Creative Caring is the story of one determined family whose son, Ricky, had intellectual disabilities so severe that the typical resources of a community were not available to him. Finding that situation intolerable, they fought relentlessly to create a caring community for Ricky and hundreds of others. Vita Living fought bureaucratic hurdles, abuse from the community, and serious economic challenges so it was brought to the edge of collapse. The goal was to obtain a coveted license to open the first small community-based home in Texas to provide life long care for people with severe mental retardation and behaviors. Despite being told it was impossible, Renee successfully pursued her dream.

This memoir, a reflection on her over 40 years of working with children and adults with intellectual disabilities, is a call to action for our society to consider the welfare of all, not only the able bodied.

Creative Caring is the story of how Renee and Stan turned the challenges their family faced into triumph. But even more, it's the story of how they succeeded in creating a more generous and nurturing environment for an entire population who has much to contribute to the world around them

The world is full of mysteries. What really happened to the dinosaurs? Is it possible for a person to burst into flames from the inside out? Can someone actually read your mind? Is Bigfoot real or not? Fact or fiction-people do not agree. Aden Williams' fifth grade class is assigned a research project on real-life mysteries. Aden just moved to Nevada, straight from Bigfoot country in California. Her choice of mystery is easy, but it's a choice she may live to regret. "Aden chose Bigfoot " Chase said in a sing-song voice. "It's no wonder," Jake chimed in. "Look at the size of those Nikes " "Yeah," Zach added before the teacher could stop him, "Maybe they're relatives. I think I see a family resemblance." The class rolled with laughter. Aden sunk into her chair. Her long legs bunched up under the desk. It wasn't the first time she had been teased, but it hurt just the same. Mr. Jensen's mouth went into a straight line. Aden's thoughts turned back to Bigfoot. She had heard every story the local people of Willow Creek told. She knew about the footprints and the sightings. The town was well-known for Bigfoot. Aden knew witnesses told of enormous footprints, attacks and even kidnappings. Bigfoot was real. She knew it. She just needed to prove it to the stupid nonbelievers in Room 206.

Creative Caring is the story of one determined family whose son, Ricky, had intellectual disabilities so severe that the typical resources of a community were not available to him. Finding that situation intolerable, they fought relentlessly to create a caring community for Ricky and hundreds of others. Vita Living fought bureaucratic hurdles, abuse from the community, and serious economic challenges so it was brought to the edge of collapse. The goal was to obtain a coveted license to open the first small community-based home in Texas to provide life long care for people with severe mental retardation and behaviors. Despite being told it was impossible, Renee successfully pursued her dream.

This memoir, a reflection on her over 40 years of working with children and adults with intellectual disabilities, is a call to action for our society to consider the welfare of all, not only the able bodied.

Creative Caring is the story of how Renee and Stan turned the challenges their family faced into triumph. But even more, it's the story of how they succeeded in creating a more generous and nurturing environment for an entire population who has much to contribute to the world around them