Big changes for Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara

Sept. 15--After more than 60 years of supporting individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara and the Cattaraugus County chapter, an affiliate of the ReHabilitation Center have approved the merger of the two organizations. Each agency is a chapter of the Arc New York.

The merged entity will be known as Intandem.

"The Arc New York contacted the ReHabilitation Center two years ago and requested assistance in determining the future viability of the Niagara County chapter," explained Mari Howard, president and CEO of Intandem said. "We recognized that the missions and visions were very similar and combining the resources of both organizations would strengthen the agency and enhance the ability to support people with disabilities across a larger demographic area."

Each organization has a history of supporting people with disabilities for more than 60 years, and although the boards of directors and staff from each agency realize that preserving the critical components of their respective history was essential, it was equally important to define a unified brand that would sustain the mission of each organization.

"The scope and complexity of rebranding the two organizations into one required specialized expertise. We engaged a Buffalo-based company, Brandcrush Creative, to assist us with the process," said Howard.

Over the past year, Brandcrush held several meetings with both organizations that included people supported by the agencies, multiple levels of staff and board members to gather input.

"We are confident that the name Intandem, along with our new tagline "People -- Purpose -- Progress" successfully represents the ongoing commitment to working together with the people supported, other providers and members of the communities to ensure that the much needed quality services that have been provided for more than 60 years can continue for many years to come," said Howard.

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