We all have stories, hopes and dreams as varied and unique as we are!
What unifies those of us who are involved with S.O.U.L. is the wish for independent, supportive, attainable living in Sisters, Oregon for those with developmental disabilities.
Here are a few of our stories….
Craig
Craig is a 25 year old adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Craig lives in Sisters, and works at Ray’s Food Place as a Clerk. Craig enjoys driving his car, golf, fishing, video games, computers, and hanging out with his friends on his days off. Craig would love to be able to stay close to Central Oregon, where he has the support of his friends and local community, even if his family were to move somewhere else.
Returning to COCC this Spring to start his AAS degree in Healthcare Information Management, Craig hopes to get onboard with St. Charles in the future as an IT staff person, in hopes of fulfilling that dream. In the meantime, affordable SOUL housing would allow Craig to continue to work full time at his current job, go to school, and stay local.
Maxwell
Maxwell has lived in Sisters since the fourth grade. Moving to Sisters provided so many opportunities he didn’t have access to in his previous home in Virginia, including the fourth grade field trip, Outdoor School in sixth grade, and main stream classes like math, flight science, wood shop and culinary arts.
Through Sisters High School’s community jobs program, Max has picked up recycling at city hall, folded towels at Sisters Athletic Club, and shopped at Ray’s. He has worked at Melvin’s, Black Butte Ranch, and the school district.
Now an employee at Best Buy, Max would someday love to live in Los Angeles or Tokyo. In the mean time, he takes classes at COCC and participates in activities at the Sisters Transition Center.
S.O.U.L. housing in Sisters would give him experience living on his own close to the support of his family and community.
Soren
Soren is a Sisters Middle School student who has lived his whole life in Sisters. He loves being in the woods and visiting his extended family who live nearby.
His family hopes he can live and work as part of the Sisters community for the rest of his life. Their dream is that he can have a stable, independent home and job here when he reaches adulthood.
Soren has a rare form of epilepsy that affects his memory, language and development. The “long learning curve” he experiences makes staying in the same place with the same people an especially urgent issue.