Bianca Wise, president and franchise owner of Home Helpers® Home Care of Baltimore, has always been authentically altruistic. Before starting her franchise in 2018, she worked for a local fire department for 20 years, serving a large population of elderly and indigent communities. By Nancy E. Williams
Bianca Wise, president and franchise owner of Home Helpers® Home Care of Baltimore, has always been authentically altruistic. Before starting her franchise in 2018, she worked for a local fire department for 20 years, serving a large population of elderly and indigent communities.
“When it was time to close that chapter of my life, in-home care made sense because I saw the need. As an EMS lieutenant, I saw people calling 911 for help, and all we could do was drag them out of their homes and off to the hospital – someplace they didn’t want to go,” Wise explained.
Wise started her franchise search, unaware that one company would provide the solutions for which she was looking. “Home Helpers actually found me. I knew I wanted an in-home care business but knew nothing about getting started. I Googled ‘franchising’ and received a call from the vice president of franchise development. Eventually, I attended ‘Meet the Team Day’ and immediately felt an affinity for the brand and the team. It fit right into what my vision was – on a grander scale,” she said.
With the brand’s exceptional in-home care services, Wise continues her mission of giving back every day. “Seniors are a very vulnerable population. There’s a lot of focus on dementia and Alzheimer’s, but there are many more issues than that. I position my agency as a community resource. Seniors have so many unanswered questions and don’t even understand all that home health care encompasses. We try to help them navigate the entire process – even the simple questions,” she said.
Given the opportunity to fulfill her passion, Wise wanted others to be able to do the same. She recently partnered with a colleague and formed Baltimore C.A.R.E.S, a nonprofit organization that targets high school students and recent graduates looking for alternatives to college.
“We will provide training to earn certifications for CNAs, GNAs, phlebotomists, medical technicians, EMTs and others to gain entry-level positions in those careers. Lastly, we’re developing a mentorship program that will follow participants for a year after their placement into employment to get ahead of challenges in their personal life that could disrupt their professional life. We want to keep them going and help them see they have every chance to succeed,” Wise said.
Nancy E. Williams