It was a bit of a fluke that brought Evelyn Gallik to the world of working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She had been a corporate sales representative for more than 15 years when she volunteered at an agency working with people with IDD. In what turned out to be a fateful bit of confusion, the group thought she was applying for a job, and Evelyn was so inspired by the work that she decided to go ahead and make that a reality—quitting her sales job and entering the field where she has now thrived for nearly 30 years. “I immediately loved it,” she says.
After first working in group homes and then trying different jobs at different agencies, she was hired as a Day Program Manager at The Arc of Essex County in 2006. She subsequently moved up to become the Assistant Director of Residential Services, going above and beyond during the chaos and challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
When The Arc of Essex County was preparing to open Studio Arc, senior leadership reached out to Evelyn to see if she was interested in taking on the role of Assistant Director of Adult Services Activities, which included developing lessons at the new creative space, mostly for the adults in Arc programs, but also for the children and teens who participate in Studio Arc classes. “It was just an amazing and wonderful opportunity,” Evelyn says. “I was so excited to work hands-on with the consumers, which has always been at my heart. And with the inception of the studio, we are changing the paradigm, showing what our community is capable of. Everyone can be an artist, and everyone has a spark of creativity in them that needs to be ignited.”
In addition to art-based activities, Evelyn created lesson plans for the Day Programs, including the Global Curriculum, and established fun recurring residential activities such as Girls Night In and Mancave Mondays at the studio. In the years since Studio Arc opened, the offerings have grown, as has the staff, which allows Evelyn to work alongside Debra McGauley-Eichhorn, who does the hands-on artistic lessons with the participants.
Evelyn also works directly at the Day Program centers, developing lesson plans for the various clubs, such as Self-Advocacy, Job, Entrepreneurship, Communications, and more. “With all of these things, I create a basic framework and then pass it on to the program managers to take it and run with it.” She says she likes watching the managers thrive and move up within The Arc. “I love seeing the potential in staff and helping them grow.”
Watching Evelyn with the consumers in Arc programs is inspiring as well. She banters and jokes and knows so many of the details about each of their lives. “I genuinely enjoy their company, and I can be silly with them,” she says.