After 16 months, it's back to work at Center of Hope

For many in St. Mary Parish, Tuesday was simply another day in the work week, perhaps after a long Fourth of July weekend.
But for ARC of St. Mary/Center of Hope, it was a time to celebrate.
For the first time in 16 months, workers returned to their facility in Centerville where they will resume their daily routines that had been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The center is a place through which St. Mary Parish adults — ages 18 and above — with intellectual and developmental disabilities gain em-ployment in the community.
“They’re very proud of their job, and they’re proud of their paycheck when it’s time to get paid,” Executive Director Kristal Hebert said.
But the workers also gain valuable tools at the center, learning skills that cover social, living and safety aspects.
However, things have been much different for the last 16 months with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was the only person here for a while,” Hebert said.
She found a way to connect with her workers and allow them to connect with each other. Through a grant, each worker received an iPad, and they began meeting virtually twice a week in what was called “Hope on the Geaux” Zoom meetings.
“It was good for all of us to be able to see each other and interact with each other,” Hebert said.
The twice-weekly meetings helped to alleviate some of Hebert’s fears of her workers being isolated and not able to communicate with peo-ple.
“Some of them may not know how to make a phone call or get on the internet or do things like that, so it was really important for me to keep them interacting with each other and engaged with each other that way they’d have something to look forward to,” she said.
Tuesday, Hebert was joined by community members to greet her workers.
She said that commu-nity support means a lot.
“It’s the only way that we get by a lot of times is having people come,” Hebert said. “I want people to know what we do. When I started working here, I had no idea what this place was.
“So my thing is making people aware of what’s here and that these people aren’t sitting on a couch in front of a TV for the rest of their life,” she added. “They’re actually getting out working, and I feel like if they work, everybody can work.”
And what was it like to see her workers again in person for the first time in so long?
“I know we had a crowd out there, but all I saw was them whenever I’m with them,” Hebert said. “I tell everybody I’m my best when I’m with them.”
For more information on how to help the center, contact Hebert at 337-836-9445 or arcof-stmary@att.net.