A Boundless Future: Celebrating Our Roots

To truly understand the heart of Boundless, we have to go back to where it all began. In 2023, Boundless joined forces with Cleveland-based provider Koinonia, uniting two organizations with a shared commitment to empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). As Boundless continues to grow, we’re proud to carry forward the spirit, values, and rich history that shaped us.

So today, imagine stepping into a time machine. We’re going back to the 1970s, to a quiet neighborhood in Garfield Heights, Ohio, where something extraordinary was just beginning. One woman, one home, and a bold vision would go on to change countless lives and become a foundational part of Boundless history.

In this moment in time, we meet Sister Mary Charles. While the world around her saw limitations, she saw possibility. At a time when people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were too often isolated from the rest of society, she imagined something radical: lives lived with dignity, connection, and purpose. She believed in integrated, whole-person care—decades before it became a widely embraced philosophy. What we now call inclusion was, in her day, nothing short of revolutionary.

Sister Mary Charles was a woman of deep faith and even deeper conviction. As a devoted member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, 3rd Order of Saint Francis, she spent ten years in mission work in Mississippi before moving north to Cleveland, where she taught at Saint Emeric’s School for Exceptional Children. But she wasn’t done. Her heart kept urging her toward something more: more opportunity, more justice, and more belonging for those often left out.

That calling soon led her to establish Marymount Rehabilitation Services, where she helped pioneer community-based employment and placement programs through a partnership with Ohio Rehabilitation Services. These early steps toward independence offered individuals more than just jobs, they offered a sense of purpose and pride.

Then came 1974 and the beginning of what would become her most enduring legacy. Sister Mary Charles founded Koinonia Homes and opened the very first residence, known as Leans. Her mission was beautifully simple: to provide a loving, respectful home for adults with developmental disabilities. Not just a roof and four walls, but a true home.

Even the name she chose—Koinonia—was full of meaning. Taken from the Greek word for community and fellowship, it reflected her deep belief that care should never feel clinical. A home, she believed, should be a place where people are free to grow, connect, and live with purpose. “We are not institutions,” she declared—because to her, institutions meant restrictions and isolation, not relationships. What she built instead were places of freedom, dignity, and joy.

If you’ve ever walked through a Boundless home, you’ve seen that vision still alive today. These are not institutions, they are vibrant, welcoming, and full of life. Just as Sister Mary Charles intended.

But her impact stretched far beyond bricks and mortar. Over the years, she inspired others with her wisdom, humility, and unwavering belief in the worth of every individual. As Sister Charlene once aptly stated, she is a self-giving individual who willingly shares her special gifts. That spirit is woven into the fabric of Boundless today.

And now, as we return to the present, back from our journey through time, we don’t just carry her story with us. We live it. You can still feel Sister Mary Charles’ presence in every warm welcome, every act of care, and every home that offers belonging instead of barriers. Her legacy lives not only in our history, but in our everyday moments.

Because of her, we’re still building. Still believing. Still walking the path she started. And in every step forward, we honor the past by creating a future filled with community, connection, and boundless possibility.

Experience Sister Mary Charles' legacy by submitting a referral. And be sure to visit our newest location, the Sister Mary Charles Center in Independence, OH, which serves 175 individuals with I/DD and provides employment for up to 65 people.