December, 2019

Dear Friends of The Next Stop, For those of you who do not know, I’d like to tell you a little about the origin of The Next Stop.  In 2004, a partner and I created a special needs ministry at our church—we called it Glowing Lights. The name was chosen because I recognized that inside the heart and soul of those with special needs (including our own two children) there is an often overlooked light—and it was and it still is important to me that everyone recognize and honor these special lights. Eventually, realizing a need beyond our church and into our community, Stu and I became highly motivated to encourage these lights to shine brightly by creating and opening The Next Stop in 2007.   From the beginning of The Next Stop, our tag line has always been…we are ”a place to laugh, a place to learn and a place to shine.”   Vicki

Our Stars Were Shining Bright!

The Next Stop's annual family and friends lasagna dinner was held Friday, October 25th. The atmosphere was exciting as members felt the pride of preparing lasagna and desserts to feed 300 guests as well as present a tribute to our theme Born to Shine . This year's theme recognized the individuality of our members. Leading up to this event, members created a collage of pictures that represented them--who they are, their lights within. They also spent time deciding on a word that described them. Most fun was choosing a song that was either a favorite or one that just "lit them up". This was all incorporated into the presentation. The highlight was each member walking the red carpet to a song of their choice while their personal collage was shown up on the screen. This "walk" was certainly a way for each member to be "who they are" shining all the way. Click here for more Born to Shine photos

A Month of Nature Education

In November, The Next Stop invited some special groups to visit. The Chattahoochee Nature Center, The Reptile Wrangler and the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center each stopped in and provided us some experiential learning opportunities. Two naturalists from the Chattahoochee Nature Center presented a lesson about Georgia wildlife to our Wednesday group. With them appeared a hawk, an opossum and a king snake.  Our members were armed with many curious questions, so this learning experience proved ideal.  The Reptile Wrangler visited our Tuesday group and brought some interesting creatures with him.  Full of interesting information, this young man taught us about his alligator, tarantula, snake, tortoise, bearded dragon and frog. This interactive and tactile experience kept everyone’s attention! Teachers from The Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center brought a teaching prop called a Discovery Dome to our Thursday group. Following some instruction from the teachers, we entered the dome to watch a video about extreme weather. We love visual learning!

Fitness Frenzy

Adults with special needs often lead a sedentary lifestyle so it is important to us to provide opportunities for members to improve their fitness. The Next Stop is excited to introduce a new part of our recreational programming--Fitness Frenzy, a fitness center in Buford who comes to us! Two teachers are now coming 3 times a month to lead a fitness routine with members using drum sticks and shaker weights. These teachers are mindful of the learning needs of this population and teach accordingly. The result is that everyone participates because they are able to...and it is fun!

End of Year Giving

Thank you for considering a donation to The Next Stop as you plan your end of year charitable giving. As you may already know, members pay $15 per day to attend, but it costs approximately $50 to serve them. Member fee income covers 25 percent of our budget. The Next Stop obviously relies on our community to help us serve the adult special needs population. We have counted on your support for the 12 years The Next Stop has existed and we've never been disappointed. You and what you do for the members of The Next Stop (and their families) is truly appreciated!

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

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The Next Stop Foundation, Inc.| www.thenextstop.org 404-932-3953

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