On a warm spring morning, members of Bella Vita Community—all adults with special needs—start their meeting by being thankful. One young man appreciates an aunt and uncle who are renovating a country house; another enjoys having a great class. Most express thanks for friends and family. “I am thankful for just hanging out here,” one young woman says. “The glorious part of it is that they have each other,” says Linda Bartels, co-founder of the community.
Greg and Linda Bartels were the parents of three children ranging in age from 10 to 14 when their son Michael was born in 1995. The whole family embraced Michael, who was diagnosed at birth with Down Syndrome. “His life has had a positive impact on the whole family,” Linda says.
The couple, unfamiliar with the implications of Michael’s diagnosis, soon became students of brain development. They started teaching Michael to read when he was just 12 weeks old. Over the next decade and a half, Linda, with help from private tutors, homeschooled Michael before enrolling him in public high school. When he graduated three years later, his education was deemed complete; however, Greg and Linda knew that the human brain has great potential for learning throughout life. Learning doesn’t stop just because a diploma has been awarded.
After much research, Greg and Linda discovered that Houston Community College (HCC) offers advanced learning opportunities for adults with special needs through its Vocational Advancement and Skill Training (VAST) Academy. So, the Bartels left their home in Missouri and moved to Texas so Michael could attend. In 2018, Michael graduated from the HCC program and began his collegiate studies at Lone Star College’s Life Path Program. “Both are incredible programs,” Linda says. In 2022, Michael graduated from Lone Star College with an Associate of Occupational and Life Skills degree.
Although he is a good reader and is well educated, it was hard for Michael to find gainful employment, and Greg and Linda worried about his long-term job prospects. With time, their worry became a vision of a place where Michael could find continued educational opportunities and purposeful work in a loving atmosphere. They dreamed this haven would benefit other young adults with special needs, too. Over the next few years, their dream became a reality.
In 2021, Greg and Linda purchased 55 acres near the Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport and began transforming the outbuildings on the property, turning them into a classroom, a lunchroom and a dance studio. They began learning how to operate a small farm and spent time researching the most suitable animals to raise. They eventually settled on two types of chickens—queen cinnamon, which are known for their large, brown eggs; and Americanas, which lay eggs in various shades of blue. They also decided to raise St. Croix sheep, which are gentle and do not need to be sheared. The farm even began raising worms so they could harvest their castings, a popular fertilizer among organic gardeners. “We have 100,000 worms,” Greg says. “Worm castings are black gold.”
In 2022, the Bartels invited Michael’s friends and their families to come explore the farm one day a week. There, at no charge to the families, young adults with special needs learned about farm life and enjoyed spending time with their friends. Greg and Linda were grateful for Debbie Ehrhart, a retired teacher, who began her long tradition of volunteering at Bella Vita at that time. Those days on the farm were the first step toward creating the community that Greg and Linda envisioned. They named the farm Bella Vita, Italian for “the beautiful life,” because it captured the essence of their goal. They also adopted a slogan: “Building a beautiful life for those with special needs.” In time, Bella Vita Community became a 501(c)(3) organization.
In May 2023, Greg and Linda opened their gate to other young adults with special needs, including those with Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder and other brain disorders. Bella Vita Community meets on Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Some young adults participate on all four days; others come just one or two days a week because they travel for many miles to attend. In May 2025, Bella Vita Community celebrated its second anniversary.
Members of Bella Vita Community have gained much knowledge on their days at the farm. Melissa Barber, a certified special education teacher with 13 years of public-school experience, conducts the classroom portion of the day’s activities with help from Linda. (Because children go to class and adults go to meetings, the Bartels call the classroom portion of the day’s activities “meetings.”) Melissa focuses on science-based lessons that pertain to the farming operations at Bella Vita. “They can apply what they are learning in the classroom, hands on. When you see them learning something new, they get excited about it. That’s the best part,” Melissa says. “Every human has a natural need, want, inner desire to learn,” Greg agrees. “We all feel good when we learn something new or accomplish something.”
In addition to attending classroom meetings, the young adults at Bella Vita participate in dance lessons, combining the brain-stimulating disciplines of music, exercise and choreography. They also complete farm tasks, such as bottle-feeding lambs, tending raised-bed gardens and worm beds, and gathering the eggs from a growing flock of chickens. (The non-soy, non-GMO eggs are available on Saturdays at Montgomery Farmers Market.) There is even time to show affection to the six Great Pyrenees dogs that patrol the farm. Days are busy, but because it was founded on Christian principles, the Bella Vita Community always takes time during the day for prayer.
Greg and Linda are pleased they are helping members of the community find their niche in life. “We all need to have a reason to get out of bed. We need to be needed. We need to have purpose,” Greg says. “They all have things they are good at and things they like. They all have a skill set. Once we hone in on that work, we find something for them to do so they can say, ‘That’s my job.’ They are doing something meaningful. They are doing something productive. We give them independence so they can have a fulfilling life.” Linda agrees. “Everybody has something important to do, like feeding animals or gathering eggs,” she says. “That’s important so that they can be a part of a community and have purpose. That’s what makes life happy.”
The Bartels are working hard to perfect their innovative concept, simultaneously striving to make Bella Vita financially feasible in the long run while keeping it affordable for families. Their ultimate goal is to make Bella Vita Community a suitable place for young adults with special needs to live. Meanwhile, members of the community enjoy their days at the farm. “My favorite thing about coming here is coming to see the sheep, lambs, and chickens and learning all about the digestive system for the human body,” says one member of the community. “They are excited when they get home,” Greg says. “We know from the parents’ feedback that they like it. They have something real, so they fit in as a cog in a wheel.”
Greg and Linda have lofty goals and aspirations, but they have already succeeded in providing camaraderie and happiness to the members of their budding community. As one reticent young woman says shyly, “I always look forward to coming to Bella Vita every Tuesday.”
Bella Vita Community welcomes donations, as well as volunteers. For more information about the farm and community, visit bellavitacommunity.com.
Postcards Magazine
936-293-1188
PO Box 690
Huntsville, TX 77342
