Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Lucas explains Group Living, Inc.

Austin Capps, a Gurdon Rotary Club member, had Jane Lucas as his guest at Thursday, December 4, meeting of the Rotary club.

Lucas is the executive director of Group Living, Inc., a community-based organization serving persons with developmental disabilities; she has held the position for more than 25 years. Lucas supervises a staff of 34-36 full-time and 20-30 part-time employees serving 55 to 60 clients.

The first group living was opened in 1973 with two large homes close to Henderson State University. Since that time one house has burned and the other was torn down.

"Many of the people who participate in our program live on their own. It is a great feeling for them to have their own home, pay their own bills and have their own circle of friends," said Lucas.

She also told Rotarians, at first the program was a little controlling of the participants, but soon learned it operated better when the residents had freedom. Less controlling and more supportive got rid of the behavioral problems some of the people seemed to have.

"Shortly after we started the program, we noticed many of the participants had great work skills, but couldn't quiet learn how to do certain work skills such as leaving each other alone and coming back after a lunch break. We started working with them and soon started the Bee Hive. This gave them a place to work and they could use some of the items donated," said Lucas.

The more known the program became, the more people were coming to join.

"We needed more jobs for our people."said Lucas.

Soon they opened the doors to The Honeycomb, a full-scale restaurant which provided jobs for 18 of the program clients.

"The first day we opened the restaurant in 1995 we had people lined up down the street to get in. After about Wednesday of that week I told someone, We have died and gone to hell, get ready we are going to be running this place for a long time.' We have been in running full speed ever since and are planning to expand soon," said Lucas.

With the Bee Hive being such a success and the Honeycomb going strong, Lucas said they were planning to relocate the Bee Hive in the same vicinity it is in now, but expand the Honeycomb over into what is now the Bee Hive.

Lucas has also served as a charter member of the first state organization for community programs serving persons with developmental disabilities and has worked with various state, regional, and national efforts to improve the options for more independent living for the developmentally disabled.

She is a well known woman in the Clark County area. Lucas was the first female member of the Arkadelphia Rotary Club and the first female president of the organization. She also was the first woman in Arkansas to serve as a Rotary District Governor. She also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce and has held various offices in that organization.