Special Place for Special Needs Glennwood House Takes Shape in Laguna Beach SHERRI CRUZ Sunday, February

24, 2013 Larson: expects June opening for Laguna Beach home Sometimes Randy Larson ends his work day with a trip to the roofRandys roof, he calls it. Hell spend perhaps the quietest moment of his day watching the sun sink into the Pacific Ocean from his perch on what will soon be the Glennwood House of Laguna Beach. The neighbors have gotten used to seeing him aroundeven on the rooftop of the work in progress. It wont be long until the work is done. Glennwood Houseabout five years in the making and even more time brewing as an ideais due to open in June. It will be a 30,000-square-foot residential community for high-functioning young adults who have developmental disabilities. Its been a long grind, said Larson, owner of the Irvine-based financial planning and insurance services company Larson Financial Advisors Inc., and the man behind Glennwood House. Some things have gone according to plan, but many have not. Have I had a lot of sleepless nights? Absolutely, Larson said. But theres light at the end of the tunnel, and Im pretty sure its not a train. The target opening date is June 1. Estimated cost: about $8 million, including $1.3 million in renovation and construction costs. Funds have been raised privately through grant writing, board member donations, and a slew of ongoing fundraising events such as wine tastings, art auctions and a Harley Hearts for Glennwood Ride by motorcycle enthusiasts. Singer-songwriter Elton John contributed $25,000 to the project in January. Larsons good friend had a connection to the singer-songwriter. People have been gracious with their time and money, Larson said. The board is still working to raise about $300,000 to finish renovations and additions to an assistedliving facility the organization bought for $6.5 million in 2010. Ive done lots of renovations in my career, so I knew stuff would come up, said Richard Henrikson, a board member for Glennwood, and president and principal mechanical engineer at Irvine-based Henrikson Owen & Associates Inc., part of Los Angeles-based Owen Group Inc. Sure enough, it did. The buildings plumbing was shot and had to be repiped.

Dream With Legs Henrikson has been lending his expertise to the renovation since he and his wife, Maggi, were inspired by a Glennwood House event about a year ago. I loved the vision, Henrikson said. I loved the dream. But it was more than a dream. There was a dream with some manifestation going ona dream with legs. Henrikson has an 18-year-old son with learning disabilities and autistic tendencies. Its personal for me, he said. Some of the board members have children with developmental disabilities. Each board member brings a needed skill to the project. Marc Hoffman, chief operating officer of Aliso Viejo-based Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc., a real estate investment trust, brings expertise in lodging operations. Glennwood House will essentially operate like a hotel, with housekeeping service and a full-time chef. Most board members have been hands-on, investing money and sweat equity. Trevor Larson and his wife, Ginny, are parents to Trevor, who is the inspiration for Glennwood House, which is for adults ages 18 to 45. Trevor, who will be 30 in March, has Down syndrome, but he can read, write and cook. That makes him a perfect candidate for Glennwood House. It will be Trevors residence as well as the home of a total of 50 people who need some help due to a disease, disorder or medical condition, such as cerebral palsy or autism. The residential community is expected to be the first of its kind in the state. Most special-needs housing are 1960s box houses that charge $3,000 a month, Larson said. Glennwood House will cost residents $2,500 a month for a single room and $1,900 for a shared room. The fee includes rent, food, transportation and assisted-living care. Larson hopes to eventually establish a $1 million endowment for families with financial hardship. Glennwood House could be a national blueprint for special-needs housing if all goes as planned. Larson said the need for this kind of housing is expected to rise significantly in the future with an

uptick in the number of children diagnosed with autism. Glennwood House evolved from Larsons lifelong journey with his son, which began with youth sports. About 25 years ago, when Trevor was 5, Larson founded an American Youth Soccer league for kids with various disabilities. Larson, who played sports when he was in school, wanted the same for Trevor and other kids as well. Larson recruited 15 kids to start and fellow parents, including Glennwood board member Maarten Voogd, president of Lake Forest-based Water Ventures Inc., a company that specializes in the design and construction of water parks and leisure developments. Larson served as director, coach and referee in the early years. Today the league has grown to 400 kids in South County. The tight-knit group of parents watched their children play sports and grow into young adults, and they arrived at another phase: How could they offer their kids opportunities to socialize after their high school years? Larson had an answer. He and his wife founded The Lighthouse Group in Irvine 10 years ago to give the kids the opportunity to take part in camping, boating and other activities. The organization, run by Larsons daughter, Heidi Sterling, hosts activities such as movie nights and summer camp at Shaver Lake. They get to go behind my ski boat, kayak, and they get to fish, Larson said. Larson has been described as a visionary, a guy who wont let up. AADD His wife calls him AADD (Type A personality with attention deficit disorder). It serves its purpose. He comes up with ideas, the plan, and his staff and board help pull it all together. The next need that arose for the parents was helping their special-needs kids live more independently as they moved into adulthood. Many of the parents began facing health issues. They worried about their childrens future in the event of their death. Many of the parents are single mothers, Larson said. The parents also want their adult children to work and lead their own lives. Larson began planning for a residential community about the time the economy went belly-up.

In 2009 he formed private nonprofit Glennwood Housing Foundation Inc. He recruited a board and went about finding land and a city that would embrace a special-needs housing community. One day, as he was driving along PCH, he spotted a for sale sign posted at a vacant 40-year-old former assisted-living facility in Laguna Beach. He pulled over and called the real estate agent. There was another offer ahead of him, but that project, a seven-story retirement home, fell through. Larson secured the building. Then he and another board member held Saturday sessions with the public to allay fears. They asked about noise and parking. You name it we covered it, he said. It was probably the best thing we ever did. Standing O A few months later, when Larson made his presentation to the city council for a conditional use permit in April 2011, the project was unanimously approved. We got a standing O for our presentation, Larson said. Laguna Beach has turned out to be the ideal setting for the residential facility. Laguna has really embraced he whole idea, said Shauna Bogert, executive director, who was born and raised in Laguna Beach. Laguna loves a good cause. Laguna really loves diversity. The city, neighbors and Laguna nonprofits have rallied. Gardening groups have volunteered landscaping. Neighborhood nurses and a nearby doctor offered emergency services. Artists have offered to teach at Glennwood House. Laguna art festivals have invited residents to display their work. I dont even know if these kids are going to sleep, Larson said. The community is excited to get them to go do other stuff. Employers such as Salt Creek Grille Restaurants have offered job placement for Glennwood Houses future residents. The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce is also helping to identify possible employers. Its just been amazing, Larson said. People have come out of the woodwork.