Meet Orange County Alzheimer’s Pioneer Kent Barnheiser
Not long after a small group of dedicated women who were caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease founded the organization that would become Alzheimer’s Orange County (AlzOC), they realized they could not succeed in the long term with volunteer help only. They needed a professional with management experience to take the reins.
Enter Kent Barnheiser, who became the first executive director of what was then the Alzheimer’s Association – Orange County Chapter. The organization later left the national association and returned to its status as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Like many people associated with the organization, Kent had a personal connection with the disease. “With my father, there were small signs, but it wasn’t until my parents were driving down a road in Ohio that they knew something was very wrong,” he recounts. “Although he had traveled the road since childhood, my father suddenly didn’t know where he was.” It was Alzheimer’s.
A few years after my dad passed mom decided to move to California to be closer to family. During this period of time, the family began to notice some changes in her personality. As mom’s changes became more noticeable and following numerous visits to doctors, we finally found out what was going on with mom. Again, it was Alzheimer’s.
Coming aboard in Orange County, Kent was struck with the passion and determination he saw in the volunteers. “I didn’t know a lot about the disease then, but the founders figured it would be easier to educate someone with management experience than to teach business skills to a disease expert.”
Calling on his own personal inspiration, he went to work putting the fundamental pieces in place first to assure a consistent stream of revenue from major donors who believed in the mission of the organization. Then to project a more professional image, the organization moved from its temporary location in a church in Costa Mesa to an office building in Orange.
Little by little the list of donors in the fledgling Founders Club he established grew until it became the first major gifts program of any Alzheimer’s chapter program in the nation. Perseverance had paid off. Soon some of the county’s earliest philanthropists, like Betty Hutton, John and Donna Crean, and Charles Hester, stepped up to support the growing organization. Everyone united in wanting to make the future better.
Working in conjunction with his board, Kent built an effective organization. Committees for education, communications and other disciplines were formed to keep it on the right trajectory. Finding the right staff was crucial. Now they are his fondest memory. “Not only did they advance the mission, but I also grew because of them.” In particular, he acknowledges Kim Bailey, an education and programs specialist still with AlzOC. Another is fundraising professional Linda Scheck, who played a critical role.
Something of a sea change happened when the fundraising team convinced donors to consider underwriting care services for people already challenged by the disease, and not just for research to find a cure. That emphasis on care until there’s a cure is foundational to today’s AlzOC.
Eventually Kent would leave Orange County and go onto to lead other nonprofit Alzheimer’s organizations in Ohio and Illinois before retiring. AlzOC thanks him for his invaluable contributions.
