Shareem McElhaney was studying sociology at William Paterson University when she first saw a job posting for The Arc of Essex County in 2009. She inquired among friends who worked in the field and learned more about The Arc and what kind of work she would be doing. “Even in my retail jobs, I always enjoyed helping people,” she says. “So when my friends told me about The Arc, I thought, ‘okay, let me try this out.’” In the years to come, it would prove to be a great fit.
Shareem started working as a direct support professional at the Ashwood community residence in Livingston, where she got to know and love the residents, and where the managers guided her and supported her as she learned her new position. When she graduated, she considered applying to be an assistant manager at the Branchbrook group home and was encouraged by her supervisors to do so. A year later, a manager position opened at the Cedar Grove group home, and she was once again supported in her effort to take on a new role and challenge. “Anytime I’ve inquired about wanting to move up in this field in general, I was able to get that support thanks to the people around me,” she says. “There are so many people who have played a role in my successes by helping me gain knowledge, to better understand the field, and to continue growing with The Arc.”
As she moved up to Senior Manager, then Assistant Director, and now as Director of Adult Residential Services, Shareem says she has tried to pay it forward by helping and encouraging those who have come up behind her. “I continue to try to support others because so many people did it for me, people who believed in me.”
Although she loves her role working with all of The Arc of Essex County’s 27 residences, Shareem does miss being with the residents every day, and she tries to be out in the field as much as she can. She says one of her favorite things is when she stops by Cedar Grove and receives big smiles and clapping from Terrence, who is nonverbal. “He just brings me so much joy, and I love that he still remembers me and is happy to see me.”
Shareem’s work at the agency has extended to generations within her own family; her daughter, Kayla, first visited residents when she was four, and now continues to draw smiles and hugs when she visits as a 17-year-old. “She has grown up not just respecting and caring for people with disabilities, but educating her classmates and those around her.” And Shareem’s mother still makes macaroni salad every Thanksgiving for William in the Verona Apartments—a vestige from when she made it for family dinners years ago. “My mom had that connection, and it’s continued all these years later.”
Shareem says she takes pride every day in being part of The Arc. “We set the bar high and we keep it there, and I’m proud to tell people I work here. For many of the people we serve, we are their family, we are who they look to for help, and we need to be there for them 100 percent of the time. I know when I walk through the door, I’m making a difference, and I’m where I need to be.”