Our Legacies magazine is a special anniversary publication, celebrating our history, the people we have supported, and those who have made our mission possible all these years. Here is one of our stories, by Becky Bollinger. Becky began working at NER in 2001 and today is Director of Compliance for Quality Assurance. 

Hollie and Kelly got to know Northeast Residence while they used respite services. When Northeast Residence decided to open their first waivered site, Hollie and Kelly’s parents jumped at the chance. As this was a new program for NER, it took a little longer than expected to get the details settled. In September 1994, Hollie and Kelly moved into the Rollingview home on the same day. They have been together ever since!

Hollie loves to visit the pigs at the State Fair

Kelly enjoying a refreshment at the State Fair

Hollie is the fashionista of the house- she’s usually the best dressed of everyone (including the staff) and accessorizes with an impressive array of necklaces, earrings, and sunglasses. She also loves listening to music—one of her favorite ways to bond with new staff—and watching YouTube videos. Just before the pandemic, her favorite videos were of new piglets and their mothers. That August, she and Kelly went with staff to the State Fair and not only got to see some piglets and mothers, but got to pet some as well! The piglet’s owners loved her enthusiasm and answered all her questions.

Kelly’s mom was a dance instructor and Kelly spent a lot of time at the dance studio growing up. She still has a number of videos of recitals that she loves to watch. If you watch carefully, you can see Kelly in some of them! They started out as VHS tapes but over the years her family has helped convert them to DVDs so that Kelly can watch them on “modern” players. If she’s not watching dance videos, her favorite movies are ones with catchy tunes, whether it’s musicals or Disney movies. When she’s at home, she can often be found watching a movie on her portable DVD player while she puts together a puzzle. Staff will always make sure that the picture is available to Kelly, however she usually puts them together by the shape of the piece versus the colors of the picture. Kelly is very soft spoken, but her sense of humor often has staff sharing the latest zinger, whether it’s asking out of the blue if they have paid their mortgage or renaming the staff. One of the staff at least five names, according to Kelly, including Nora, Laura, Michelle, Dr. Frank, and Teacher (her actual name is Emily).

Over the years, Hollie and Kelly have often shared favorite activities, such as going to the State Fair. In addition to stopping to see Hollie’s piglets, they must swing through the horse barn (Kelly’s favorite), find a Pronto Pup for Hollie, and visit the one stand that sells Pepsi for Kelly! While they aren’t fans of the crowds or noise, they look forward to it each year!

In photo above, Hollie and Kelly are with Christine, one of their support staff.