April, 2021
A Year Later
So here we are.....finally, and excitedly coming out of an extremely difficult year for everyone. Of course our focus has been the well being of our members--helping them through the pandemic the best way we could. Even through a Zoom platform, there was camaraderie, familiar faces and voices, connections, and as usual, lots of laughter. We hope that all the effort put into serving our members via Zoom these past 13 months has helped them avoid the possible pitfalls of isolation--loneliness, depression and even regression.

And now, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We're looking forward to being back together at The Next Stop soon!

Thank You Ingles Pharmacy!
While many members and volunteers have made their own vaccination appointments and started their process, The Next Stop was able to help 20 members, their caregivers and some of our volunteers get vaccinated. We partnered with the Ingles Pharmacy in Flowery Branch to vaccinate a total of 52 people during a half day devoted only to The Next Stop.
A Tradition Honored
For as long as we can remember, making a king cake on Mardi Gras has been our tradition (except the year we planned bananas foster instead and most of our members weren't very happy about it :-) Traditions bring an important sense of belonging and comfort. To continue the tradition this year, our staff prepared packets of Mardi Gras celebration supplies along with king cake making materials including the baby. These packets were then passed out to our members in drive-through fashion. Then on Mardi Gras, some very fancy king cakes were prepared during our Zoom session.
Family Cooking with The Next Stop
If there was anything good about this year, it would be this situation. Although we cook every day when we are AT The Next Stop, cooking via Zoom was an every other week activity. When at The Next Stop, members cook for each other--while on Zoom, they were able to cook for their families. By all reports, members loved this and felt the pride we always hope for! Because this activity usually requires some supervision, we were so thankful for the many families who could participate.
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The Next Stop Foundation, Inc.
www.thenextstop.org
404-932-3953