Editor’s Note: This story is sponsored by First Federal Community Bank.
Chris Allison, CEO of Open Arms, believes that if you look past a disability, and see someone’s abilities, they shine a lot more.
Started in Columbus in 2011, Open Arms is an all-in-one resource for individuals with developmental disabilities, providing in-home care, employment opportunities, activities, payee-ship, Special Olympics programs and many more programs.
Chris Allison’s brother has a dual diagnosis of autism and bipolar disorder, which is why the business was started.
Whenever Chris would come home from college, he would take care of his brother, which began to lead him into a different direction than intended. He realized if his brother, who had a great support system, still needed a great deal of care, then there were other individuals who needed it as well.
“My perspective has always been that if I were in his shoes and he were in mine, he would take care of me the way I’m trying to take care of him,” Allison said. “If I was willing to give up my career path for my brother, I know that there’s other people who don’t have that, and so I’m always trying to be my brother’s keeper for every single individual that we work with.”
First Federal Community Bank has assisted Allison throughout the process of having a space in Mansfield. He was looking for a bigger building to work out of, as space was running low. First Federal was able to help finance and renovate the space they found on Park Avenue.
Travis Smith, Assistant Vice President and Commercial Lender recalls working with Allison initially and knew it was a good fit. “He’s great to work with, and makes things really easy for us.” Both Allison and Smith put emphasis on the trust between them.
“He fits a big need in the community. People with disabilities sometimes don’t have the same opportunities, and Chris is giving them these opportunities. It’s a great program and one that needs to be celebrated in my opinion,” Smith said.
Allison is always striving to aim higher. He feels there is room for growth and improvement at Open Arms, but also recognizes the importance of impacting one person at a time. There are already plans to expand. Soon, individuals will be running a coffee shop through Open Arms, as well as a print shop.
In Columbus, there is a successful shop up and running already. There are also plans to do landscaping programs as well as house renovations. Vocational training will be a big focus to help get individuals to be in community working. Allison describes the Mansfield location as a “training space” for that.
Allison is excited for what’s to come, and anxiously awaiting what else is next.
“I see the end goal and I feel like we have so much work to do. But at the end of the day, if we impact one life and give someone an opportunity, I am happy with that. It’s such a conflicting feeling, because I know that every single person we make a difference in it’s making a difference in the world, but I also know that we want to change their world and so that’s a lot of work to do,” Allison said.
