ORANGE PARK – As BASCA wishes a farewell to retiring CEO Beth Clark, Patrick Kennedy is ready to apply his passion for special needs adults and children to his role as the new CEO.

The family members who use BASCA should know they are in good hands with a passionate, caring man who is driven by helping those with disabilities. Passionate would be the first word that comes to mind when describing Kennedy. He is passionate about helping family members and providing good resources for people with disabilities. But most importantly of all, Kennedy is passionate about making sure anyone with disabilities understands their value as a person and the value they hold within the community.

BASCA-building abilities to special children and adults were first established by family members in Orange Park to provide resources and opportunities for their loved ones who had disabilities. Since BASCA was first established in 1995, it has grown substantially to include five group homes, day programs and recently offering art, music and yoga classes for its participants.

Kennedy feels a strong factor in helping a person with disabilities is engagement within their home and the community. This closely aligns with BASCA’s role of working to create independence and stability for those they serve. Kennedy doesn’t simply believe people with disabilities should just be “babysat” or ignored. He believes people with disabilities need engagement within their homes and out in the community they live in.

Kennedy was most recently the Executive Director of the Care Centers of Nassau for 10 years, a 72-bed Intermediate Care Facility. He also served as Program Director at “Camp I Am Special” in St. Augustine for seven years.

An example Kennedy has of the community realizing just how valuable people with disabilities can be, an individual with disabilities he knew had to stop working his job at Dairy Queen due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Shortly after lockdown restrictions were lifted, the employees at Dairy Queen called Kennedy asking him if it was all right to let him come back to work because they understood this individual was a committed and hard worker.

Kennedy believes companies need to understand when they hire a person with disabilities, they likely will get loyal, dedicated workers who love their job for life. People with disabilities are eager to learn and happy to have a job. Kennedy strongly supports businesses that hire people with disabilities because jobs help to facilitate social bonds and interactions, give a sense of independence and create involvement within their communities.

The former CEO, Beth Clark, is confident she is leaving BASCA in good hands. While BASCA is sad to see Clark retire, they are excited to welcome Kennedy to their organization.