It’s not often that you hear the words
“charitable” and “entrepreneurial” being
used to describe the same company. But
faced with reduced funding and a growing
need to expand its offerings, those words
are a perfect fit to describe Hattie Larlham
and its CEO, Dennis Allen.
The not-for-profit organization helps care
for and treats children and adults with
mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
One of the most rewarding examples of
the company’s entrepreneurial spirit has
been the success of Hattie’s Café. In addition to providing a great source of employment and training for individuals with
developmental disabilities, the coffee shop
also allows the community to come in
direct contact with those same individuals.
This reinforces the idea that they are capable of handling positions in the community beyond some of the more traditional
options available in the past.
This increased awareness of those with
developmental disabilities has presented
its share of challenges to Hattie Larlham.
The company was founded in 1961 by a
nurse in Portage County who wanted to
help her neighbor, who had just given birth
to a daughter with severe disabilities.
The company grew and is now composed
of seven specialized agencies giving care to
more than 1,400 children and adults. The
challenge is that today’s society is more
aware of the need for this type of service.
The increased awareness has brought
about increased demand.
By functioning in a flexible, proactive manner, Allen has been able to keep his company in position to meet his clients’ needs
while dealing with a steady reduction of
state funding.
The company characterizes its commitment to its mission as combining the protocol of business entrepreneurialism with
the forward thinking and human focus of
social entrepreneurialism.
Allen and his leadership team are focused
on identifying what is not working and solving those problems by changing the system,
spreading the solution and persuading entire
societal groups to take new leaps forward.
In doing so, the company is committed to
preserving the health and safety of those it
serves so that they may live, learn, work
and participate in a community consistent
with their choices.
HOW TO REACH: Hattie Larlham, (330) 274-2272 or
www.hattielarlham.org
