Sunriver family builds nonprofit to help young adults with intellectual disabilities

(Update: Adding video, comments)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- For the past two decades, lifetime educators Michael and Lori Boll have traveled the world, teaching in places like Saudi Arabia, China and Thailand with their daughter Madi and son Braden.

But finding the right educational needs for their 21-year-old son, who has profound autism and an intellectual disability, has been an uphill battle.

So the Sunriver husband and wife are starting their own nonprofit, called Partners in Possibilities, here in Central Oregon, to ensure Braden and others like him can make a successful transition into the workforce.

And Braden's father says they're ready to take action.

"We need a more comprehensive program that helps not just Braden, but people like Braden," Michael Boll said Wednesday evening.

With the family spending the majority of time abroad, Central Oregon became their summer getaway, but the onset of the pandemic made a temporary visit a permanent one.

Boll says they always planned to move back, but travel restrictions sped up the process.

"So we accelerated our plans to come back by a few years and thought, 'We'd better get going,'" he said.

Braden is currently at the Transition Co-op, run by Bend-La Pine Schools, which helps young adults 18-21 years of age who have transition needs.

But Braden's father says his son's time there is set to expire this summer.

"He ages out of that in June," Boll said. "So we saw it as somewhat of a cliff, like, where is Braden going to get the support he needs to work?"

So the Bolls came up with their own nonprofit, called Partners in Possibilities, to ensure Braden and others like him can make a successful transition into the workforce.

"We thought, 'If we're going to do that here in Central Oregon, we'll try and maximize the skills that we have and the community that we have, but be on the lookout for the skills we don't,'" Boll said.

While living in Shanghai, the couple created a similar inclusive school called Shine Academy, and at their next stop in Thailand, Braden found a vocational work program to fit his needs.

His mother Lori says she noticed an immediate impact.

"He felt value. He just woke up every day with a smile on his face, ready to work," she said. "It was a powerful program for him."

So how would the new nonprofit work?

Michael says it's all about utilizing local resources.

"So we'll provide the workforce and the training for those people in advance," Boll said. "And we'll also have people to help them do the work while they're there."

The nonprofit would partner with existing businesses and ensure employees are performing at the best of their ability.

And their daughter Madi reminded NewsChannel 21 that this plan is not just about helping her brother, but about building a better community.

"They have an impressive continued motivation to always make sure that my brother always has the best possible situation," Boll said. "And not only do they work to ensure that he gets what he needs, but that a community gets uplifted at the same time." 

And the Bolls say they are ready to do just that.

You can contact Michael at 541.241.6938 or Michael@bollnet.com