When Owen was three years old, he was diagnosed with autism. Just like any mother would, Brina Dutton began the search for the next steps in her son’s journey. Little did she know the path it would lead her down. Now the proud owner and founder of The Owen Foundation and The Owen Academy, Brina has become a local advocate for children with special needs like her son. However, she said the climb has been mostly uphill to get here.
“When Owen was diagnosed, his physician recommended that he had 40 hours a week of ABA therapy and I had no clue what that was, and we researched it,” Brina said.
After researching, Brina found no local facilities. Living in Sherman, she discovered the nearest therapy center was in McKinney, and the time spent with weekly trips to therapy was substantial. So, Brina made a sacrifice: she closed her children's boutique to drive Owen to therapy. Brina shifted her focus to her son’s love for basketball.
“He absolutely loved basketball,” Brina said. “He was obsessed with it. He always had a basketball in his hand.”
This passion inspired her to create The Owen Foundation in 2021, initially to host an annual basketball camp. The nonprofit now hosts events for children with special needs, with their fourth annual basketball camp scheduled for this upcoming July.
“The first year, we had over 60 kids, and every year since, over 100 kids,” Brina shared.
The camp is a one-on-one experience, with one volunteer assigned to each child. The Foundation and other businesses of hers have grown to include an autism conference, a 5K, a cheer clinic, and a partnership with Texoma FC to offer a soccer camp, starting this year.
Brina didn’t stop there. Wanting more accessible ABA therapy for local families, she attended an event in Dallas with 30-40 ABA companies in 2022, convincing one to open a facility in Sherman. She told them she was confident they’d be full within 60 days. This led to The Owen Academy, providing ABA therapy for Texoma children.
“I had so many parents who would reach out to me throughout the day [looking for local ABA therapy],” Brina said. “After continuing to pray about it and figuring out the business structure, we decided to open an ABA facility, and that is The Owen Academy.”
In addition to opening the Academy, Brina continues to advocate for children with special needs and their families through the Foundation’s proposal of The Owen Alert Act: a bill that would automatically implement alerts for children with autism who go missing, given that children on the spectrum are attracted to bodies of water and unaware they are putting themselves in danger.
“Of course, it's for the kids, but it's just as much for the parents,” Brina said. “Going through the diagnosis process with our son was a very dark time for us and being able to shine a light like that for parents who didn't feel like they had resources or connections before and felt very alone, is the most rewarding part of this work.”
Events:
2025 Soccer Camp In Partner With Texoma FC
Historic Bearcat Stadium
June 20-21
All-Inclusive
Register Your Child or Volunteer at TheOwenFoundation.org
2025 Cheer Clinic
Grayson College
July 10-11
All-Inclusive
Register Your Child or Volunteer at TheOwenFoundation.org
2025 Basketball Clinic
Grayson College
July 10-11
All-Inclusive
Register Your Child or Volunteer at TheOwenFoundation.org