Dream Vacation Raffle Helps Local Children

Barber National Institute is a beneficiary of Barnhart Transportation’s annual golf outing, on July 27, 2025. This event will be filled with fundraising opportunities, including a Win A Trip Raffle for a $5,000 paid vacation or take home $4,500 in cash. All proceeds from the day’s event and raffle go to Shriners Children's Erie and Barber National Institute. Being leaders in their respective industries, both organizations play a huge role in changing lives.  

Maki (Ki) Myers, a current student at Barber National Institute’s Elizabeth Lee Black School, has received services from both beneficiaries. His mother Kim couldn’t say enough about how the services he received changed their lives. 

As a previous employee of Barber National Institute, Kim knew that after adopting Ki in 2015, that its services and support were exactly what Ki needed to thrive. Ki was born with his organs outside of his body and was later diagnosed with nonverbal autism at the age of three. 

At no ease of her own, Kim remembers the struggles Ki went through on the journey to regain his physical health and in receiving autism treatment. She recalls the many times Ki would hurt himself, and that he eventually left public school, as there were no services available to support him. As a lifeline, Kim put Ki on the waitlist at Barber National Institute, after a few months he was in, and is now excelling. He has received top tier PT, OT, speech, and autism-specific services. No longer a threat to himself, Ki is able to go to the Elizabeth Lee Black School and learn safely and freely. 

Millions of stories, similar or different from Ki’s, help show the true impact that Barber National Institute and Shriners Children's Erie can have on an individual and their families. Visit Barnhart Transportation's website to purchase Win A Trip raffle tickets and win the satisfaction of supporting children like Ki in the process.