1. society
2. work
3. contracts

S P RING 2013
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE BEACON GROUP
“He has been a great employee... We’re all going to miss him,” Jim Click
told the packed room at the monthly staff meeting. This was Juan Bencomo’s
last day at the Jim Click Ford dealership, and Jim had made a special effort
to be there — even though he had a flight to catch — to congratulate Juan
on his 29 years. “Johnny,” as he’s known to friends and family, was a very
popular and valued employee in the dealership’s Detailing Department. He
also used to be a client on Beacon’s car-wash crew.
“My wife Vicki and I were out driving when we saw Johnny walking home
from his job at the dealership not long after he started. We stopped and
gave him a ride home. That’s how our friendship started,” Jim told his
employees. “Everybody loves Johnny. If he should change his mind, he
is always welcome to return.”
Johnny’s inspiring story started 59 years ago in Douglas, AZ, when he
was born. At an early age he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. In spite
of his challenges, Johnny graduated from high school and worked parttime at a nearby convenience store. He always had a great work ethic and
wanted to have a regular job.
After his family moved to Tucson,
Vocational Rehabilitation referred him to
Beacon to help him explore work options.
After a stint in our workshop, Johnny was
given the chance to work on the car-wash
crew at Jim Click Ford.
Click Auto Dealership was one of the
first businesses in Tucson to utilize people
with severe disabilities as trainees
working on supervised crews at their
place of business. Once again,
Johnny’s work ethic, consistency
and willingness to work hard got
Continued, Page 3
him noticed.
IN
the previous issue of the
Beacon Times newsletter, we
wrote a lot about celebrating our 60th
Anniversary. It’s a pretty big deal. We
have every right to brag about our
accomplishments and all the good
work we’ve done for people with
disabilities in our community. We
should be allowed to take every
opportunity to brag some more. There
are a few articles in this newsletter
that do just that, but I can’t use my
column this time to help highlight our
good news.
I’ve had to use this space too many
times to talk about State budget cuts
and how they are affecting Beacon’s
bottom line. We knew when the
economy tanked that we would have
to expect our share of cutbacks and
reductions. We cut expenses,
reduced benefits and trimmed staff.
We aggressively pursued additional
business opportunities to make up for
the expected cuts and keep services
at the same level or better. Twice in
those years, the State reduced the fees
they pay for those services. The total
was a 15% cut that, so far, has never
been replaced.
Almost 70% of the 1,200 clients
Beacon serves yearly have a
developmental disability (DD). The
State, through the Division of
Developmental Disabilities, sends
those clients to us for services. There
are rates set at the State level to
reimburse organizations like Beacon
to provide the quality services the
Let’s Keep in Touch!
You can keep up-to-date with all the
latest happenings at Beacon Group
online at www.BeaconGroup.org
2
Also, check out our all-new Facebook
page and be sure to “Like” us!
SPRING 2013
clients require. And there are very
detailed standards for program
performance, service delivery,
staffing and administration.
Two years ago, Beacon lost almost
$300,000 on services provided for
our DD clients. Last year we lost over
$400,000. Our budget for the current
year projects a loss of almost
$480,000 for DD expenses based on
the current State reimbursement rates.
The State accepted a consultant’s
opinion that decided they didn’t need
to adjust DD rates because not many
organizations have gone out of
business. They never even looked at
the losses Beacon and other providers
were carrying for them. I don’t
imagine there are many organizations
that can keep absorbing close to a
half million dollars in losses.
STEVE KING, President/CEO
Look
Who’s
Talking!
We have every right to brag about our
accomplishments... but I can’t use my column
this time to help highlight our good news.
The current proposed budget from
Governor Brewer’s office does not
request any additional rate increases
for DD over current levels. The
Legislature is proposing a very
modest increase just over 1.5%.
Beacon and the other provider
agencies in Arizona are asking them
to agree to a 3% increase of current
rates (approximately $9,000,000.)
Even this would only be restoring a
third of the cut in rates we’ve been
dealing with.
Beacon is not at risk of closing or
laying off clients. However, we can’t
be positive that our business contracts
or other revenue generation will be
able to make up the losses the State
of Arizona is just expecting us to live
with. We hope our representatives in
Phoenix will try a little harder to close
the gap between what we spend on
their behalf, and what they reimburse
us for. If you would like to help us
get our representatives to listen, you
can contact your legislator or the
Governor and tell them you support
restoring the 3% ($9,000,000) to
DD rates in their current budget
negotiations.
This won’t restore all the funding
we’ve lost already, but it would be
enough so we could stop talking
about it so much.
...Continued from Page 1
The folks at Jim Click approached
Beacon about the idea of hiring
Johnny full-time at the dealership.
That was 1983. Jim Click did hire
Johnny and has never regretted it.
Even though Johnny’s condition has
steadily gotten worse, his productivity
never has. Even when his speech got
so bad only those around him all the
time can understand him, he still
showed up for work every day and
didn’t have to be prodded to work.
The Lead Detail Supervisor —
Johnny’s boss — is Dave Slagle. He
supervises a crew of six, including
Johnny and Mike — another exBeacon client that has been hired by
Click. Dave and his crew will detail
35-40 cars on a busy day. Johnny can
do cars all by himself, and has always
been a self-starter. “He’s really going
to be missed,” says Dave. “Johnny
knows what to do and you can count
on him when it gets really busy. He’s
never sick. We’ve really become good
friends... This is going to be hard.”
Dave and Johnny always went to
lunch together on paydays. They took
turns buying. They also would go out
together to “unwind” after work.
Dave says Johnny was always very
popular with waitresses. He enjoys
music and dancing. Dave is amazed
at how many people know Johnny
when they go places. “Especially the
ladies!” says Dave.
Having the chance to work at Jim
Click gave Johnny a measure of independence he never would have
had otherwise. When his mother
passed away a couple of years ago,
he moved in with his brother, Andy.
Johnny’s sister also lives with them.
She is in a wheelchair due to a car
accident. They will be living on a small
farm in Marana, where Johnny plans
to keep doing whatever he can to help
out. He loves football, but has no interest in just sitting in front of a TV.
After 29 years, Johnny may be retiring, but that doesn’t mean he’s
done. Johnny will have more time for
family, friends and fun. He just has
to work out the details.
Johnny will have many fond
memories of working with
Dave Slagle (right) and the
entire Beacon car-wash crew
(below) at the Jim Click
dealerships in Tucson.
3
SPRING 2013
I
t’s really a huge contract.
It’s a first of its kind for
Beacon. It involves three
military facilities in two
states. It will employ over
sixty people including
many “wounded warriors”
and disabled veterans. And
it will be Beacon’s biggest
single work contract.
The 5-year contract with
the Joint Interoperability
Test Command (JITC) began
last October. It will encompass facilities management,
logistics, travel planning,
information technology,
security and public relations work. And even
though it is up and running
already… we just can’t tell
you much more about it.
Not all of the work on
the new contract will be
secret, but a lot of it will be.
This means that Beacon
needed our own security
clearance, as well as a
Security Officer. It is his job
to keep secret stuff... secret.
Carlton Martin is a
Human Resource Generalist who came to work at
Beacon last May. He is also
the new Facility Security
Officer for the JITC contract.
It is his responsibility to
ensure that all of the
employees on this contract
also receive their security
clearance and properly
follow security guidelines.
Beacon Group itself must
also maintain a Secret
Security Clearance.
Prior to coming to work
for Beacon, Carlton was an
Operations Manager at the
Target Distribution Center in
Tucson and in Topeka, KS.
His role with the JITC
project is critical to Beacon
being able to secure the
contract as well as for its
successful operation over
the next five years. Carlton
4
SPRING 2013
will have to oversee
personnel in regards to their
eligibility and security
status. He will also conduct
trainings on protocols and
procedures and set policy
and safeguards to ensure
information access is
limited to an “as needed”
basis. I probably shouldn’t
even be telling you this!
“This contract and the
secret clearance will help
Beacon compete for other
work that requires that
clearance,” says Carlton.
“This should open a lot of
doors at other businesses for
us.” The JITC contract will
include work at Indian
Head Naval Base and Fort
Meade, both in Maryland,
in addition to Ft. Huachuca
here in Arizona. And although we can’t share much
about the work we do there,
it will be providing
important maintenance and
logistic support for the joint
military command.
D
uring our annual holiday party in December,
Beacon recognized the staff, clients,
businesses and community leaders that made
2012 a noteworthy success. We’d like to express our
gratitude and congratulations to all of our winners!
Facility Security Officer
Carlton Martin (above) will
coordinate Beacon’s security
clearances and hiring efforts for
(pictured below, top to bottom)
Ft. Huachuca, Indian Head
Naval Base, and Fort Meade.
The JITC was organized
by the Department of
Defense in the 1990s to
ensure that all branches of
the service can communicate and pass data to each
other. John Zehmisch,
Beacon’s Program Manager
for the JITC project, is a
retired 1st Sergeant with 20
years active service, including an extended tour at
Fort Huachuca. John will
oversee Facility Support
and Operations at all three
JITC facilities.
Beacon will be looking
for good, qualified workers
for the JITC project. See our
website (BeaconGroup.org)
for current job openings. Of
course, we will be giving
preference to people with
disabilities and those who
have a military background.
We also want people who
can keep a secret!
RICK CABLE
Employee of the Year Award
AARON GROOMS
Outstanding Achievement
SUSAN BEAM
Outstanding Achievement
TODD FELBER
Outstanding Achievement
THERESA SNIVELY
The Leroy Adams
“Behind the Scenes” Award
DAVID CORNELL
of Jim Click Automotive Team
Leadership Award
VENTANA MEDICAL SYSTEMS
Visionary Award, proudly accompanied by presenting
Beacon board members Barb Sadler (left) and Steve King (right)
SPRING 2013
5
B
eacon would like to recognize and thank all our generous donors including
those who supported last year’s successful “Drive to Thrive” year-end
campaign. The following list reflects donations received through 12-31-12
We regret any omissions or errors. To make a donation, contact Beacon’s Patrick McCarthy
at (520) 622-4874 extension 166, or pmccarthy@BeaconGroup.org, or visit our website.
$10,000
and up
Alayne & Bruce Greenberg
$2,500
to $9,999
Bank of America Foundation
Michael & Anna Belton
Steve & Kathy King
Lon D. and Lucille Barton Charitable
Foundation
Safeway - Phoenix Division
WE Schmidt Charitable Foundation
Dwight & Lille Whitley
Skip & Cindi Woodward
$1,000
to $2,499
Arizona CFC 0051
Community Foundation for Southern
Arizona
Contact One Call Center, Inc.
Dorothy Early
Jack & Deborah Gracie
Amy Knorr
McNamara Goldsmith, P.C.
Max & Juanita Pensinger
Sandra Pevarnik
Pima County ECAP
Jimmy & Diane Quihuis
Raytheon Charitable Giving
Robert & Barbara Sadler
Wells Fargo Community Support
Rick & Deborah Williams
Douglas Wylie
$500
6
to $999
Susan J. Bring
Jim & Vicki Click
Bill & Judy Dohrmann
Diane Frisch
Brian & Susan Ham
Susan & Ross Humphreys
Russ & Sharon King
E. Phillip Krider
Linda R. Landers
Rosemary Marquez
Jim & Danie McCallum
Jeffrey & Barbara Minker
Greg & Penni Natvig
Rendokan Dojo, LLC
Wendy Rosado-Toth
Marc & Debra Simon
United Way of Tucson & So. Arizona
SPRING 2013
to $499
Jack Abraham
Melissa Aguayo
Charles & Jean Ares
Hal Ashton
Julie Auvil
Richard & Vickie Babbitt
Winifred Baran
James & Deborah Barnett
David & Mildred Baum
Be Good at Doing Good, LLC
Charles & Teresa Beggy
Edward Beggy
John & Barbara Bentley
Thomas & Margaret Bette
Carl & Joan Boesewetter
Robert & Schyrrell Bower
Michael A. Boyless
Catherine Bradley
Sheryl Brown
James & Candace Bushnell
Louis & Criselda Cisco
City of Tucson — ECAP
Carolyn S. Cluff
Stephen D. Cohen
Thomas & Marilyn T. Comer
Janine L. Contestable
Terry Alan Dewald
Rex L. Dutcher
Colonel Robert D. Dwan
Suzanne Edwards
James & Vivian Egbert
Celia R. Elias, MD
Patricia L. Everett
Michael & Sandra Farren
Bruce & Jenny Felber
Diane S. Fordney
Tim Garcia
Penny Gonzales-Dunn
Michael Gordon
Jim Gorski
Hugh & Jackie Grinnell
Richard & Cherry Harper
Steven G. Harper
David & Ingrid J. Hartshorne
Dorothy Hess
Stan & Susan Hilkemeyer
John & Janet Hughes
Veronica Johnson
Kalil Bottling Company
Kiwanis Club of Green Valley
Knights of Columbus
the 2012
“Drive to
Thrive”
$100
Michelle Kroeger
Elizabeth K. Laird
Richard Lamb
Michelle Langan
Vern J. Legvold
Daniel Longanecker
Andrea Marafino
Madeline Mason
Karl & Elaine Mattes
Harold & Kathleen McAlpine
Patrick & Shannon McCarthy
Fay Ruth McCormick
Bill & Dede McKnight
Alpa & Nirav Merchant
Bernard & Sharon Miller
Pitu B. Mirchandani
Kudagal & Swarna Murthy
Anthony & Ann Marie Nespoli
John & Susan Nord
Northern Trust
Lois J. Nottingham
Charles & Dorothy Owens
Monica Parry
Peter & Debra Parry
Joan M. Payne
Timothy J. Peterson
Diane Quinn
Jacob & Judith Redekop
Margaret Richards
Douglas & Diana Richardson
David L. Robb
Mario Rodriguez
Diane Ryckman
Ortrud Scholz
Mary P. Shields
Ronald & Helene Showalter
William & Joanne Sibley
Sierra Southwest Coop
Jeris D. Slayback
Mary J. Slayback
Arnold & Kathleen Snover
Ronald L. Stearns
Kirsten L. Stephens
Brenda Stokes
The Ashton Family Philanthropic Fund
The Tucson Business Experts
Robert & Audrey Thomassen
Charles & Sharon Tiller
Truist
Michael & Ruth Van Vleet
Jon Weissman
Saturday
April 20th, 2013
Hours: 9am - 2pm
Beacon Group
308 W. Glenn Street
(near Oracle Road)
Tucson, AZ 85705
APRIL 20, 2013
SOUTHERN ARIZONA’S DISABILITY
RESOURCE and TRANSITION EXPO
Twelve local agencies are again teaming-up to bring together the thousands of
people with disabilities and their families in Southern Arizona with local
service providers for what is expected to become a “signature” event for Tucson.
For those dealing with a disability and asking themselves “What’s next?...”
CONNECTING TUCSON
is the one-stop shopping opportunity to find those answers!
Last year’s expo was a huge success with nearly 700 attendees and 75 exhibitors.
This year, we’ll have up to a hundred service providers that you’ll be able
to meet with face-to-face.
You are an important piece of this puzzle!
Come to learn about all of the many options and services available right here in
Southern Arizona. There is no registration or entry fee. Come anytime between
9:00am and 2:00pm on Saturday, April 20, 2013 for this second annual event.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who should attend? Any person with a disability, plus their parents
or family, caretakers or guardians. All ages, with any disability and/or special need!
Why should I be there? This is your opportunity to meet face-to-face with practically
every service provider in the greater Tucson area. If you want to know what options
and choices you have for services — and what choices you can have for the future
— this is the one time to find all of these in one place!
Is there a charge to attend, and do I need to register? No.
How can I find out what service providers will be there, and how do I get more
information about this event?
Simply visit our website at www.ConnectingTucson.org
I still have questions. Who should I contact?
Call Patrick McCarthy at (520) 622-4874 extension #166
or email: pmccarthy@BeaconGroup.org
7
SPRING 2013
BeaconTIMES is the
official publication of
Beacon Group, Inc., a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization,
and is published by the
Beacon Group Community
Development Department.
Beacon does not sell or
share any donor names or
personal information to anyone
else for any reason.
eBay Adds Value
to the Village!
Value Village gets “Outstanding” recognition
Beacon Group, Inc.
B
(520) 622-4874
Tetra Services - Phoenix
2222 N. 24th St, Phoenix, AZ 85008
(602) 685-9703
You can bid on and buy select treasures for
yourself by going to www.ebay.com and check
out our award winning marketplace!
To find Value Village’s current listings,
click on the “Advanced” search tab on the
main eBay homepage. On the next screen,
click on the ITEMS > “By Seller” tab.
Finally, enter our seller’s user ID:
“beaconvaluevillage” (exactly like this, but
without the quote marks) in the search field.
Value Village Thrift Store
2700 N. Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705
(520) 792-1454
Donations? Call 622-JANE (5263)
Beacon Group is proud
to be accredited by
the Commission
on the Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities.
www.BeaconGroup.org
Good luck, and happy bidding!
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
SW, Inc.
In February, we were recognized as a
“TOP RATED SELLER” for providing
“unwavering commitment to providing
great customer service.” eBay bases this
achievement on set standards for listings,
sales, shipping and tracking, and an
established policy for returns.
308 W. Glenn St, Tucson, AZ 85705
308 W. Glenn St • Tucson, AZ 85705
eacon’s Value Village has been using
eBay to sell certain valuable or
unique items for a few years now. We
typically list 100 items or so every couple
of weeks. These sales bring in an
additional 5-10 thousand dollars a
month. And, according to eBay, we are
pretty good at this aspect of the Thrift
Store business!
TUCSON, AZ
PERMIT NO. 140
PAID
NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE