Today we’d like to introduce you to Kent & Laura Olson.
Hi Kent & Laura, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Our son, Matty, was diagnosed with autism in 2012. At the time, we knew nothing at all about autism. On top of that, our children were 5 and 3, so we were still in the early years of figuring out parenting in general. Like all parents, we had concerns about making good decisions for our kids. Are we saying and doing the right things? Are we leading them effectively? Are we setting a good example?
And now…autism? This takes many of the usual questions you have as a parent…and adds exponentially to the list. We all want to surround our kids with love and support so they can be confident and fulfilled and happy. You start with…how do we keep our child safe? How do we help them grow as little people? Help them learn new things? Now we have to add so many new questions.
Matty wasn’t non-verbal…but he was struggling with language development. Will we ever have a normal conversation with our son? Will he be able to make friends when he’s older? Will he have a family? Or will he be able to live on his own? If he can’t be totally on his own, who will love him and protect him later on when we’re gone? These are not easy things to think about or talk about…but it’s the reality of what you ponder.
Well, after you’ve sat with some of your new questions for a while, you have to move forward. For yourself and your child. You meet with specialists, you read voraciously on the subject, you continue to ponder and pray…but you move forward.
For us, that included throwing ourselves into the autism community with some local events. A few educational fairs…and also a few “walks” that raised money for research and raised awareness for the cause. Through these events, the connections we were making, and all the reading we were doing, we were learning about just how challenging the world of autism can be for many families. We had a very different new reality than we had imagined a few years before that. However, for all of Matty’s challenges, we met and learned of so many people whose challenges were greater than ours. Was there something else we could do to help?
We now felt a calling to do more. Something beyond our participation in the events we attended. As the top fundraising team at a few of the events we participated in, we did have a knack for getting the word out in our circle of friends and family…but how could we take it to another level?
So, in 2015, we created our non-profit organization called Twin Cities Autism Foundation. And we slowly began our fundraising efforts in 2016. Our goal at the beginning was simply to help a handful of local families get access to a few resources that are not covered by insurance or state aid. A beneficial camp or lesson or program to which they would otherwise not have access.
We’ve held many events over the years to raise funds for local families and to raise awareness for autism in Minnesota. We’ve held several 5k’s, have twice hosted our now-annual Love for Autism Golf Classic, and in September of 2023, we are bringing back a new and improved version of our unique 44 Miles for Autism Day. On 44 Miles for Autism Day, teams or individuals can participate in person at one of two locations…or virtually from anywhere they choose!
We’re very excited and grateful that the positive impact Twin Cities Autism Foundation is making is growing every year. We have an amazing and expanding board of directors! Please visit our website at www.tcautism.com/board-members to learn more about these wonderful people! We also have a new backpack (the Matty’s Puzzle Pack) that we gift to families at the time of an autism diagnosis and our new Matty’s Puzzle Pack HANGOUTS, which are give-back-gatherings in the community for those with autism and their loved ones. The next three of those will be taking place in September, October, and November of this year!
With the help of our board of directors and supporters and all that we have learned so far, our long-term goal is now to acquire property to build unique housing opportunities, so adults with autism have appropriate support and maximize their contributions to their communities. Ultimately, we reached this point in the growth of the Twin Cities Autism Foundation because we know that having a child diagnosed with autism is a challenge and people often feel isolated at first. We know we did (we often still do)!
We hope that our organization, through fundraising events, give-back-gatherings, our Matty’s Puzzle Packs, and more…will serve as warm hugs and a soft landing place to welcome people to the autism community. We certainly want to be a real resource for individuals and families dealing with autism…but no matter what, we want to do whatever we do, with love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
TIME: At this point, we are still a completely volunteer-based organization. Virtually all of those who are actively involved with helping us or supporting us, have “day jobs” just like we do. As a result, one of our biggest struggles is time! Like anything worthwhile, everything we do takes time, effort, and commitment. For the time being, we have to find a way to make the positive impact we intend to make, with as many evening and weekend hours as we can give! That’s a struggle.
LACK OF EXPERIENCE: Growing a non-profit organization without any prior experience was an obstacle! How do we get started? Who else can we talk to? How should we make certain decisions? We are learning as we go with this…and that’s a struggle, but we are very hopeful we are headed somewhere great. We read, ask questions, align with other great people, seek sound advice, and more. That said…starting something new is always difficult, particularly when you haven’t been trained to do it.
OTHER CAUSES: There are many areas of need in the world…so attracting people to contribute time, energy, or money to our cause and organization is a big challenge where that’s concerned. Our passion for our particular huge area of need keeps us going.
OPTIMISM: Optimism is a great thing because it gets you going and keeps you going too! It also adds to the struggles because the work is almost always more difficult and time-consuming than you imagined. This is an area Kent has been working on for years!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Kent: Professionally, I’m (Kent is) a Lending Team Leader and Executive Loan Officer with Ownership Mortgage. As a licensed loan officer in 4 states, including Minnesota, I help individuals and families obtain financing for their next residential real estate purchase (or refinance).
I run a small team in Minnesota and call it KentO Mortgage Science. The name has to do with a love and appreciation for people! The “science” is marrying over 25 years of mortgage and real estate experience with a very intentional approach to the human beings I serve in the process. My background includes leading branches and multi-state regions as a mortgage professional as well as having been a licensed real estate professional while building and leading one real estate franchise and then later helping to manage a multi-market independent real estate company.
I’m proud of the diverse set of professional experiences I bring to the table, but more proud of what my referral partners and customers say about working with me. I have a passion for people, where they’ve been, and where they’re going, and my sincere hope is that people feel the difference in the way I care for them within the service my team and I provide.
There’s no doubt that my son’s autism diagnosis and our decision to launch a non-profit organization has a major impact on my perspectives and values as it relates to the world as a whole. All that we are learning together – about behavior, leadership, inclusion, kindness, and more – solidifies my commitment to how I will treat every single person, every day, as I serve people in my role as a mortgage professional.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
This has to be people-centric. I care deeply about the people in my life.
Whether that’s my friends and family, the families we serve as a non-profit, the people I’ve worked with over the years, or my customers and referral partners of today. I have a love and appreciation for them all!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tcautism.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcautism/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/twin-cities-autism-foundation/
Image Credits
Jolene Taylor and Life in Full Photography
