The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
DEDICATION, ADVOCACY The Arc of Madison Cortland renames building in honor of Ray Lewandowski
ONEIDA, N.Y. » For decades, the name Raymond Lewandowski has been synonymous with the Madison Cortland ARC.
Lewandowski’s efforts in advocating for people with intellectual and development disabilities throughout the course of his 43 year career was so intrinsic to the ARC’smission that upon his retirement, the organization renamed its Alternatives facility on Broad Street in his honor in 2014.
However, in an effort to consolidate services, a building The Arc of Madison Cortland owned for many years primarily for warehouse storage at 634 Birchwood Dr., Oneida, was renovated to house the following programs: Service Coordination, Residential Services, Alternatives Vocational Services (AVS), LoJo Technology, Pathways to Employment, Community Pre-Voc, Self Direction Broker Services, and E-Waste Recycling. As a result, the ARC sold its previous Broad Street and Farrier Avenue facilities in order to help finance the newlyrenovated Birchwood and Main Street facilities.
To close the chapter on a busy
Then, the former executive director didwhat he devoted his career to; he advocated on behalf of the ARC community.
and somewhat tumultuous past couple of years, the ARC held special ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the two newlocations of Wednesday.
“I sold Raymond’s building,” Arc of Madison Cortland Executive Director Jack Campbell said in tongue-incheek fashion on Wednesday.
Campbell, who facetiously called the 634 Birchwood Dr. location “Raymond’s Folly,” explained that Lewandowski, in his capacity as the executive director before Campbell, had the foresight to know the ARC would need a building like the Birchwood Drive one in the future, even if he was not quite sure why at the time.
OnWednesday, Campbell, and all of The Arc of Madison Cortland community, helped to surprise Lewandowski and honor his commitment and foresight by renaming the 634 Birchwood Dr. facility the “Ray Lewandowski Building.”
Lewandowski, whose relationship with the ARC community continues past retirement, was expecting a round of golf with a former client. The client explained that he had to drop off some paperwork at the facility quick before heading to the links and Hole 1.
Instead, Lewandowski walked into a surprise dedication.
“I’m honored by this, and I hope I can continueworking on behalf of all of you,” Lewandowski, who was briefly overcome by emotion said. “I am humbled and honored.”
Then, the former executive director did what he devoted his career to; he advocated on behalf of the ARC community.
“It’s been several years since I’ve been in an acting role with the ARC, but I still act,” Lewandowski said. “These are very challenging and different times...I see what’s going on in Washington and how suppressed groups are being ignored. You just went through a tremendous thingwith the governor approving salary increases for staff...and now you look at the federal budget and they’re talking about billions of dollars being cut from Medicaid. We gotta wake up folks, or people like this won’t have the opportunities. Things that parents have gone through for 50 years, trying to elevate their kids to a point of acceptance, cant be done without the staff that need a healthy increase in salary.”
After congratulations from Sen. David Valesky, D-53, Laurie Pendergraft, who was in attendance on behalf of the governor and New York State Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWD) said, “Thank you for recognizing the potential that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have and the contributions they make to our diverse community. Your actions help people with developmental disabilities live richer lives. The new, state-of-the-art facility will be home to so many of your services related to employment and vocational exploration - packaging, electro-mechanical assemblies, government and business preferred source contracting, and e-waste recycling of electronics - here, under one roof, to grow and expand, thereby increasing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to learn job skills, perform meaningful work along with their nondisabled friends and neighbors, and, most important, earn paychecks.”
“There’s no better advocate,” Ward 2 Councilor Mike Bowe said of Lewandowski. “He is truly themost passionate and we were so fortunate to have him. [The dedication] was very fitting. He deserves it.”
The Arc of Madison Cortland now provides clinic services, day habilitation, staff training and development at its 165 Main St. location and alternatives vocational services, medicaid service coordination, residential and nursing administration, Lojos and alternatives industry at 634 Birchwood, or following Wednesday’s ceremony, theRay Lewandowski Building.