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6 | October 10, 2019 | the new lenox patriot news newlenoxpatriotdaily.com Helping disabled voices be heard 2 Broker - Management Team “10” LEGAL SERVICES For more information or to place a listing CALL 708-326-9170 22ndcenturymedia.com The Arc supports Trinity Services in New Lenox Carly Styka, Editorial Intern Although they are an often-overlooked population, the disabled have an ally in the Arc of Illinois. The Illinois branch of The Arc, a national organization that advocates for and assists the disabled, has moved headquarters. Previously located in Frankfort, The Arc of Illinois formally moved to an office building in Mokena on Sept. 24. Meg Cooch, executive director of The Arc of Illinois, said the move to 9980 190th St. Suite C was motivated by a need for a change of space. The location in Mokena is more affordable and is a better fit overall for the office staff. The Arc needed a different configuration of space. “Most of our staff live in the southwest suburbs, so we wanted to stay in the space,” Cooch said. Eleven other employees are spread across the state, she said. The new office will be used for administration and training on how to advocate for oneself and others. Although the branch serves the entire state, The Arc is open to local visits and participates in local events. People are welcome to stop by and learn about their programs, Cooch said. The Arc has been operating in Illinois since the 1950s. It was formed by local groups of parents who wanted the best for their disabled children. It has grown over the years into a statewide organization that fights for the fair treatment and rights of people with developmental disabilities. The Arc offers many programs in support of the disabled. “We provide information and resources for families and support people to go to trainings,” Cooch said. Caring for a disabled person can be difficult for a family to do by themselves. The Family Support Network, a program of Arc, helps to keep families together by reducing the need of outside facilities. They give families the support to enable them to meet the needs of the disabled person. Other Arc programs keep disabled people and their families involved with their community and keep them informed on key issues, such as healthcare. Funded through donations, the Assistive Technology Fund provides devices such as iPads, tablets and laptops to disabled persons to assist them with learning and their daily activities. This program will fund the purchase of a device if insurance refuses to cover it. According to the Arc of Illinois’ website, these devices help with education, community involvement and communication. The Arc works with and supports other organizations, such as Trinity Services in New Lenox, aimed toward assisting disabled persons. Trinity offers support services and wellbeing programs, such as horse-riding therapy, to the disabled of Illinois. “Trinity is one of the leaders in improving services for the disabled,” Cooch said. As a member organization of the Arc of Illinois, Trinity has presented at numerous Arc conferences and events for the disabled. “These events are for families, caregivers, guardians and individuals with disabilities to help explain community options, including benefits, housing, day services, respite and home-based services,” said Tina Fogarty, chief operating officer of Trinity. “It is a collaborative effort with many community-based organizations and providers.” The Arc of Illinois and Trinity are both member organizations of They Deserve More Coalition. This group fights for living wages for caretakers of the disabled. It aims to promote legislation to raise wages for caregivers so that the disabled can receive the care they need. The Arc awarded Trinity staff members for providing care and case management services to people with disabilities, said Meredith Dobes, head of communication and media development at Trinity. The Arc, in partnership with Trinity, has had great success in pushing for legislation in favor of the disabled. Events such as trainings and webinars help teach families to advocate for themselves before the state government to ensure their voices are heard. “Trinity staff members and families regularly act with other members of The Arc to advocate for people with disabilities by filing witness slips, contacting legislators and spreading messaging about policy issues that impact people with disabilities,” Dobes said. In July, the Arc of Illinois and Trinity helped to pass Senate Bill 2424 during Illinois’ 100th General Assembly, which amended the Developmental Disability and Mental Disability Services Act, Dobes said. Public Act 100-0924 created better home care facilities to decrease the risk of disabled persons with significant behavioral challenges being sent to stateoperated facilities. These community-based homes are currently being funded by Illinois, according to Dobes. The Arc of Illinois and Trinity continue to push for legislation and hold conferences to educate the disabled and their loved ones about their options. As they continue to do so, the disabled will continue to have a voice.
newlenoxpatriotdaily.com news the new lenox patriot | October 10, 2019 | 7 OMG It’s Gluten Free continues its growth Sean Hastings, Editor Melanie Helfrich (left), of New Lenox, and OMG founder Julie Scianni pose for a photo. Photo Submitted OMG It’s Gluten Free, based out of Frankfort, has served the gluten-free community for 10 years. It started out as a cafe, but has since developed into a food manufacturing company that serves people nationwide. OMG has its own online portal that people can order from, but also do business with Sysco Chicago, which stores their brownies, buns and bread crumbs and supplies their products nationwide to different businesses. Their products are in different hospitals, restaurants, hotels, senior care centers, schools, event venues and some airports. But getting into all of the airports is OMG’s next big push, said Melanie Helfrich, of New Lenox. Helfrich is a part owner and the sales manager. OMG also stocks the gluten free bread for Turano, Alpha and Gonella. “We always get feedback that it tastes like regular bread,” Helfrich said OMG’s founder is Julie Scianna, who found out later in her life that she was gluten intolerant and that her four children were as well. What’s going to help OMG make its next jump to being in all of the airports is having earned its Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, Safe Quality Food and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certifications. ACDBE and DBE are similar in that they both help to level the playing field for small businesses that wish to participate in contracting opportunities at airports. Helfrich said airports need to buy a certain percentage of their food from a DBE-certified business, which OMG now is. “Having a speciality gluten free item that is needed especially in the airports, because you can’t find anything like that and for them to be able to mark off that percentage of product that they have to buy and get gluten free items in, it makes it a win-win for us and them.” And having that speciality item gives them that advantage because parents can find easier ways to get their gluten-intolerant child to eat, rather than paying $18 for a bunless burger and one piece of lettuce, Scianni said. “It’s becoming more of a necessity,” she said. OMG also recently got another account with United Airlines and it will be carrying OMG’s 2 ounce blueberry muffin and a 2 ounce dinner roll for all of their flights domestic and international. And with OMG’s big growth, especially in the last few years, it will hit $1 million in 2019 and likely get to $1.4 million before the year ends, Scianni said. The thought of that brought tears to Scianni’s eyes. “We are going to hit a million dollars,” Scianni said. “I get chills just saying it. I was crying to my dad. No one thought we’d get here. It’s very exciting. Once you cross that number, that is what is so exciting, once you hit it, we should do two-and-a-half next year.” Helfrich joined the team three years ago. The two have known each other for as long as OMG has been around, but when Scianni needed a sales manager, she turned to her longtime friend. Scianni said she could not have been able to get this growth without Helfrich. She said they were doing well, but became stagnant about seven years in. And the one who helped get the SQF certification was Glenn Zagon, OMG food safety manager. And Andrew Hebda is the executive chef. Scianni and Helfrich both hope to continue to expand the business and be able to retire in a few years, while staying on the road selling their products. Visit omgitsglutenfree. com for more information. PDH BUILDERS INC. Stonebridge Woods of Homer Glen RANCH AND 2 STORY HOMES STARTING IN THE $500’S OPEN MONDAY-SATURDAY 12-5 PM Ranch Home - IMMEDIATE OCCUPANCY 13838 W. Stonebridge Woods Crossing • Homer Glen, IL MODEL 13935 S. STONEBRIDGE DRIVE HOMER GLEN, IL O<strong>NL</strong>Y 3 HOME SITES LEFT LOOKOUT,WALK OUT,POND AND TREE LINE LOTS AVAILABLE HIGH END STANDARD FINISHES INCLUDED Call Us at (708) 949-8244 Visit Us Online at www.PDHartzbuilders.com FIND YOUR NEXT GREAT HIRE Call Noah Pavlina to learn more about recruitment advertising in your local newspaper. 708.326.9170 ext. 46 n.pavlina@22ndcenturymedia.com
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