Press release/provided photo
BATAVIA — Sara Mahler grew up being involved with the Arc.
Her grandfather, the late Henry Valerych, was one of Genesee Arc’s founders which formed in 1966. Now replacing her mother, Michelle, on the Arc GLOW Board of Directors, Mahler will be the third generation of her family to be serving Arc GLOW.
Thinking back to memories of her grandfather, she said the biggest thing which comes to mind is all the fundraising efforts he was part of.
“We went to a lot of those events with him, and helped out with a lot of those things,” Mahler said. “He always knew everyone. From the program participants to the families to the staff.”
Mahler also has family members with disabilities. However, she said she never viewed this as something “different or other.”
“I have plenty of fond memories with my aunt and uncle,” she said. “Even if the activities I do with them is different than what someone else’s family might look like, there are definitely a lot of great memories and experiences that we still can and do have together. Looking back, now that I am older, I know it shaped my priorities. It made me a more empathetic and patient person as well.”
Now that she is part of the Arc GLOW board of directors, Mahler said she wants to do her part to help the agency in providing quality service to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and families in the area.
When asked why she decided to follow in her mother and grandfather’s footsteps, Mahler said, “There was no question to it. Between my grandpa and my mom, I knew I have pretty big shoes to fill. I am thankful for the opportunity to do it. It’s really an honor.”
Mahler went to SUNY Geneseo and received her bachelors, majoring in history and education and minoring in anthropology. She then went to the University at Buffalo for her masters in social work. Mahler said she decided to pursue social work because there is so much you can do with it, as there is social work in every field.
She has found her place at the six hospitals in the Catholic Health systems in Buffalo.
“I wear many different hats in my job. One aspect close to my heart is working with individuals with disabilities, their families and agencies to make a hospitalization less scary,” Mahler said.
Mahler said looking between her new role on the Arc GLOW board of directors and her day job at Catholic Health systems, it was an obvious choice to go into a helping profession. Her parents and grandparents have always been volunteering, if not to the Arc to other organizations in the community.
“Because I’m in this position, I’m able to meet needs of people in the developmental disabilities community in a different capacity in my job too that I would have ever thought of when I was younger,” she said.
Created in 2021, Arc GLOW, a chapter of The Arc New York, is the result of the merger of two successful and long-standing organizations, The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming and Arc of Genesee Orleans.
Arc GLOW is a public, non-profit organization founded by parents and friends of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They serve individuals with a variety of disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, Down syndrome, epilepsy, Fragile X syndrome and neurological conditions.