
“My favorite part of the job is those instances where you get the real, real concrete examples of the impact,” he added. “Those individual victories that people have — it makes a significant impact on what their life will be in the current time and the future.”
Pathfinder’s adult-development ser vices, he said, adding that other activities at the adult training facilities include piece-rate assembly work, art and music. Pathfinder also provides transportation.
“We have a very large fleet of vehicles to make sure that people are able to participate in the programs and they don’t get left out because of a lack of transportation,” he said.
In addition, the organization offers residential
ser vices that provide housing in apar tments and group homes, as well as suppor t for those who live alone or with families, he said. Pathfinder also helps adults secure and maintain jobs through supported employment and contracts with the Little Rock Air Force Base and other organizations, he said.
In the future, McCreight said, he hopes to expand the areas and number of people