BRI celebrates 50 years of success stories
Black River Industries (BRI) is celebrating 50 years of providing opportunities for area residents with disabilities.
What is now BRI began as the Taylor County Achievement Center on October 15, 1973 to provide services for developmentally disabled citizens of Taylor County.
TCAC got off the ground largely through the efforts of the local Association for Retarded Citizens and the Taylor County Development Disabilities Board.
“It was a grass roots effort by the Association for Retarded Citizens who took the initiative to make sure there were special programs after school, said Brian Soland of Catholic Charities during the organization’s 20th anniversary celebration in November 1993. “It was primarily Ellen Dietzler who was the special education director for the schools; Pearl Ruesch; Darlene Nowak, Jane Bauer; and Reiny Klingbeil who started addressing the need for training after school and for self care.”
The ARC did a survey of 98 families in the county and came up with four basic needs for area disabled citizens: An achievement center, a group home to bring people back closer to homes from institutions, apartments and jobs.
“Catholic Charities was called in 1972 to see if we could dedicate some resources to get an achievement center,” Soland said.
Starting in February 1973 he met with the five people instrumental in getting it started and stated it was a big undertaking.
“We had 123 things (permits, etc.) we had to do in sequential order before we could get started,” he said.
Ruesch in particular worked writing curriculum and job descriptions, getting vehicles, interviewing people and getting community involved. When it opened BRI had 16 families — since then hundreds of individuals have gone through the programs.
“We had 35 clients to begin with who mostly did arts and crafts,” said Paul Thornton, during the 20th anniversary.
Thornton joined the Black River Industries organization in July of 1977. Shortly after his arrival to BRI, he developed the Day Services program and began securing subcontracting arrangements with area businesses. These programs allowed
