Autism Society Treasure Valley

April 8, 2019

On April 27th, Boise Hunter Homes will be participating in the Run For Autism. The race is put on by the Autism Society Treasure Valley (ASTV), a nonprofit focused on strengthening the Autistic community in the Treasure Valley. Our purchasing agent, Mario Puente Jr., is an active board member for the ASTV. Mario approached our founder and owner, Jim Hunter, about supporting this year’s Run and Jim eagerly agreed, even encouraging our employees to participate in the race and generously offering several high-dollar prizes that will be available at the Run.

When we asked Carlyle King, an ASTV board member, and a major voice in the autistic community about Mario and his family he had this to say:

Mario and Denise Puente are California transplants with a passion for their family and community. They have two adult children, Chelsea and Tyler. The family moved to Boise several years ago in order to find better resources for their son, who is autistic. When you walk in their home you are treated like family. They are true to their heritage and will feed you, laugh with you and share life with you. It may be loud with a dash of chaos here and there, but they love big and they are dedicated to their family and the community they have chosen as their home.

The Puente family loves to give back and serve. They frequently open up their home for events, such as pumpkin carving, Halloween parties, craft nights and they organize the Christmas party every year for local autistic families. Mario serves on the board of the Autism Society Treasure Valley and has previously been involved with the Special Olympics and many other local outreach programs.

Denise and Mario work tirelessly to advocate for Tyler and to provide him and others like him a safe space to maneuver in this world. In his spare time (insert sarcasm) Mario loves to work on his Ford Bronco and spend time off-roading and fishing. He will often invite autistic adults along to share in these passions. Spending time with and investing in autistic children and adults is very important and this community is better off because of them.