Hear our Voices: Joe Bartling

Joe Bartling, a member of KPMG's Advisory practice who is based in Tyson's Corner, Va., and his wife, Karen, always dreamed of having a big family. Over the years they made their dream a reality, opening up their home and their hearts to welcome six adopted children, all of whom are blind and have other disabilities. When their daughter, Hannah, was old enough and interested in working, the Bartlings quickly discovered that job opportunities were very scarce for adults with multiple disabilities. This realization inspired them to do something to help other families that have members with special needs just like their own. The Bartlings started Amazing Families Foundation which provides practical job training and employment options for adults like Hannah. Their website also features a number of other resources and support tools for special needs families.

This year, several of Joe’s colleagues submitted Amazing Families Foundation for grant consideration as part of a new program, and Joe was thrilled to learn his organization was chosen as one of the first KPMG Community Impact grant recipients, funded by the KPMG U.S. Foundation, Inc. Hear his story.