The family is an irreplaceable community in these situations because of the quality, talent and tenderness of the loving care which only parents can unselfishly offer their children. REACH’s Programa Leopoldo in Venezuela is an extension of the Gospel of Life from the family itself.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II, 13 June 1997

REACH Family Institute was founded in May of 1998 in order to reach families and professionals worldwide with our message of hope and possibility. Charles R. Solis, Jr. and Conceição de Sousa Solis began their work together in the mid-1970s, providing private consultation services for families with brain-injured children throughout the world.

In 1988, with the help of Ambassador Alberto Vollmer and his wife Sra. Christine Vollmer, they initiated a pilot project in Caracas, Venezuela in an effort to bring their expertise to extremely poor families with brain-injured children. Though it started with just three families, by 1992 there was a 10-year waiting list for appointments. Faced with this dilemma, Charles created a professional training program in Holistic Brain Development. This course, recognized by and taught under the auspices of the Universidad Nacional de Rehabilitacion, quickly became the most popular post-graduate course amongst professionals working in rehabilitation. By training doctors, therapists and teachers, the Solis’ brought desperately needed help to thousands of children and families. Eventually, Charles trained 205 professionals who work in centers throughout the country of Venezuela. The project was named Programa Leopoldo in honor of the Vollmers son, a severely brain-injured child who provided much of the inspiration for this effort.

Involved in innovative work with children, young adults and adults since 1975, Charles and Conceição have studied under and worked with some of the world's leading pioneers in the fields of Brain Development, Early Child Development, and Accelerated Learning. Their dedication to children and the family has earned them accolades from many leaders of the international community working to promote family and children’s issues.

In 1978, at the age of only 24, Charles successfully led a team of six brain-injured young adults on a 2,050-mile through-hike of the Appalachian Trail, the longest continuously marked footpath in the world. This was the first and remains the only time in history that a group of young people with neurological problems attempted and completed a feat of this kind.

In the course of their careers, the Solis' have studied and worked with families in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Papua New Guinea, and Australia.