A company’s logo is a symbol of the organization’s identity, and the first impression it’s values. People associate a logo with the organization’s character and what they represent, therefore it was only fitting to have a client design ours. The clients in our programs are the very heart and soul of what Summer House represents and the story behind how our logo came to be is quite special to us!

A paintbrush, a silkscreen class, and a gentleman by the name of Charles Carleton is how it all started. Charles is a local artist in Yolo County and a client in one of our Summer House programs. During a silk-screen class, led by none other than Mr. Tom Monley himself (please read our “The Beginning” blog for more on this story), Charles created an image of a quaint little house. The house Charles created immediately caught the staff’s eye. The idea and thought of having Charles’ picture of a home be a part of the logo was more than perfect. It fit right into Summer House’s grassroots beginning.

It all started with four local family members who rented and ran a home for adults with developmental disabilities as a six-week pilot program in the summer of 1973. The “home” was referred to as “Summer House” by the four individuals who stayed there. Forty-seven years later, with more than 80 clients in our programs Summer House is still what everyone associates with as a “home.”

Summer House Inc. would like to take this opportunity to thank Charles for his contribution which, to this day, continues to bring a sense of family, familiarity, and comfort. “There is no footprint too small that cannot leave an imprint on this world.” Charles is still a part of Summer House and has created many other beautiful masterpieces over the years. A few are pictured below. We would also like to thank both Tom and Peggy Monley for their creativity and vision with helping get that logo to print.