Local day program strives to help young adults with disabilities thrive

ROSLYN RYAN Editor

When their son Christopher graduated from high school several years ago, Nora and Tom Carroll knew they wanted to help him find a place where he could thrive. As Nora explained recently, Christopher has Cerebral Palsy, is non-verbal, and is legally blind and deaf.

“Even with all of Richmond’s offerings for the special needs community, we quickly realized that there was a void for our son,” she said. “The options for Christopher were limited to an adult day support programs geared to seniors which was not the thriving environment a parent would want for their young adult.”

Determined to give Christopher the same opportunities for an engaging and enjoyable life that their other children had found, in 2020 the couple partnered with several other area families to form the nonprofit Nest Academy RVA, a day program for young adults with complex disabilities. On May 6, the Goochland-based program will host its fourth Fun Walk at Salem Baptist Church from 10 a.m. to noon. Re-

Calendar

From 4 program ends on Monday, June 12, and the fee for the class is $25. For more information, contact Parks and recreation at (804) 556-5854.

TUESDAY, APRIL 25

Forever young spring Brunch will be held from 10 a.m. to noon for those ages 50 and up. a delicious brunch will be provided as well as music entertainment. The fee for the class is $15. For more information, contact Parks and recreation at (804) 556-5854.

strength Training will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. for those ages cently, Nora took some time to share details about the program’s founding and how she hopes it will help families like hers meet the needs of their children.

Did you have any concerns about taking on the challenge of creating this program?

Absolutely – this type of program takes a lot of resources. But in December of 2019 these resource appeared to me in the form of a volunteer teacher, a bookkeeper, a database manager and a nonprofit board of director, most of whom were parents of young adults facing the same challenges. My business background and strong will to create opportunities for young adults like Christopher overshadowed concerns we had about taking on this challenge.

What were some of the early challenges?

Nest was born at the height of the COVID pandemic. Early on, Nest activities were as simple as getting families together for walks and to meet up in a park pavilion, where we could be socially distanced but still create a sense of community and opportunities for our members

12 and up. This class is for anyone looking for a way to get into, or returning to, the world of fitness.

The program ends on Thursday, June 15 and the fee for the class is $50. For more information, contact Parks and recreation at (804) 556-5854.

FRIDAY, APRIL 28

Quilter’s night Out will be held 5 to 10 p.m. for those 18 and up.

Join Michele holt from My Quilting Beehive for Quilter’s night Out! Bring whatever project you would like to work on and enjoy pizza and salad for dinner while sewing and socializing. The room will be set up with an ironing station and cutting station. each month to create friendships and have fun. In less than three years, Nest has experienced tremendous growth. We now have 21 members.

What does a typical day look like at Nest?

A typical day at Nest would start in the gymnasium of Salem Baptist Church in eastern Goochland. We have been so fortunate to enjoy terrific community support, the most significant of which is the generosity of Salem. Salem allows Nest to use the church Monday through Thursday for classes.

You can hear as members roll in with their caregivers, greeting each other as any group of young people would. While most of our members may be non-verbal, they are heard! They really are like every other young person their age, craving some independence (especially from parents), belonging and friendship. They find that in the Nest Community.

We have a full-time teacher who leads classes in a “topic of the day” and then an interactive activity like giant Jenga. Each activity is adapted to the abilities of our members and designed to maximize engagement. We do STEM there will be a demonstration of a quilt block, ruler, or technique. and there will be door prizes! If you are having trouble with a project, Michele is an experienced quilter and quilt teacher who can help you with your quilt questions. cost of $20 includes dinner (pizza, salad, drinks) What to bring: sewing machine, project of your choice to work on and all the supplies for it. Basic quilting supplies: scissors, thread, seam ripper, rotary cutter, rulers, and power stripe. The fee for the class is $20. For more information, contact Parks and recreation at (804) 556-5854.

SATURDAY, APRIL 29

The Goochland – Powhatan

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO alex hayes, one of the original founding members of nest, enjoys a pontoon boat ride on the James river. The boat had been specially outfitted to accommodate wheelchairs, and six nest members were able to enjoy time out on the river. activities, music therapy and play lots of adaptive games. Nearly every week, Nest members can be found participating in Adaptive Adventures. These are a series of field trips made possible by grant support of local partners like KOVAR and Altria. This week for example, we were adaptive rock climbing and next week the class will meet at The Glass Spot in

Master Gardeners a ssociation will hold its 17th annual spring Garden Festival on 2022 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at reynolds community college, 1851 dickinson road in Goochland. This annual outdoor event hosted by the GoochlandPowhatan Master Gardener a ssociation (GPMGa) in cooperation with reynolds community college and the Virginia cooperative extension is a free, family-friendly celebration of all things related to gardening, and will feature the always popular GPMGa Plant sale. Online registration for these educational opportunities is available at http://www.gpmga.org or contact the Goochland cooperative extension office at 804-556-5841.

Richmond to create handblown Easter eggs. We do adaptive boating and adaptive gymnastics. While Nest classes are here in Goochland, we have created partnerships throughout the community to offer diverse experiences for our members.

What do you hope those taking part in the Nest program take away from it?

Our goal is to create a truly inclusive community, where every young person has the opportunity for friendship, belonging and continued growth. For our members, Nest is the only community engagement available after high school. Our members are counting on Nest to be a lifeline for many years to come. That’s why sustainability is so important for Nest as an emerging nonprofit. Other participants such as parents find a network to learn how to navigate the complex special needs world as it come to lifelong issues such as financial planning. Lastly, Nest volunteers are another critical component who can take away from their volunteer experience that they have enriched the lives of these young adults with either a friendship or fundraising support.

What is the most rewarding part of doing what you do?

The most rewarding part has to be seeing the smiles of Nest members. Knowing that instead of facing the isolation high school graduation or even summer can create, they are thriving in a vibrant community.