A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Candice Arvin

A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Candice Arvin

It’s a rare thing when you can find a profession that you’re truly passionate about. For Candace Arvin, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Jacob’s Ladder, she’s found her passion in working to promote and build Jacob’s Ladder Pediatric Rehabilitation, and their mission to help special children reach developmental milestones to grow into active participants in our schools and communities.

Coming out of high school, Arvin began her professional career working in sales and marketing.

“I literally left Chesterton the day that I graduated,” Arvin said. “I landed a job in sales and marketing that required me to travel. That gave me a lot of hands-on, real world kind of experience.”

Arvin bypassed college as she had begun that full-time position immediately following high school.

“I got to work with major publication companies traveling the United States for about six years until I was pregnant,” added Arvin.

In thinking about starting a family, Arvin had fond memories of growing up in the Duneland region and to raise her family in Northwest Indiana was the best direction to go.

“I wanted to raise my kids where I grew up,” said Arvin. “I missed the lake. There are some things that might be better or different but there’s nothing like Lake Michigan in the country. I truly missed it and I wanted my kids to have the same kind of upbringing that I did.”

“I wanted them to grow up around family. I wanted them to go to Duneland schools and I wanted to take them hiking and camping at the dunes like we did when I was a kid. I love to take my kids hiking and do things in the community.”

Upon returning to the Region, it was never Arvin’s goal to pursue a career in healthcare but it’s where she landed by chance. Arvin decided that, as a single mom, she would need a formal education to give her children the life that she wanted to give them.

Arvin started going to college and before long she received her degree in business administration.

“About a month before I graduated, I met the Frigo family and got a job with Home Helpers which was a non-medical, in-home care for geriatrics,” Arvin said. “I was hired to direct operations for Home Helpers. It’s where I found a love for healthcare and the geriatric community, and having cared for my own grandmother it really hit home.”

Arvin worked with Home Helpers for about two-and-a-half years until the franchise sold but the relationship she had built with the Frigo family, who also started Jacob’s Ladder Pediatric Rehabilitation, would be a key part of her future.

Around six months prior to that position ending, Arvin was getting calls from the school concerning her son who was having some problems.

“It was to the point where I was having to pick him up early on a weekly basis because he was unable to manage his emotions and get through the day,” said Arvin. “At the school's recommendation we had him evaluated and they noticed some sensory processing deficits. They, in turn, referred us to Jacob’s Ladder.”

“It really came full circle,” said Arvin. “I had known about Jacob’s Ladder from working with the Frigo family at Home Helpers. We started occupational therapy for my son and we eventually came to a diagnosis of Asperger's, or high functioning autism.”

When her role with Home Helpers ended, Jacob’s Ladder, as a non-profit, was in need of someone with Arvin’s skill set. They needed someone who had experience in marketing and sales, and, along with Arvin’s involvement with local Chambers of Commerce as well as the healthcare community, the position just made sense.

“Having a son as a patient and seeing the needs that they have, it’s something that I’m very passionate about,” said Arvin. “It’s something that I appreciate very much to be able to help other families who are in a similar situation and to make sure they have the services and support that they really need.”

The timing of Arvin joining the staff at Jacob’s Ladder was especially important as the non-profit was beginning to go through some changes in branding and location. Connecting with organizations and businesses to promote the mission of Jacob’s Ladder is a big part of what Arvin does.

“That was all a part of the reason that they needed someone in that marketing and fundraising position,” said Arvin. “Having grown up in the community and gone through the Duneland School System, it’s neat to be involved now in the Chesterton Rotary Club and other organizations, as well as give back in other ways as well.”

“Once the opportunity with Home Helpers ended and I was looking for a new home, Jacob’s Ladder just made sense. I was walking the walk and I have a vested interest in helping Jacob’s Ladder to become the best that it can be. It’s definitely something that I have a very personal connection to and because I live it, day to day, I can identify and empathize with what families are going through.”

Every day, through building and promoting the great work that Jacob’s Ladder is doing, Arvin is having an impact on the lives of children and families across Northwest Indiana.