July August Chamber Magazine FINAL

Feature
partner and best friend, Gladys, died unexpectedly of breast cancer.
“Gladys was so sweet and a champion when it came to working with
youth,” McLaughlin remembers. “I was heartbroken when she died.
Gladys knew something was wrong and was feeling sick. She didn’t
want to take time off to go to a doctor and even worked the day she
went into the hospital. By the time she did, the cancer was in stage four.”
a blossoming partnership
McLaughlin and Oberle’s relationship began when McLaughlin called
a local group home to inquire about a young man who had come to her
house offering to cut her grass. The supervisor who answered the phone
at the group house was Gladys Oberle. As they talked, the two realized
they shared a passion for helping troubled youth. Oberle was McLaughlin’s
first hiring choice when a position opened at the Rappahannock
Service Corporation, where she was working. “Gladys was just so perfect
with children,” says McLaughlin. “I would have to wait a lifetime
to get case notes from her, but Gladys was solving children problems.”
“
The pair combined head and
They are so used
to failing; we had
to introduce the
whole concept of
success first, even
before we could
get them here.
“
heart and created a business
plan to provide education and
workforce services to youth
and adults. The STAR Center
was a summer learning center,
providing remediation and
tutoring. With Oberle’s experience
in working with disabled
youth, and McLaughlin’s experience
in healthcare and insurance,
their combined activity
in the community, made their
partnership a great fit. “I really
loved the kids, and couldn’t understand why they didn’t have parents
like I had,” says McLaughlin. “If they didn’t have a good family life, I
wanted to be able to offer opportunities to help them succeed.”
The partnership continued and so did the ladies’ determination to
continue the school and expand the business. In 1991 they opened ERI,
a development program helping youth identify and pursue realistic career
goals.
ERI expanded in 2010, to 404 Willis Street in Fredericksburg, a
12,000-square-foot renovated space providing twice as much room
as the school’s previous home at 500 Lafayette Blvd. The Willis Street
building’s history goes back farther. It was built in 1929 and housed the
Morganstern pants factory until the 1980s. After Gladys’ death in 1996,
McLaughlin renamed the STAR Center to the Gladys H. Oberle School
in her memory.
Now the organization is 90% funded by area school systems and 10%
by grant funds. ERI’s yearly net worth is $7 million and $4 million in
gross receipts. “It’s lovely,” says McLaughlin. “I consider myself to be
a lucky woman. We have dynamic teams who love to work with our
youth.”
When her husband David retired, he came on board to teach when
there was a vacancy at the Oberle school. “He really didn’t have a choice,”
she says. He liked teaching so much that he went back to school, got his
teaching license, and taught history at the school for five years. David
died in 2009.
REWARDING AND PROUD
“It takes teamwork to teach and support the students at the school,”
she says. “I am proudest and grateful to my staffs, many who have
worked here for 25+ years,” she said. Particularly, the school’s principal,
Pam Simms and administrative assistant, Joyce Corbin. “I will miss
Joan’s presence and her Italian greetings each morning,” said Corbin.
“She has been a wonderful boss with an open-door policy, and always
considerate and concerned about the staff and students.”
Joan McLaughlin (center) stands proudly with two staff members
who've worked at the school for 20+ years. Left: Principal
Pam Simms and Administrative Assistant Joyce Corbin.
McLaughlin shares a laugh with students Anthony Pinn and Vanessa
Springer-Mosely.
New presideNt Named
Roarke Anderson, Ret. Colonel USMC, is the new president of ERI. He
retired from the Marine Corps after serving for 39 years. “I’m very proud
of what we have done here, and excited about the future with the new
president,” she said. “We have made a fabulous hire with Roarke Anderson.”
McLaughlin will remain on the ERI Board of Directors and serve as
a consultant for the school.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be walking away, knowing that what I have
started will continue to provide a service to the disabled community,”
McLaughlin said. “I look at myself and the students who are graduating
this year and think about the changes [graduation and retirement] we will
have to make. I realized we have to embrace change.”
McLaughlin says her mantra is “embrace the fears and don’t be afraid of
it.” She plans to continue living in Fredericksburg, and to vacation at her
home in Cape Cod in Bruster, where she plans on learning how to kayak.
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Fredericksburg Regional Business
JULY/AUGUST 2016