As an affiliate of Incompass, the agencies will work together to advocate for the needs of the people they serve and expand their reach across Greater Lowell, Greater Lawrence, and Fitchburg & Northern Worcester County.
CHELMSFORD, MA – Incompass Human Services, a human services agency serving nearly 500 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries throughout Greater Lowell and Greater Lawrence, is pleased to announce that they have entered into an affiliation agreement with The Arc of Opportunity. The agreement enables these two award-winning agencies that empower people with disabilities to reach their fullest potential to collaborate and expand access to their services and reach more people in need throughout Northern Worcester County, Greater Lowell, and Greater Lawrence.
As chapters within The Arc of Massachusetts, both agencies offer similar programs and have a history of working together to advocate for the workforce and the people and families they serve. The Arc of Opportunity has been providing day, home, family, and employment supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in north central Massachusetts for more than 70 years out of their headquarters in Fitchburg, MA.
Incompass Human Services is one of the founding affiliates of the New England Human Services Collaborative (NEHSCO), along with Peabody, MA-based Bridgewell, Inc. NEHSCO is a consortium of human services providers with a shared vision rooted in access and innovation. The Collaborative was created to address the growing need for collaboration and shared resources among human services agencies in the region, as demand for services in the network increases.
“We are excited to become an affiliate of Incompass Human Services and be a part of the NEHSCO umbrella of providers,” said Mary Heafy, President, and CEO of The Arc of Opportunity. “This agreement offers us access to share in a wider range of resources and expertise, which will help us to offer more comprehensive services to the individuals and families we serve.”
Consistent with the NEHSCO affiliation model, both agencies will continue to operate under their current name and leadership structure and will maintain their current programs and services.
“I’m pleased to see another agency embracing the power of collaboration,” shared NEHSCO CEO, Bridgewell President & CEO Chris Tuttle. “One in 10 people in Massachusetts are served by the human services system, and it’s a number that is growing. As an affiliate to Incompass Human Services, The Arc of Opportunity will immediately have access to the burgeoning knowledge library and training programs we are creating at NEHSCO as we aim to meet that demand and spur innovation across the sector.”
Funds raised were donated directly to Greater Lowell families in the Incompass Family Support Center who were identified as high-need this holiday season.
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS— Incompass Human Services™ (formerly LifeLinks CLASS), a not-for-profit organization that delivers enriching supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families throughout Greater Lowell and Greater Lawrence, has raised nearly $20,000 through the “Adopt-a-Family” year-end fundraising campaign in support of families in need.
” Adopt-a-Family” was launched to provide targeted financial relief to high-need families who receive support from the Incompass Family Support Center. Hardships caused by the pandemic presented new challenges for households who are already caring for loved ones with medically complex conditions. Some family members lost their jobs, while others are simply unable to work due to schools and day programs shifting to virtual environments.
Incompass Human Services put out a call-to-action to its supporters in Greater Lowell and Greater Lawrence, and the community quickly rose to the occasion. Three of the largest contributions came from long-time supporters of the organization…
Gregg Bonheur, Senior Vice President of The Bonheur Scott Traino Group at Morgan Stanley and former member of the Incompass Human Services board of directors, donated $5,000.
Wallwork Curry McKenna, an integrated marketing firm led by Alison Costello, and Decibel Media, a media planning and buying firm founded by Tim Davies, donated a combined $3,000 after working with the agency to launch the new Incompass Human Services brand.
The Durkin Foundation, a Billerica-based charitable foundation led by Executive Director Matthew Durkin that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as U.S. veterans, and those affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, donated $2,500.
The campaign’s initial goal was surpassed last week, and all of the money raised going directly to selected families in the Incompass Family Support Center who were overjoyed with the news!
“To wrap up the year with such support from our local community partners, vendors, and from Care Champions within our agency really just leaves me speechless,” says Kelly Trickett, Director of Family and Community Services at Incompass Human Services. “The impact that this has had on our families could never truly be measured and we are beyond grateful for each and every donation that has been received.”
“We faced every obstacle you could imagine this year, and we faced it head-on as a team,” added Jean Phelps, Chief Executive Officer at Incompass Human Services. “But the fact is that we rely on the generosity of the community to provide the critical services and supports that families in our network so desperately need, and the overwhelming response to the “Adopt-a-Family” initiative truly warms my heart.”
Nault oversees day habilitation, community-based day services, T.R.E.E., Urban Youth Collaborative Program, and employment services as the agency unites its program portfolio around the concept of the “whole person”
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS— Incompass Human Services™ (formerly LifeLinks CLASS), a not-for-profit organization that delivers enriching supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families throughout Greater Lowell and Greater Lawrence, has appointed Shawn Nault as Director of Day Services.
In this new role, Nault will oversee the entire portfolio of Incompass day programs in Chelmsford and Lawrence, including day habilitation, community-based day services, T.R.E.E., and employment services. Together, these programs enroll nearly 400 individuals from the surrounding communities with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
Nault has more than 30 years of experience running I/DD clinical programs, having spent the past seven years leading the day habilitation program in Chelmsford. He also oversees the Incompass Urban Youth Collaborative Program in partnership with Department of Developmental Services, an experiential internship that engages students who are interested in pursuing a career in human services.
“I’m excited about this opportunity, and what the role represents for the Incompass Human Services community,” says Nault. “By leveraging and connecting the full array of our supports, programs, and services, we are uniquely positioned to meet the specific needs of every individual in our program portfolio.”
“I am thrilled to announce Shawn Nault as the new Director of Day Services at Incompass Human Services,” added Al Frugoli, Chief Operating Officer at Incompass Human Services. “Our mission is rooted in providing care for the ‘whole person’ at every stage of their life. But we also need to make it easier on families and caregivers by providing them with a single point of entry and a comprehensive program rooted in in-person and virtual supports. Shawn understands this, given his vast experience working with the I/DD population, and is already moving us in this direction.”
Nault will work out of the Chelmsford and Lawrence facilities, and is a member of the newly-formed program leadership team at Incompass Human Services along with Kelly Trickett, Director of Family and Community Services; Angie Otieno, Director of Residential Services; and Chris Snell, Director of Clinical Services. He will also continue to serve on the Incompass Human Services COVID-19 Task Force.
One year after the merger between LifeLinks, Inc. and CLASS, Inc., Incompass Human Services reflects the combined agency’s comprehensive service portfolio that serves the whole person and promotes inclusion in the community.
The crowd at 4 Omni Way looks on as the new brand is officially unveiled in a ceremony on Monday, October 19.
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS— LifeLinks CLASS, a human services agency serving nearly 800 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families throughout Greater Lowell and Greater Lawrence, announces a new brand and new identity. The agency, an affiliated chapter of The Arc™, will now be known as Incompass Human Services™. As part of the shift, a new logo, tagline, and web domain (www.incompasshs.org) are all being rolled out.
After the merger between LifeLinks, Inc. and CLASS, Inc. was announced on July 1, 2019, establishing a brand that more accurately represented the services and impact of the combined agency was deemed an immediate priority.
“Since the merger was announced, our focus has been bringing together two human services agencies with a combined 111 years of experience in providing critical services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Jean Phelps, Chief Executive Officer of Incompass Human Services. “Today’s announcement reflects the culmination of a year-long process to present ourselves as a unified agency – stronger together, with a longstanding tradition of doing whatever it takes to enrich and transform the lives of others.”
The brand was officially unveiled to the Incompass Human Services community in an outdoor ceremony on October 19 at the Chelmsford facility, where Phelps, chairman Tim Allen, and two members of the agency’s day habilitation program held a ceremonial ribbon cutting that revealed the new logo adorning the building at 4 Omni Way.
“Last summer, even after the merger, a lot of people still referred to us as LifeLinks or CLASS and Chelmsford or Lawrence,” said Allen. “But over the course of the year, by focusing on the people and families we serve, we became a cohesive agency with a comprehensive service portfolio that is able to serve the whole person at every stage of their life. Today, we take the next step as Incompass Human Services.”
“Innovating to help the most vulnerable thrive – that’s our brand position,” said Daniel Esdale, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer. “The new brand embodies a ‘care champion’ culture that is defined by the innovation, expertise, and open hearts that have made us a premier provider of lifelong resources for people with disabilities, and their families.”
The Incompass Human Services brand is a complete reinvention of the LifeLinks CLASS identity and visual system that embraces a brand promise to deliver a more personalized, innovative approach to care that best supports the needs of society’s most vulnerable individuals. The new tagline announced in a launch video on incompasshs.org, “with open hearts, we open doors” further speaks to the impact of the work being done throughout Greater Lowell and Greater Lawrence by Incompass Human Services “care champions.”
“The open heart logo and bold color palette differentiate us in the field of human services and evoke the core qualities of the Incompass Human Services care champion,” according to Esdale.
“As we grow and add new services and supports that address the needs of the people we serve across their lives, Incompass Human Services is a brand that will grow with us,” says Phelps. “And I’m thrilled to present the impact of our work under this new brand umbrella.”
The staff at Incompass Human Services gather around the new entrance sign at 4 Omni Way.
CEO Jean Phelps addresses the crowd at the unveiling ceremony on October 19.
