The Teply Family
Jon and Erin Teply were both raised in Minnesota and moved to the area just months after getting married. Now Melbourne feels like home after expanding their family here. The couple now have Cole (12), Max (9), Ava (7) and recently, a golden retriever, Lucky.
The family mainly supports Vision Research ROPARD Foundation, an organization founded by Max’s eye doctors because their son Max is blind.
“It is a top priority of mine to make sure he gets what he needs at school, gets the same experiences as sighted peers, friends, and siblings to ensure he is ready to move ahead with high school, college and beyond,” Erin said. “I have to admit I feel extremely lucky to have our Max.”
As a family, they spend hours watching Cole’s baseball games and supporting the other kids’ activities. For fun, traveling and boating are family favorites.
“Now that we have had our portrait up in our house, we love that many comments are ‘this gives me the chills!’” Erin said. “The portrait of my three kids hangs in the entry to our bedroom and their expressions are priceless — it will be a treasure of mine forever because they grow so fast!”