HANCOCK COUNTY — The co-founder of a local organization dedicated to helping families with children with disabilities is stepping down after almost 23 years.
Denise Arland, executive director of Families United for Support and Encouragement, plans to step down in April because she is moving to the Chicago area, she announced this week. Arland and co-founder Amy Borgmann created the group in April 1996 in an attempt to provide more support to parents of children with disabilities, including their own families.
Arland said she plans to continue to volunteer her time with the organization, both from Chicago and when she returns to visit the Greenfield area.
“FUSE is way more than a job to me, obviously,” she said. “I’m excited about the move for my husband and my family, but it is hard to leave. I’m still committed to making sure families are served and the mission continues.”
The organization has 15 board members and has expanded its scope and offerings over the years. The first meeting at Greenfield’s Ponderosa restaurant attracted about a dozen others; now, the organization serves about 1,200 central Indiana families a year, hosting support groups in Hancock and Shelby counties, providing support for an adaptive swimming class and a color guard group for young people with disabilities, among others.
The organization also offers peer-led group meetings, webinars and events that address topics their families face, including health needs, behavior changes and life skills development.
Arland said the social skills programs FUSE offers through county’s middle, intermediate and elementary schools have expanded the organization’s reach.
The Building our Social Skills (BOSS) program, a 12-week learning experience, used a grant from the Hancock County Community Foundation to contract with teachers and instructional assistants, who aim to help kids better understand the interaction and communication traits they’ll need to have successful and positive relationships with their peers, teachers and neighbors.
This fall, BOSS was offered at Eastern Hancock Elementary, Mt. Comfort Elementary, New Palestine Elementary, Sugar Creek Elementary, Greenfield Intermediate School and Maxwell Intermediate School. In the spring, the program will expand to several other schools, including Eastern Hancock Middle School and New Palestine Junior High School, Arland said.
Borgmann stepped down from a leadership role with the organization in 2017 but has continued to volunteer her time with FUSE.
Arland wants people to know that even though she and Borgmann are no longer in leadership roles, FUSE is in no danger of falling by the wayside.
“FUSE is an organization, not a person, though it’s deeply rooted in me and Amy both,” she said. “FUSE will continue to expand its programming and continue on what we started to do. It’s still here for families.”
Borgmann said she believes a fresh perspective will only serve the organization.
“So many people have expressed concern that FUSE won’t survive because the founders are gone, and I don’t think that’s the case,” she said. “We’ll still be here supporting it. I think it’s going to thrive.”
