The Eden foundation was created to help underprivileged and misunderstood children believe in themselves, and in their futures, regardless of their circumstances, or surroundings. Our mission is to pass on the "I can" attitude or mentality to all those who have been told, and there for in many cases believe that that they can't.

This mission came to pass as the result of the profound impact that it had on our founder, who struggled through school with dyslexia, and Attention Deficit Disorder, two learning disabilities that were, and to a lesser degree still are misunderstood in our educational system. He was criticized and belittled by both teachers and students because he could not seem to keep up with his peers scholastically. By the second grade he was all but convinced that he would never amount to anything. His teachers would make comments to him like : "you're never going to get in to Harvard, or even be able to get a job if you can't spell or do basic mathematics, you're dumb, your retarded", etc. One teacher even made a bet with him that he would never finish high school - he lost the bet.

This type of mental cruelty was especially hard for him because of high personal expectations and dreams; both of his parents were pediatric physicians, and the thought of never finishing school or going to college were not ideas that he or his family were willing to accept.

His parents always encouraged him, and managed to dispel the lies that he would have otherwise believed. The constant reminder that you can do anything you want as long as you believe in your self, work hard, and not quit was the family motto, and was the very thing that kept him from giving up on himself altogether.

Realizing that his learning environment wasn't healthy, or productive, and understanding that he had special educational needs, he was pulled out of the public school system and put into Keith Country Day School, a small private school in Rockford, Illinois. It was there that he received his first nurturing and encouraging educational experience. The knowledgeable staff at Keith Country Day School recommended that The Gow School for Boys in South Wales, New York - the oldest institution in the world specializing in dyslexia - would be a place where his fullest potential could be realized. It was here that he graduated from high school, and with their help went on to receive his bachelors degree from Hillsdale College in southern Michigan. He also had the distinguished privilege of spending almost two years in Oxford England at C.M.R.S. studying medieval history, politics, economics, and the arts.

Today Jon P. Agustsson, the man that went through this amazing academic and personal transformation is an antique dealer, and is the catalyst behind edenfound.org inc. He credits all his successes and realized dreams to his loving mother who simply would not give up on him, regardless of what they were told by the establishment. It is this legacy of encouragement and the passing on of the "You can do it" attitude or mentality that makes him want to take his message to all young people with disadvantaged circumstances, not just the learning disabled.

Edenfound.org inc. is located at 510 South Third street, Rockford, IL 61104 - across the street from Rockford's federally funded housing projects. The location is ideal for giving young people hope; and its presence is certain to have a positive impact on the community.