OREGON CUSTOM HOME BUILDER OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR AUTISM TREATMENT

September 13, 2007

Roger Pollock's Buena Vista Custom Homes Offers 100 Scholarships for Prestigious Son-Rise Program

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.—Buena Vista Custom Homes owner Roger Pollock announced today that he has agreed to underwrite an additional 100 full scholarships to the prestigious Son-Rise Program for Portland area residents in need of treatment for autism.

In June, Roger Pollock sponsored international autism speaker and treatment specialist Raun Kaufman to visit the Northwest for a series of lectures on the techniques and tools responsible for Kaufman's own complete recovery. Over 2,000 people attended the lectures in Portland, Eugene, and Seattle. Pollock originally sponsored 100 scholarships to the Son-Rise Program. Today's announcement brings the total number of scholarships to 200.

Raun Kaufman was diagnosed with severe irreversible autism as young boy, never expected to recover. Instead of institutionalizing their son, Barry and Samahria Kaufman created the “innovated home-based, child-centered program" that is now the Son-Rise Program. Not only did Raun Kaufman make a full recovery, but he went on to receive a Biomedical Ethics degree from Brown University, and is now CEO, writer, and teacher at the Option Institute and Autism Treatment Center of America in Massachusetts.

Along with lecture tours in the U.S., United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway, Raun Kaufman has appeared in publications such as People Magazine and the London Telegraph, on television programs such as Fox Magazine (Fox News Channel) and BBC's Breakfast News, and numerous radio stations including NPR. Seen by over 300 million people worldwide, a NBC-TV movie, Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love, was based on his story.

Roger Pollock was personally inspired to offer the 100 full tuition scholarships because his youngest child is autistic. Last year, Pollock attended the training in Massachusetts with his wife and son and found it to be so helpful, he wanted to share the experience with other families. “I have been extremely moved by the parents who have attended Raun's lectures," said Pollock. “There has been a tremendous bonding of the families. It was an easy decision to do as much as I can."

The scholarships have done more than just given families a chance to get training on techniques to help their children, it has created hope. Many of the recipients of the first 100 scholarships all over Oregon are sharing information and resources, and planning fundraisers to help additional families go to the Option Institute.

The need is great: Oregon has the highest rate of autism in the country with 1 of every 250 young people age 6 to 21 assessed according to federal statistics. A child is 3 times more likely to be autistic in Oregon than in Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana.

About the Son-Rise Program: Created by authors/teachers Barry (“Bears") Neil Kaufman and Samahria Lyte Kaufman, the Son-Rise Program is a highly effective educational treatment modality which includes joining children in healing and growth instead of going against them. The program places parents as key teachers, therapists and directors of their own programs and utilizes the home as the most nurturing environment in which to help their children. The Son-Rise Program has been featured in over 2,000 articles and programs appearing in major media worldwide including Good Morning America, the BBC (British Broadcasting Company), The Daily Telegraph, Parenting Magazine, Mothering Magazine, Family Circle, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Pollock has been a major contributor to the Oregon homebuilding industry for over 20 years. Pollock is an active member of his community and continues his outreach through his Profit Partners Program. For more information go to www.profitpartners.org.