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By JUSTIN PEEPER
Bette Erxleben believes without a doubt that The Wells County Foundation Inc. would never have grown without Jim Barbieri’s help throughout the years.
When Erxleben became CEO of the Foundation in 1991, it had $880,000 in assets.
At the end of 2005, however, those assets had increased to $14 million, and the Foundation had given out more than $6 million in grants and scholarships from 1991 to 2005 to help a myriad of students, adults, organizations and others.
“As far as the Foundation, I am just convinced that we would never have grown without Jim’s assistance with the coverage,” Erxleben said from her home Sunday afternoon.
“He was always there championing the Foundation, which he strongly believed in.”
Erxleben and many others throughout the community were saddened to learn of Barbieri’s death Sunday morning during church services.
Erxleben, who has known Barbieri for about 33 years, called his death a “great loss” for the community.
“I think he is irreplaceable,” she said. “There will never be another Jim. They are a rare breed today.”
“His heart was in this community. He cared about people; he cared about organizations. He wrote from the heart.”
The passion Barbieri had for the Bluffton community, coupled with his keen wit and ability to recall even the smallest details of events he covered years ago, prompted Erxleben to turn to him in 1991 when she became the Foundation’s executive director.
At that time, Erxleben described the Foundation as one of Wells County’s best kept secrets.
Besides some handed-down notes, she didn’t have much background and decided to interview Barbieri.
“Jim was the first person I went to when I got the job because of his mind and everything he knew,” she said. “Without his help, I don’t even know if I could have found out some of the information.”
Barbieri provided Erxleben with a wealth of information and pointed her in the right direction.
“I listened for two hours as he related the history of the Foundation, from the first board of directors through the present, to grants, attempts to rally the community behind the Foundation, and to envisioning what the Foundation could do for the community. I left his office confident that I had a strong advocate and partner who would use his pen to assist in a new direction,” Erxleben said in 2004.
Great initiatives began following Barbieri’s editorial support for a new direction for the Foundation, Erxleben recalled.
The Foundation, however, was just one of a plethora of non-profit organizations Barbieri supported through his editorials and reporting, Erxleben said.
“He always gave the non-profits generous coverage,” she said.
Barbieri’s unparalleled support of non-profit groups caused several of Erxleben’s colleagues around the state to be envious.
“Over the years, through statewide networking with community foundation colleagues, I know that Wells County has been blessed with Jim and The News-Banner,” Erxleben told this reporter in 2004. “To my knowledge, our press coverage has been unequalled. A small rural community’s relationship to its news media is unique when it has but one source. This source must be accurate, reliable and responsible to the area it serves. Jim embodied those components in his journalistic endeavors.”
Without Barbieri’s extensive coverage of the county’s non-profit groups, the community would have been left in the dark, Erxleben said.
“We relied on it so heavily to get our message out,” she said.
Erxleben reiterated these sentiments Jan. 23 in front of more than 240 people when she was honored as Wells County’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year — the same night The News-Banner was honored as Business of the Year.
“It’s a double honor for me tonight to be recognized on the same evening as The News-Banner, particularly with Jim and Barb,” she said in January as she praised the Barbieris for their support and coverage.
Erxleben retired in December 2005 after leading the Foundation for 14 years.
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