March 15, 2022 | 3 min read

Embracing all abilities and creating opportunities

See how one family’s big idea to help their autistic son paired with community support has grown into something larger than they ever imagined. 

Article


By Rahiel Alemu, Manager, Schwab Community Development 

While watching his autistic son Andrew grow up, John D’Eri would often spend countless hours thinking about what would happen when he was no longer there to support Andrew. 

Andrew was becoming a very capable young man, but John observed there were virtually no opportunities for him after he aged out of the school system.  

John and his other son, Thomas, were inspired to do something about this. If there aren’t enough opportunities for people like Andrew, why not create some? 

And that’s just what they did when they decided to buy a 20-year-old car wash in Florida and rebrand it as a company committed to hiring 80 percent of its staff from the autistic community. 

Rising Tide Car Wash would be able to employee Andrew and others like him. But to make this vision a reality, John and Thomas needed support. 

They connected with Charlie Hammerman, Co-Founder and President of The Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF) who provided loan capital and technical assistance to launch their social enterprise. 

What is The Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF)? 

In 2007, Charlie and his wife, Nanci Freiman, launched DOF to support innovators like John and Thomas. 

As a Community Development Financial Institution, DOF’s mission is to provide technical and financial services to individuals and organizations serving the disability market throughout the United States, with a focus on affordable housing, schools, and vocational training centers. 

DOF has grown to $60 million in assets and is now the leading financer in providing much-needed, affordable capital to address the needs of the disability community. 

Funding and supporting DOF 

In 2019, Charles Schwab Bank’s Community Development Group (CDG) provided a $5 million loan to DOF. 

Schwab’s loan supported DOF’s ability to benefit nearly 1,500 people with disabilities and finance over 28 organizations and projects across the United States in 2020. 

Paying it forward 

What started as inspiration to help their own loved one has expanded beyond what the D’Eri family could have imagined. 

The success of the thriving Rising Tide Car Wash led to the establishment of Rising Tide University

Rising Tide U provides road maps for entrepreneurs who wish to start businesses that empower individuals with autism through gainful employment just like John and Thomas did for Andrew. 

 

Recommended Stories:

  • Culture

    Changing the future for women in finance

    A program designed to boost confidence and overcome limiting beliefs that could be hindering career development 

  • Viewpoints

    Put your phone down and go to sleep

    New research shows social media scrolling before bed can hurt your sleep quality. So even if you log 8 hours of ZZZ's, you might not feel rested. 

    Read article >

  • Culture

    Challenging conventional wisdom through research

    A fresh look at data, this time through a new lens of race and ethnicity. See what one researcher discovered about people of color and investing. 

0322-2XTG

People with a disability include individuals with an ambulatory, cognitive, hearing, vision, self-care, and/or independent living difficulty. Source: 2016 American Community Survey. Washington, DC: U.S 

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”) and the FDIC-insured Schwab-affiliated banks (“Affiliated Banks”) are separate entities and are all affiliates of The Charles Schwab Corporation. Brokerage products are offered by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., (Member SIPC) are not deposits or obligations of the Affiliated Banks, are subject to investment risk, are not FDIC insured, may lose value, and are not Affiliated Bank-guaranteed. 

The content presented is intended for informational purposes only. Neither Charles Schwab Bank, SSB, nor Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., endorse nor can make a representation as to the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the information presented.