Social Service Impact with Brian Wipperman, CEO of Marcfirst
On episode #40 of the Building BN podcast, BNEDC CEO Patrick Hoban sits down to speak with Brian Wipperman, CEO of Marcfirst. Wipperman started his career in 2003 as a Special Education Teacher. He then began working as a Special Education Administrator, before serving as Vice President of Education at the Children's Home Association of Illinois in Peoria. Wipperman is originally from New York.
Marcfirst’s mission is to support people with developmental disabilities and families in McLean County with opportunities to reach their full potential through a lifetime of meaningful services. The organization, which was started in 1955 by a group of families of children with disabilities, provides services and support for families, children, and adults throughout their lifetime. These services include residential, vocational development, employment, high school transition, and therapeutic support for children.
Marcfirst, according to Wipperman, has grown to serve over a thousand children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Central Illinois and is one of the only agencies south of I-80 that serves this population from the beginning of life through the end of life. They provide services to someone across all life’s spectrum, depending on their individual needs.
Marcfirst offers a High School Transition Program, aimed at supporting individuals who are transitioning out of high school. Wipperman explains, “We work with all our local school districts for kids who are getting ready to transition out of school. [We ask] What does adulthood look like? What services are they going to need? Moms and dads get very used to [their child being in] school from eight to three every day.... Well, at twenty-two years old, school's over. So, what happens now? One of the challenges in the state of Illinois is there are about 19,000 people sitting on the list to get adult services post [the age of] twenty-two. And the average time on that list before you get state funding is about five years, on average. So, what happens to that adult from twenty-two to twenty-seven years old? So, we work with kids coming out of high school and their families to get ready [for this time]. So that's how we kind of get through that continuum of life where some of our adults live with us and maybe ‘til God calls.” Marcfirst has several programs available to students after they exit high school.
Listen to the entire conversation with Marcfirst CEO Brian Wipperman — which includes a behind-the-scenes look at the powerful economic impact Marcfirst has on the local BN economy, Wipperman’s philosophy on the importance of economic development, and his can’t miss local spots in Bloomington and Normal — here. For more information on Marcfirst, call 309-451-8888 or click here to visit their website.
