History
Charles
R. Solis, Jr. and Conceição de Sousa Solis began their work together
in the mid-1970’s. For many years they traveled throughout the world providing
private consultation services for families with brain-injured children. In the
course of their careers they have either studied or worked with children and
families in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, England,
Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Japan, Papua New Guinea,
and Australia.
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. Starting 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’s
brought desperately needed help to thousands of children and families. Eventually,
Charles trained 205 professionals who work in centers throughout the
country
of Venezuela. In honor of Alberto and Christine Vollmer’s son Leopoldo,
a severely brain-injured child who provided much of the inspiration for this
effort, the project was named Programa Leopoldo.
In June of 1997 Cardinal Alphonse Lopez Trujillo, President
of the Pontifical Council for the Family, invited Charles and Conceição to speak
at an international conference in Vatican City. Programa Leopoldo turned out
to be the highlight of the event. In his speech to the conference, His Holiness
Pope John Paul II recognized the importance of Programa Leopoldo calling it
an extension of the Gospel of Life. He urged the participants to continue in
their efforts to bring hope to the world’s families. The conference organizers
gave Charles the honor of helping to draft the conference recommendations that
constitute Vatican policy regarding brain-injured children and their families.
Upon the conclusion of the conference, inspired by the Holy
Father’s recognition of their work, Charles and Conceição
returned to the United States and created a new organization for the purpose
of expanding their work. The REACH Family Institute was founded in May of 1998
in order to reach families and professionals throughout the world with the Solis’s
message of hope and possibility.
