BEi Asks Warren Community to Be Inspired, Included and Invested
Bollinger Enterprises Inc. (BEi) will celebrate its past as well as shape its future on Friday, Nov. 15 with a Founder’s Day commemoration and the launch of a $1.4 million capital campaign.
BEi, an affiliate of the Barber National Institute, is beginning a three-year effort to raise funds to help the organization expand and enhance services to adults with intellectual disabilities and their families in the Warren-Forest County region.
The theme of the campaign, “BEinspired, BEincluded and BEinvested,” will focus on three major areas:
- Renovations to the current facilities located at 44 N. State Street in North Warren;
- Adding to the vehicle fleet to enable more opportunities for community activities and involvement;
- Expanding programs relating to community employment and community participation support.
“We are excited about the opportunities that we can bring to adults in our region,” said Dr. William Clark, executive director of BEi. “We are thankful for the tremendous support we have always received from businesses and donors in the Warren area, and I am confident that they will again invest in our mission and the adults and families of our community.”
Planning for the capital campaign has been underway for more than a year with a committee of BEi staff, board members and representatives from the community. The committee is chaired by Kelly Johnson, and includes Bob Crowley, Julie Bennet, Dean Huya, and John Kersey with BEi staff Julia Fratrich, Ron Heinrich and Dr. Clark.
BEI was founded in 1972 when Warren residents Annabel and Clifford Bollinger recognized a need for programs to help adults with intellectual disabilities develop job skills and become more included in their community. In establishing the services, the couple looked to guidance from Dr. Gertrude A. Barber, an Erie educator who founded the Barber National Institute with programs to serve children and adults with disabilities in the Erie region.
The new Warren-based services began as a pilot project of the Warren-Forest Counties Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) in a small storefront. Soon, the programs became known as Bollinger Enterprises Inc. (BEi) and grew into a 25,000-square foot facility that hosts a variety of job development and community participation supports programs.
In 2017, BEi affiliated with the Barber National Institute to expand services to adults and families in the Warren-Forest region.
“We deeply appreciate the warm welcome the Barber National Institute has received from the Warren community and we are happy to be playing a role in the future of this region,” said John Barber, president and chief executive officer of the Barber National Institute. “And, we see BEi as an important part of the Barber National Institute family and look forward to working together to meet the needs in Warren-Forest counties.”
The campaign launch will include an announcement about the first major gift, a $450,000 grant from the Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust. The donation will fund the purchase of new vehicles over three years to facilitate a wider variety of community activities for adults.
A major portion of funds raised will also fund renovations that include adding insulation, repairing sidewalks and parking areas, overhauling restrooms, creation of new offices and conference rooms, and updating electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems.
As part of Founder’s Day festivities, quarterly recognition awards were presented to three employees. Tyler Haner, Casey Haner and Mary Farnsworth were presented with awards for first, second and third quarter achievements.
In addition, the Warren County Commissioners and Ellwood National Forge were honored as Business Partners of the Year for 2019.
Friday’s presentation also featured the debut of three videos featuring the stories of adults and families served by BEi, including Susan Allen, who shared how she overcame her hesitation about community employment for her son, Justin; James Farnsworth, who works on cleaning crews at two sites in Warren; and Dairy Queen owner Gary Stoops, who has hired three adults through the BEi supported employment program.