Mainstay is proud to provide a wide range of person-centered supports that help people living at home to maximize their growth and potential.

Just ask Renee, who always lives life to the fullest and enjoys everything her community has to offer!

Renee has been receiving support from Mainstay since 2010 which has helped her become much more comfortable making new friends and exploring her community. Along with her direct support professional Helene, Renee enjoys trying new restaurants, shopping, and staying active through pickleball, mini golf, archery, and bowling. She also likes to experience classic Pittsburgh activities, like going to Kennywood, the Zoo, and watching the Pirates.

She is active with the Wellness Committee and encourages others to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Renee organizes walks all around Pittsburgh and loves that it’s a way to meet staff and people supported by Mainstay. She also helps the Wellness Committee get people signed up for the annual Highmark Walk by going to different Mainstay locations to share information about the event.

Renee looks forward to staying active with the Wellness Committee and exploring her community. We can’t wait to see the great things she does!

At Mainstay, we love seeing the progress and growth of those we support. We also love seeing this same growth in our team members. Nobody represents this personal and professional development better than our longest working employee, Mary Kay Adams. In 2023, Mary Kay received PAR’s We are Worth It longevity award not only for her length of service but also because she is an incredible advocate for each person she works with.

Mary Kay got her start with Mainstay when she was 19 years old and attending Community College of Allegheny County. While studying child development and special education, Mary Kay was able to choose the organization with which she would complete her practicums. She chose Idlewood Center. After completing her classes, she continued to work part-time for Idlewood, and eventually began a full-time role in 1978.

 Through her 45+ years with us, Mary Kay has been around to see Idlewood Center and Horizon Homes join to form Mainstay in 1999. She’s watched a four person staff grow to the nearly 400 employee organization it is today. And, of course, she’s had to keep up with the ever-changing technology!

 “One of the biggest adjustments over the years has been adapting to the much larger staff and management teams – oh, and the technology!  As Mainstay uses even more technology to help people, I am learning it right along with the people I support” Mary Kay says. 

 A lot has changed, and Mary Kay has too. Through her various positions as an intern, a Program Manager, and now as a Community Living Specialist, she feels she has learned something new in each role. Over the course of her decades with us, there are bound to be ups and downs, and Mary Kay is grateful for the variety of experiences offered to her.

 “Though my job can be challenging at times, including supporting people as they age with dignity, there is nothing more rewarding than helping the people we support to lead fulfilling lives,” Mary Kay says. “I enjoy trying to find new ways to adapt my support so we can continue to help people live their life as they choose.”

Mainstay operates several homes for people living with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic condition. These customized homes provide a safe and community-focused living environment and provide people with the support they need to reach their goals.

One person who is always striving to reach new heights is Stephen!

Stephen enjoys bowling, movies, and exercising. Looking for a new challenge to add to his exercise routine, he decided to join Mainstay’s 2024 Marathon Relay Team. For several months leading up to the race, Stephen and his running mate Gerri, Associate Director of Residential Programs, trained at different parks and trails in the Pittsburgh area.

Despite the rainy weather, Stephen and Gerri were proud to successfully complete the 5.3-mile leg of the race. Stephen’s favorite part of the race was seeing his family at the finish line. The photos and memories from that day will last a lifetime!

Stephen is excited to continue his running journey by taking an even longer leg in the 2025 race. We’re excited to see how far he goes!

At Mainstay, we provide all-inclusive support to help people maximize their independence. Just ask Carla, who loves to travel and is always ready to go on her next adventure.

Carla has been receiving services from Mainstay since 1977. When she’s not traveling, Carla leads a full and active life in and around Pittsburgh. After graduating from Conroy Educational Center, Carla worked at Goodwill for seven years. In 1992, Carla started working in the hospitality field in Pittsburgh area hotels. She enjoys her job and is dedicated to hard work. She’s still working hard to this day!

In her spare time, Carla enjoys being out and about in her neighborhood and community, brightening everyone’s day, or at home dancing and singing her favorite songs. She enjoys attending dances, bowling and bingo. If you ask her, she will say traveling by plane to visit family is her favorite thing to do.

Carla loves to give back to Mainstay. She is always one of the first to volunteer to help with events, especially her favorite – the Charlie Ross Memorial Charity Golf Outing. Carla is an asset to the outing, and the participants have looked forward to seeing her (and her radiant smile) at the event each year.

When Elijah McKenzie was only two years old, he was diagnosed with autism. This diagnosis began a long, rocky journey for the entire family, including Elijah’s mother, Aleta, and his best friend and twin sister, Myriah.

The family met with countless doctors, near and far, with a wide variety of credentials. While the diagnosis was a necessary rst step, no treatments or interventions, including hiring direct care aides, seemed to help. Elijah grew more and more agitated with each passing day.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down, their entire support team quit. It was then that Aleta found Mainstay. Program Manager Gavin O’Marehen encouraged her to apply to support Elijah through Mainstay’s Community Services program. In 2023, Elijah and Aleta’s partnership transitioned to Life Sharing.

Life Sharing is a program where families, friends, or other community members welcome a person with an intellectual disability and/or autism (ID/A) into their home to live in a shared, supportive family environment. Life Sharing has many benets which include learning life skills, improving self-esteem, and increasing growth and development. Additionally, each person is given individualized attention and most importantly – the support of a family.

While Aleta had reservations about taking this leap, this decision would completely change their lives for the better. Because Elijah is a night owl, Aleta’s husband stays home with Elijah during the day while she works at Target, and Aleta takes over providing supports at night. Myriah started working at Mainstay shortly after Aleta; she is a member of Elijah’s team and has begun providing support to another person as well.

Now, the entire family is happier than ever, and Elijah can be himself on his own schedule in his favorite place – their bright, beautiful blue house. Elijah spends his time going out to eat, watching movies, and growing his collection of superhero action gures. Aleta continues to nd new ways to keep life exciting, including the addition of two feathered friends – their chickens!

Mainstay is proud to partner with Aleta, Elijah, and Myriah to give them the opportunity to lead fuller, better lives. Afterall, as Aleta put it, “When Elijah is happy, the house is happy.”

Mainstay established an Advocates Advisory Board, which would come to be named Voices of Mainstay, in 2019. Open to all people supported by Mainstay, this group encourages participants to engage with each other, company and community leaders, and the wider community to speak confidently of their wants, needs, and issues that are important to them.

Voices of Mainstay meets monthly to discuss shared experiences, identify and report on programs or services that promote positive change, and support its members to live their best life. The group also has guest speakers and presentations that focus on self-advocacy and other important conversations like healthy relationships. This has resulted in lasting change to Mainstay’s programs, opportunities, and overall quality of life for everyone involved.

Representatives from Voices of Mainstay have also participated in activities around the state through speaking engagements in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, and attending Capitol Day and the Everyday Lives Conference.

“The conference was excellent, and it was enjoyable,” said Lindsay Kondis, Mainstay’s Peer Advocate who attended Everyday Lives 2024. “The information that they provided was great and I met another advocate from another part of Pennsylvania. The information I learned was beneficial for my job as a peer advocate and for our Voices of Mainstay advocacy group. It was great to be a representative for Mainstay at the conference.”

Everyday Mainstay’s Technology Coordinator Heather Lewis is promoting the potential offered by this innovative approach to programs and services. 

Tell us about the positive effect of technology.

• Technology has positively impacted the people supported by Mainstay by enhancing communication, increasing accessibility to services, and improving their overall quality of care. It has enabled more efficient monitoring, timely interventions, and personalized support, leading to better outcomes and a higher quality of life. 

Please share an example of how technology has given people greater independence.

• One example of how technology has been used to give someone greater independence is through smart home devices. For instance, a person with mobility challenges can control lights, thermostats, and appliances using voice commands or a smartphone app. Remote monitoring allows people the freedom and independence to live in their homes without in-person supports 24/7. This reduces their reliance on others for daily tasks, allowing them to live more autonomously and confidently in their own home. 

How do you feel about the increased use of technology at Mainstay?

• I’m excited about technology at Mainstay because of its potential to transform the way we support people, enabling more personalized and effective care. The integration of advanced tools like remote monitoring, telehealth, and assistive devices not only enhances the quality of our services but also empowers the people we support to achieve greater independence and improved well-being. The continuous innovation in technology promises a future where we can provide even more responsive, efficient, and compassionate care.

What does it mean that Mainstay is accredited by SHIFT? 

• Accreditation is now more crucial than ever as we aim to support a broader range of people with technology. We know that technology can be highly effective in helping people increase independence and achieve their goals, and by partnering with SHIFT we assure best practices are in place to achieve our common goals. It is also no surprise that a diminishing workforce and budget limitations continue to be a struggle, and by adopting innovative approaches and developing alternate service models, like Technology First, we will be better prepared to face these challenges and continue to impact more and more people’s lives in a positive way.