Episode 10: Finding Possibility, Opportunity, and Hope at Cardinal Cushing Centers - with Michelle Markowitz Jordan: Welcome to the Plan for Special Needs Trusts podcast presented by PLAN, the planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Our plan is your plan, and I'm your host, Jordan Rich. Today delighted to welcome Michelle Markowitz, President and CEO of Cardinal Cushing Centers, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people with intellectual disabilities gain independence, form lasting friendships, and become valued and included members of their community. Programs for students, adults and community members include education, employment training, transition services, residential care, therapeutic and recreational services. And Michelle, as you'll hear, proudly offers over 20 years of service to Cardinal Cushing Centers, with more than a decade serving on the senior leadership team. Got to tell the audience and you that I grew up in this area where the school is located. I know who Cardinal Cushing is. I remember Cardinal Cushing, the personality that he was. So it's really nice to welcome you. Michelle: Nice to be here. Thank you so much Jordan. Jordan: Before we talk about the fine work at the Cushing Centers, you have a long history with this organization in the sense that you started out way back, I think, as a volunteer or an intern. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your path to the executive directorship? Michelle: Sure. So I started volunteering, actually, in high school. I went to Archbishop Williams, which is in Braintree, and they are neighbors to St Colletta’s Day School. And I started my volunteer work as a community service project and really just fell in love with the community there. The mission of Cardinal Cushing Centers, and that was sort of my first taste of working in special education and health and human services. From there, I went to college and found my way back to Cardinal Cushing in Hanover. And it was great because as a college student, there were plenty of shift opportunities. I worked in the residential programs, doing overnights, doing day shifts, worked in classrooms, and then from there really saw some opportunities for career development at an organization that I truly loved. So I became the Director of Admissions. My role expanded to Cice President of Admissions and Outreach. And from there, I became COO and then was appointed to CEO in 2020, actually, just as the pandemic was hitting. So it was certainly a dynamic time. But it has been an incredible honor to lead such an outstanding organization that does such important work. Jordan: Well, let me just say that there's a lot of praise for the work you've done, certainly in your tenure, but with the pandemic being so overreaching for everyone, that's crisis control. And Congratulations to you and your team. And I know you're very proud of the people who work with you. So you're the right person for the job. You've got the qualifications. No question. One of the things that we'll talk about and we'll certainly touch on what relationship you have with PLAN of Mass and Rhode Island. But one of the things we'll talk about is the fact that there is an S at the end of centers. It's really expanded since the early days, and the Cardinals history is on the website. It's really expanded greatly. Let's just outline for the listeners the three centers, the three main centers and what they do. Michelle: Cardinal Cushing Centers. We're a private nonprofit organization, and we support school age children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We employ about 600 employees, and we support almost 500 individuals each year with a variety of needs through a variety of programs. We have our St. Coletta Day School in Braintree, and we share that space with Meeting House Montessori School, which is wonderful and creates a nice opportunity for integration. Our Hanover Cardinal Cushing School, which is sort of our main campus, that is home to the Cardinal Cushing School, which offers both day and residential support. Our school programs offer academics, clinical and behavioral support, speech, OTT, recreation and employment training. The majority of our students come from Massachusetts, but I'm happy to share that we have students from as far as California, and in the past, we've supported international students as far as Saudi Arabia. So it's been great to see that diversity in our student body over the last couple of years. For our adult programs, we have 14 group homes in the greater South Shore community, and those are for adults over the age of 22. And we offer two day program options, Life Opportunities Unlimited, which is the day HAB and South Shore Industries, which is an employment program for community based employment opportunities. And those two day programs are located in Hanover and in Braintree. Jordan: There's a lot going on, and part of the equation, a very big part, is attention to the family, not just the students, but the people who support them and love them and care for them. And without going into specific detail, that's part of the mission statement, isn't it? It is, yes, absolutely. The integrity, respect, stewardship, all of that really encompasses what we do here at Cushing. What's the relationship that you have with PLAN of Mass and Rhode Island, and how has that been working for you? Michelle: So we actually found out about PLAN. They were doing some great work with some of our partners in the field. We've done some work with Best Buddies and Special Olympics of Massachusetts in the Northeast Arc. And we had heard about their partnership and really wanted to learn more. We met with Executive Director Joan McGrath. Her son's actually volunteered at Cushing. So it was really nice to have that personal connection to Joan's family and to Cushing, and we realized that our two organizations were really a great fit. We're really interested in providing a trusted resource for our families. These are conversations that are always comfortable, and it's really important for us to be able to share with our families the importance of special needs trust and estate planning and the impact of their loved ones eligibility for public benefits. So PLAN has just been a great partner to help our families navigate this process that can be so incredibly overwhelming. PLAN has assisted our families as they map out their financial security and really looking at how they can help make their loved ones most independent. Jordan: There's no question that if Cardinal Cushing were here to comment, he would be so impressed that there's such a breadth of organizational continuity that people are coming together and forming partnerships like the one you just mentioned. It does your heart well to know that that's happening and continuing to happen. Let's talk about some of the specific things that I found fascinating. One is the marketplace. I think this is a fabulous idea. First of all, I could use some gifts and some things to purchase. Would love to be a customer. Tell us about the marketplace, the concept behind it, and how it's working. Michelle: Yeah, the marketplace is just it's been so exciting to see that project. And several years ago, our board and our administrative team made the commitment to build this 20,000 square foot building to really showcase the longstanding businesses that existed here on campus. We were able to raise $10 million to pay for the building, and we were able to complete the construction in the midst of covet, which was, I think, just an incredible feat. And we're really proud of that. This is a beautiful, modern building that is now the home to our student run businesses. And we also showcase some of our transitional classrooms. So there are seven classrooms that support transition age students, ages 18 to 22, who are learning employment skills and the importance of work. We really wanted to create a space and have businesses that were integrated with our community and offered employment for individuals with disabilities. I would invite your listeners and certainly you, Jordan, to come and visit. There are lots of opportunities not only for shopping, but if folks are interested in volunteering. It's a great environment, and we have almost 30 volunteers that come and a lot of retirees that are just ready for something new and different. And they really enjoy the shops. Take Two, which is our thrift store, offers gently used items. We have a little corner at the back of the shop where we have sort of your finer labels. If you're lucky, you could maybe get a Coach bag or some Kate Spade bag. Designer clothes. Unique Boutique is a little gift shop, and we feature items not only made by Cardinal Cushing artists, but also artists in our local community with disabilities and social entrepreneurs that are looking to create their own product line. I'm so proud to say that it's not just about Cardinal Cushing and the folks that we support, but also sort of widening that footprint. And we have products like Grace Effects Candles out of Michigan and Sweet Heat Jams from Texas. So it's really becoming this sort of national hub for our local artists and our national artists. It's really exciting. Jordan: It is exciting. And it points out that this population now burst through the shadows that it was so ensconced in for so many decades and centuries. And we're in a different time, thank goodness. And it's so innovating. And I also appreciate the fact that you're talking about teaching people the value of earning money, the value of work, learning about employment, learning about paying for their way. Again, ties in with what PLAN is doing. So it's a perfect mesh of practicality as well as inspirational teaching. Talk a little bit, if you will, about how you navigated through the pandemic on the recreational side where people couldn't do things in groups and what's ahead in the near future. Michelle: So much of what we do at Cushing is focused on that social emotional growth and engaging our students and adults in community activities. When the pandemic hit and sort of in the midst of all of that, we really had to pivot and think, how do we continue these activities despite the restrictions in place? So I give so much credit to our just amazing staff that we have here. They were so creative. At one point, we had our ball field marked off with tape, and we had cohorts of students doing things like archery, cornhole, and we were doing the best that we could without interrupting those very important activities. And as we start to open up, we're really excited to start some of our community based programs this summer. We'll be running our vacation camps, which has been something that's been very popular with the greater community. And our after school program will be starting in the next few weeks. And that's a great resource for families, working families. But the recreation piece is huge here. We've got a beautiful recreation center, a beautiful outdoor pool and field. We host a lot of Special Olympic events. I'm happy to report our Special Olympics basketball team took the gold last week. So we are along with the Celtics that are doing so well. So we're really excited to start to really open things up as we can, as safe as we can, as we see Covid sort of flattened a bit. Jordan: Well, safety first for everyone these days, but there's a particular story that I read about, just one anecdotal story that says a lot about the organization, and that is the health services. Michelle: People are always thinking about their children, whether they're healthy or not and what their day is like when parents aren't around. There was a story about one of your crack nurses who was able to comfort a child who was having seizures. And I think the mom showed up and there she was, the nurse, holding the child and comforting him. And everything turned out to be fine. It's a good feeling to know your staff is in place to handle whatever comes up. And I have to say I can't say enough about the incredible workforce we have, how committed they are. I just was texting with a parent before this podcast, just checking in. She had had foot surgery and I wanted to check in on how she was doing. And she said to me, I can't believe the commitment of your staff. Last week was April school vacation. Our teachers had the week off, but we had a teacher and a paraprofessional go and visit her daughter and spend time with her, despite being off themselves and giving their personal time to support this family who's going through some medical stuff and mom struggling. So there are so many of those stories that don't often filter up to myself. But when I walk around and I see the support, the commitment, it is amazing and the trust that families have with us for their loved ones. It's so important. And I think, again, to go back to the pandemic, there were some families that didn't see their loved ones for almost a year and the visits were done via Skype or out the window. And as you can imagine, that took an emotional toll on families, on the folks that we support on our staff. But I also think if we can talk about a silver lining, I think it also highlighted the incredible respect and admiration of our direct support professionals and how critical and important their job is on a day to day basis. Jordan: Indeed, no question. Before we go, let's talk a little bit about the admission process and enrollment and how that works for listeners who are introduced to you for the first time. And there are many how does it work? Michelle: So for our school programs, we have a rolling admissions process, and folks that are interested in learning more about our programs can reach out to our admissions director, Nanette Rondo. They can go to our website for more information. We offer tours of our campus here in Hanover and our school in Braintree for our adult programs. Again, you can find information on our website, but there's just a short application that can be completed. And we're always open to having visitors. And we love when we have new folks coming to see the program and seeing all the great things that we do here at Cushing. Jordan: What's on the agenda, what would you like to see and what are you planning to do? Michelle: So for us, I think it's really as we emerge out of COBIT and looking at picking up some of our partnerships, we're really excited here. We're in a great location in Hanover. Hanover Crossing is opening, and so we're trying to match employment opportunities in the community for our adults and students. Our students and adults are really excited to be part of the greater Hanover community. And just to see the growth that's happened here on Route 53 has been amazing. We're also looking to partner with other organizations. Again, looking at our shops and ways that we can collaborate because I think it's really important to provide opportunities to not only pushing students but also students that are attending a public school and are connected to their community and wanting more vocational opportunities, more training or recreational opportunities. So for me as a leader It's really important to create those collaborative moments and to have our mission be really broad reaching. Jordan: Well, it's certainly been a great collaboration with PLAN of Mass and Rhode Island and speaking for this fine organization, we appreciate that. Finally you being a volunteer years back and now look at you. You're the head honcho in a good way. What about volunteering? I mean, you mentioned the marketplace but I'm sure you can always use some fresh hands. Michelle: Yeah, like I said, the volunteer opportunities are wonderful. The marketplace is a great spot working in our shop side by side and helping our students understand what it's like to work in a business and to help them on their journey. We also have volunteers that come into our school programs and our day and employment programs and our adult programs. So there's lots of opportunities for volunteering. It just really depends on what it is you're looking for. We won't turn anyone down, I promise. Jordan: Well, Michelle, you have a lot on your plate but it must feel a little bit better these days without the pandemic staring you in the face as it was. But you weathered that so beautifully and under difficult conditions. Now it's onward and upward with lots of sunshine and lots of opportunities. We can't thank you enough for your time and all the great work that you and your team do. Michelle: Thank you so much, Jordan. I appreciate it. Jordan: To find out more about the Cardinal Cushing centers and all the great work they're doing, visit cushionsnters.org that's cushionsnters.org. We want to thank you for listening to the Plan for Special Needs Trusts Podcast Presented by PLAN The Planned Lifetime Assistance network of Massachusetts and Rhode Island PLAN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit company where the goal for every one of its clients is always to preserve assets, protect benefits and live well. For more, visit www. PlanofMa-ri.org. We invite you to subscribe, download, rate and review this podcast and thank you for sharing it with others. Our plan is your plan.