Arkay Updates from Alics

7/8/26

I hope everyone is having a great week. I wanted to take a moment to share a few exciting updates and celebrations across the agency.

First, please join me in congratulating Shawn Hill on an incredible milestone—25 years of service to Arkay. Shawn’s dedication and commitment have made a lasting impact on our organization, and we are grateful for everything he has contributed over the years.

We also want to wish a very happy birthday to Kelly O’Neill. We hope your day is filled with celebration and all the things you enjoy.

Congratulations as well to Amanda Barnum for achieving a perfect 100% on her recent file review. This is a fantastic accomplishment and a reflection of the high-quality work we strive for every day.

The Arkay Carnival is coming up on July 17, and we are looking forward to a great event. A special thank you to Monica Martinez for stepping in to chair the Carnival Steering Committee—your leadership is truly appreciated. We also want to thank Megan Garcia for organizing our Amazon wish lists. Your efforts have helped set the stage for a fun and successful day.

On the operations side, we are continuing to move full speed ahead with our PCE database project. We’ve begun holding biweekly meetings to define what we want and need from the system. At this time, we are still targeting an implementation date of April 1, 2027. More updates and opportunities for input will be shared as we move forward. Thank you so much to all staff that are on this committee for your input and dedication to making this initiative a success.

We are also excited to share that we have officially purchased our new building located at 1280 Biddle in Wyandotte. Earlier this week, Ed, Shawn, and I met with a civil engineer at the site to begin planning how we will reconfigure the space to best meet our needs. This is a big step forward for Arkay, and we look forward to bringing everyone along in the process.

In addition, Arkay is in the process of implementing a new bulk text messaging system. This system will allow us to quickly communicate with staff and clients in the event of emergencies, eliminating the need for emergency contact lists and early morning phone calls. Program Managers will be able to send real-time updates directly to affected staff and consumers. We will be piloting this system at Oakland over the next couple of weeks. Thank you to Tiffany Jenkins for once again being willing to be the guinea pig with our new initiatives—we appreciate your flexibility and support.

As a reminder, we will be holding our full staff meeting at this new location on July 31. The executive team is planning a fun and engaging day for everyone. Please plan to attend from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with lunch provided at noon.

Thank you all for the work you do each day to support our mission. I look forward to seeing everyone at the end of the month.

Mr. Alics D. Dillard MA LPC

Vice President of Operations and Vocational Services

Arkay, Inc.