Valley family gives back to community to honor legacy of patriarch

Correspondent photos / Sean Barron Marci Barta, left, and Carol Zuppo, who’s a member of Girard Helping Hands, sort through a variety of items that will be given as Christmas gifts Tuesday to several families in need.
GIRARD — Even though 12 years have passed since Pete A. Barta lost his battle with colon cancer, his legacy of unselfishness, random helpfulness and care continues to send out ripples of hope and compassion, family members say.
“My dad was very quiet, very humble, very selfless, and he was always eager and willing to help others,” his son, Adam Barta, remembered.
The elder Barta, who worked more than 40 years for General Motors Corp. in Lordstown, including in the final processing department, died Dec. 24, 2012, from the disease. He was 68.
A key way Adam Barta and his family keep Pete Barta’s legacy and memory alive is via the Barta Nation Families Foundation, which was established in 2013 to provide gifts to children and families in need during the holidays. Every Dec. 24, the donations are distributed to recipients.
More than 200 gifts will be given Tuesday to several families who are struggling, said Barta, who is vice president of the Cadle Co., a Newton Falls-based investment business.
Beforehand, his wife, Marci Barta, along with several members of the Girard Helping Hands group, recently spent several hours at Girard City Hall sorting through and wrapping the donations. Items included hygiene products, a motorized scooter, pairs of socks, shoes and gloves, toothpaste and toothbrushes, stuffed animals, a remote-control car, perfume, an Xbox, Amazon Kindle and a Dallas Cowboys shirt.
Typically, donations begin to amass around early November, she said, adding that the foundation originally selected children with cancer, then it morphed into assisting families who are experiencing hard times. Some of the recipients were found through a Newton Falls guidance office, she added.
Girard Helping Hands members who loaned their helping hands to assist Marci Barta with the gift-wrapping effort were Cathy McCracken, Joanne Sura and Carol Zuppo, wife of Girard Mayor Mark Zuppo.
“We’ve helped kids who have a lifelong disease or are going through hard times, and wherever we see the need,” Marci Barta said, adding that the foundation has assisted a variable number of people per year, depending on the length of the wish list received.
In addition, the Barta Nation Families Foundation recently received three major monetary donations — two for $1,000 and one for $500, she noted. Nevertheless, Marci Barta was quick to express gratitude for denominations of all sizes.
“We are grateful for donations of any amount,” she said, adding that distributing everything on Christmas Eve also “is a great thing for our kids to see.”
The driving force behind the foundation’s primary mission is to brighten the holidays for those in need, which includes seeing the expressions on the faces of children who receive prized and cherished gifts — all while honoring the late Pete Barta, she explained.
“This effort gives them some hope that maybe things will get better,” Marci Barta added.
“We just like helping other people,” McCracken, who works as a transportation specialist for a Solon-based business, said. “It’s good to know where you’re needed.”
The nine-member Girard Helping Hands group debuted in January, with the main mission of assisting with a variety of community projects. One of them included helping to erect a Christmas display in the park this year, she noted.
ACCOMPLISHED BOWLER
Adam Barta, who many say is one of the region’s top bowlers, also has under his belt a long list of achievements on the lanes, including having tossed his first 300 game at age 15. Two of his crowning feats are 246 perfect games to his credit, as well as 198 800 three-game sets.
His bowling talents don’t stop there, however. Barta also has set two Guinness world records, the first having been the highest number of pins knocked down in one hour (2,708) on Feb. 15, 2015, in Wickliffe. The other was the most strikes in an hour (191), which he achieved Nov. 12, 2016, at Holiday Bowl in Struthers, where he bowls twice weekly in league action.
He also has been at the crossroads where bowling and charity meet. Several years ago, Barta, then a three-time U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championship titlist, competed in the “Barta vs. Waz Striking for Smiles” charity bowling event at Holiday Bowl.
That effort, combined with raffles, auctions and donations, generated nearly $10,000 to benefit the families of Ella Fraelich, a 7-year-old girl who was born with Crouzon syndrome, and Jensen Devereaux, 2, who was undergoing chemotherapy for pleuropulmonary blastoma, a rare type of lung cancer. Crouzon syndrome is a rare genetic condition that causes malformations to the skull.
The proceeds were divided evenly among the two families.
Adam Barta recalled that his father’s original diagnosis came in September 2010 with a grim prognosis, and Pete Barta was advised to “get your affairs in order.” Thanks to an oncology specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, however, his father was rescanned, given certain treatment options and told not to lose hope.
As a result, the elder Barta lived more than two years longer than expected — enough time to see the birth of his grandson, Blake Barta, who is now 12.
In addition, Pete Barta, who often worked six to seven days per week and long hours to provide for the family, would be “100% honored” to know how the foundation named in his honor has made life better for so many people over the years, Adam Barta said.
“If he knew what this group did, he would be beside himself,” his son added.