Happy WDSD!!! Around 12 years ago, 3.21 of each year was declared World Down syndrome Day. Why March 21? Because Down syndrome is defined as a Person having 47 chromosomes versus 46. The extra chromosome is a third (3) copy of the 21st chromosome.

To celebrate this day it has become a fun tradition of wearing funky socks! But why? Because when you look at your DNA under a microscope our chromosomes are shaped liked little socks!

So from all our families to yours- Happy WDSD! Thank you for showing us your funky socks!! here are a few of our Favorites. ??

This past weekend, November 9, was the first ever Chatter & Chow. What an amazing day!

First, thank you to the team at Chianti’s Pizza & Pasta for so graciously providing the Brunch and a beautiful place to host this event.

We had an amazing show of support with about 30 people in attendance. I am so proud of this. I was worried we would have not one person show. It was amazing to see Parents, Grandparents and Self Advocates come to this meeting!

At C&C, I was able to discuss our inspiration and vision for the tiny home community, “Holland”. We had a few moments of a Q&A session and most importantly, there was time to get to meet and learn about one another. Those are the moments I am most grateful for. It has been my experience that families like mine are not always Welcomed or feel uneasy when trying to attend events or playgroups. We need to build each other up!

I’d like to thank our VP, Katie, for capturing this photo of myself and my youngest daughter. I think it just shows that a Mother’s work is never done!

So I am by No means an artist, architect, plans designer or what have you. But when I think of the living community this is what I imagine.

A safe, eco friendly, beautiful and inspiring place for our neighbors to live, and work, and socialize.

Nothing extravagant or super special about us, but I do have to say we have awesome moments.

We are a family that is slightly larger- Two parents and Five kids at home all the time, and two more live at home with their Momma in Tennessee. We are beautiful mix of Yours, Mine and Ours. Something that we all have in common is our desire to make the World a better place and we say, where better to start then in your own backyard?

In 2015, we, the Chinchaks, began the long road of International Adoption. Paperwork, fundraising, physicals, homestudy visits, paperwork and more paperwork led us to the heart of Ukraine. It was there that I (Hope) met our son, Pasha. So began a beautiful, complicated, and loving road of having a child with Down Syndrome.

We loved him so much that we decided to hit that drive again later that year and begin the process all over. Our second son, Bodie came home from Ukraine a year and a half later.

As time has passed we began wondering what the plan would be if anything ever happened to us. Would they be able to take care of themselves? We are blessed with amazing children who would care for their brothers in a heart beat, but we want them to have options. What if they could live independently? Or with minimal assistance? Thus, OCB was formed!

What if young adults with Down Syndrome or other moderate special needs could infact live on their own? What if they could live in a community of other adults and be just like everyone else? What if their Mom and/or Dad could rest easily at night knowing their child was in a safe, loving and inclusive environment?

The only issue is that a community for young adults with special needs is very few and far in between.

That is why we are here! We feel God’s whisper to our ears. We want to create this space. We want to be the extended family for these people. We want to build an inclusive community for our children. For your children. For the children who need a voice lifting up their own.