I have been proud to sit on the VARCA Board of Directors for many years and I take offense to a reader comment under a Valley Indy story, “Where are our board members that were really quick to throw the clients under…”
Are you serious?
Do you know how hard members of this BOD lobbied Hartford to keep VARCA open?
Do you not realize that all but two members of this board have had or still have family who do work for VARCA?
Do you know that one the board members worked to get this building up and running and still sits on this BOD? Attorney Dominick Thomas has been serving on the BOD for years and was even here before this building was built. And if not him, a member of his family were always present.
Get your facts straight before you make a statement that it was all up to (VARCA executive director) Joan Bucci to send out letters to the clients. This has been something we as a BOD along with Joan have been fighting for a very long time and have been lobbying against for the past five years.
Joan always goes above and beyond and her love and dedication to VARCA and the “family of VARCA” is undeniable to all that know her.
VARCA’s closing has been coming for a long time and, as previously stated, we do not stand alone.
Other organizations that were the building blocks for so many others have been forced to close.
There definitely is a need for sheltered workshops and the services provided by VARCA. Some of the clients may not be able to work outside of sheltered workshops and without VARCA we as a board have the same concerns as to what will happen now.
Unfortunately, there have been absolutely no clear answers and this is not for lack of trying. Do you actually think that the BOD of VARCA sat back and told Joan just send a letter to the clients and put a note on the door “CLOSED FOR BUSINESS?”
Seriously …
The writer lives in Derby.
