Papa's Promise, a place to be
Donation protected
Papa's Promise; a place to be
Dennis is 25 years old and has autism.
He's challenged by what most of us think of as normal but the system failed him and by no fault of his own, he now lives in a state institution. And due to the coronavirus, he's been in virtual lock-down since March.
The only solution to his dilemma, offered up by the health care authorities, is Supported Living a government program, run by, for profit, private agencies. Yet, none are available, suitable to Dennis' needs or countless others who fall through the cracks because they don't fit the most profitable model.
The existing supported living homes are set up with the expectation that with enough support, these "clients" will go out into the community and work a few hours a week and spend the rest of their time in front of a TV, or doing puzzles. Most are medicated, even if there are no underlying conditions, aside from the autism that makes it so challenging to provide effective care.
Because it takes a village We've committed to the purchase of a farm home for Dennis to share with up to three additional young men, where they can thrive in a different kind of Supported Living environment. One that allows them stewardship over their own lives and the land that gives them sustenance. A sensory friendly farm home, where these young men will reach out to the broader community and invite everyone of all ages, on the spectrum, to enjoy a truly magical place. A place to be.
We have gone all in to make this dream come true.
My name is Don Rockwell and I'm Dennis' Papa.
A couple of months ago I thought we were on our way. We'd found the perfect place. We scraped together all we had and though the bank had been with us, at the last minute they reversed and said they could only come part way, leaving us 60,000. short and nearly sinking the deal.
But after a tense period of back and forth, the sellers have agreed to delay the closing until January 20 to give us more time.
I'm humbly asking for your help to raise enough funds to close on this farm, providing a safe life environment with 24/7 on site staff to give these vulnerable young adults, the leg up where they need it.
With your generous donation, A forever farm home to enrich the lives of Dennis, his housemates and many other young people who, like him, just need a chance and where they will be embraced in all their true colors.
The old farmhouse sits back from the quiet road and just beyond a sprawling cherry tree. With ship lap siding and a dug well, it needs a lot of work but at nearly 100 years old, it's got "good bones" and plenty of soul.
The four and a half acres, of mostly pasture, comes with grazing horses and is uniquely suited for a safe, self contained home, recreational and work place. The formerly institutionalized will have chickens, goats and cats & dogs, providing lots of fun and plenty of chores.
There's a huge red barn that will be re-purposed as a sensory friendly great room. There'll be swinging chairs, crash pads and video games. It will be a place to hold events, such as barn dances , for the benefit of the boys, their families and the greater community of people, on the spectrum, of all ages.
As productive and valuable members of society, they will give back to their community.
They'll have a garden, an apple orchard, a fifty foot long grape arbor to escape to, and a giant swing.
In addition to gathering eggs and tending to the goats, there will be opportunities to groom and ride horses, hosted by our friends at
Langs Horse and Pony Farm
Meet Dennis Rockwell
At just four years old, Dennis' father was killed in a robbery. I adopted him at age seven and made him a promise that changed my life.
He grew up happy and strong.
Sadly, when his school years came to an end, he lost his busy schedule and slipped into a crisis. It caught us off guard and it quickly spun out of control. Care providers quit. Job coaches gave up. Insurance companies stopped taking our calls and doctors could do nothing. Things were deteriorating too fast, for us to keep up.
Dennis grew frustrated. And because of his unusual and sometimes disruptive nature, he was "uninvited" to every program in town.
He isolated himself, then he started destroying things and throwing phones, keys and wallets, over the fence and slipping away on a regular basis. He stripped the plaster off the walls and urinated in the closets. The police were picking him up, neighbors were suing us for property damage and APS had an open file on us.
We were all in a panic. He could barely step out the door without facing a rush of traffic. He was trying to spread his wings but there was no place for him to go. He was trapped.
With or without help, Dennis cannot function in a city...the noise, the traffic. He won't "mainstream" he's the proverbial square peg and he was not given the tools in this life, to fend for himself.
We were doing everything we could but no longer a child, his needs were outgrowing his environment.
Dennis has enormous potential. He's a hard worker who likes to use his physical strength.
During the worst of his crises years, after the job support agencies had all run away, I found him a volunteer position on a dairy farm where I would coach him.
It was like seeing blue sky, in the middle of a thunder storm. He rose to the occasion, took pride in his work and fell in love with the goats. He hauled water and mucked out the stables. He was enthusiastic and always eager to get after it.
He Was In his Element and something extraordinary had happened.
He'd discovered his niche!
Please take a moment to view Meet Dennis Rockwell
However, All things must pass
After several months the farmer was forced to pick up and move north, as winter set in and unfortunately, Dennis had to let it go. Subsequently, his life exploded right back into chaos and all hell broke loose.
It was just his mama and I and we were struggling with work schedules, trying to keep the bills paid. We came to realize that we couldn't do our jobs, plan for his future and take care of his most urgent needs all at once... and while still providing some modicum, of a normal home life.
Things had become desperate and something had to give.
So, we made the heart wrenching decision to have him admitted into the institution.
It breaks a father's heart to know well what his child needs and not be able to provide it for him.
I promised him it was temporary and we'd do all we could, to get him a home out of the city, with things to do, close to his family and where he could reunite with his dog, Chester.
Since the virus, Dennis hasn't been allowed to leave the grounds of the institution and only after more than six months, have we even been allowed to visit.
He holds out hope. He believes in the promises I've made and he calls me several times a week to remind me. And so again and again we go over all the details.
"Papa will come pick me up, when the virus is over and find a new place to be; with a good job, goats, Chester...(and he never forgets to add)...and people."
Yes, Dennis. And people.
This is Papa's Promise.
I'm so lucky to have the honor of being Dennis' father!
There has never been, nor could there ever be, a greater cause, in all my life.
I won't give up.
Please help me, help Dennis have his place to be and find his happy ever after.
Thank you!
Dennis is 25 years old and has autism.
He's challenged by what most of us think of as normal but the system failed him and by no fault of his own, he now lives in a state institution. And due to the coronavirus, he's been in virtual lock-down since March.
The only solution to his dilemma, offered up by the health care authorities, is Supported Living a government program, run by, for profit, private agencies. Yet, none are available, suitable to Dennis' needs or countless others who fall through the cracks because they don't fit the most profitable model.
The existing supported living homes are set up with the expectation that with enough support, these "clients" will go out into the community and work a few hours a week and spend the rest of their time in front of a TV, or doing puzzles. Most are medicated, even if there are no underlying conditions, aside from the autism that makes it so challenging to provide effective care.
Because it takes a village We've committed to the purchase of a farm home for Dennis to share with up to three additional young men, where they can thrive in a different kind of Supported Living environment. One that allows them stewardship over their own lives and the land that gives them sustenance. A sensory friendly farm home, where these young men will reach out to the broader community and invite everyone of all ages, on the spectrum, to enjoy a truly magical place. A place to be.
We have gone all in to make this dream come true.
My name is Don Rockwell and I'm Dennis' Papa.
A couple of months ago I thought we were on our way. We'd found the perfect place. We scraped together all we had and though the bank had been with us, at the last minute they reversed and said they could only come part way, leaving us 60,000. short and nearly sinking the deal.
But after a tense period of back and forth, the sellers have agreed to delay the closing until January 20 to give us more time.
I'm humbly asking for your help to raise enough funds to close on this farm, providing a safe life environment with 24/7 on site staff to give these vulnerable young adults, the leg up where they need it.
With your generous donation, A forever farm home to enrich the lives of Dennis, his housemates and many other young people who, like him, just need a chance and where they will be embraced in all their true colors.
The old farmhouse sits back from the quiet road and just beyond a sprawling cherry tree. With ship lap siding and a dug well, it needs a lot of work but at nearly 100 years old, it's got "good bones" and plenty of soul.
The four and a half acres, of mostly pasture, comes with grazing horses and is uniquely suited for a safe, self contained home, recreational and work place. The formerly institutionalized will have chickens, goats and cats & dogs, providing lots of fun and plenty of chores.
There's a huge red barn that will be re-purposed as a sensory friendly great room. There'll be swinging chairs, crash pads and video games. It will be a place to hold events, such as barn dances , for the benefit of the boys, their families and the greater community of people, on the spectrum, of all ages.
As productive and valuable members of society, they will give back to their community.
They'll have a garden, an apple orchard, a fifty foot long grape arbor to escape to, and a giant swing.
In addition to gathering eggs and tending to the goats, there will be opportunities to groom and ride horses, hosted by our friends at
Langs Horse and Pony Farm
Meet Dennis Rockwell
At just four years old, Dennis' father was killed in a robbery. I adopted him at age seven and made him a promise that changed my life.
He grew up happy and strong.
Sadly, when his school years came to an end, he lost his busy schedule and slipped into a crisis. It caught us off guard and it quickly spun out of control. Care providers quit. Job coaches gave up. Insurance companies stopped taking our calls and doctors could do nothing. Things were deteriorating too fast, for us to keep up.
Dennis grew frustrated. And because of his unusual and sometimes disruptive nature, he was "uninvited" to every program in town.
He isolated himself, then he started destroying things and throwing phones, keys and wallets, over the fence and slipping away on a regular basis. He stripped the plaster off the walls and urinated in the closets. The police were picking him up, neighbors were suing us for property damage and APS had an open file on us.
We were all in a panic. He could barely step out the door without facing a rush of traffic. He was trying to spread his wings but there was no place for him to go. He was trapped.
With or without help, Dennis cannot function in a city...the noise, the traffic. He won't "mainstream" he's the proverbial square peg and he was not given the tools in this life, to fend for himself.
We were doing everything we could but no longer a child, his needs were outgrowing his environment.
Dennis has enormous potential. He's a hard worker who likes to use his physical strength.
During the worst of his crises years, after the job support agencies had all run away, I found him a volunteer position on a dairy farm where I would coach him.
It was like seeing blue sky, in the middle of a thunder storm. He rose to the occasion, took pride in his work and fell in love with the goats. He hauled water and mucked out the stables. He was enthusiastic and always eager to get after it.
He Was In his Element and something extraordinary had happened.
He'd discovered his niche!
Please take a moment to view Meet Dennis Rockwell
However, All things must pass
After several months the farmer was forced to pick up and move north, as winter set in and unfortunately, Dennis had to let it go. Subsequently, his life exploded right back into chaos and all hell broke loose.
It was just his mama and I and we were struggling with work schedules, trying to keep the bills paid. We came to realize that we couldn't do our jobs, plan for his future and take care of his most urgent needs all at once... and while still providing some modicum, of a normal home life.
Things had become desperate and something had to give.
So, we made the heart wrenching decision to have him admitted into the institution.
It breaks a father's heart to know well what his child needs and not be able to provide it for him.
I promised him it was temporary and we'd do all we could, to get him a home out of the city, with things to do, close to his family and where he could reunite with his dog, Chester.
Since the virus, Dennis hasn't been allowed to leave the grounds of the institution and only after more than six months, have we even been allowed to visit.
He holds out hope. He believes in the promises I've made and he calls me several times a week to remind me. And so again and again we go over all the details.
"Papa will come pick me up, when the virus is over and find a new place to be; with a good job, goats, Chester...(and he never forgets to add)...and people."
Yes, Dennis. And people.
This is Papa's Promise.
I'm so lucky to have the honor of being Dennis' father!
There has never been, nor could there ever be, a greater cause, in all my life.
I won't give up.
Please help me, help Dennis have his place to be and find his happy ever after.
Thank you!
Organizer
Donald Rockwell
Organizer
Seattle, WA