Welcome To No Limits Eastern Shore!

1. Welcome ToNo Limits Eastern Shore!

2. Created For You By: Program Participants and Staff Of No Limits Eastern Shore www.nolimiteasternshore.com Please feel free to download, print, or share this PowerPoint with credit given to No Limits Eastern Shore.

3. About NLES(a brief history…) • We are a nonprofit day program for adult survivors of brain injury. • Timeline: • March 2001 – No Limits opened in Belle Haven, VA • Operated as a division of Commonwealth Support Systems. • September 2008 – No Limits moved to Onancock, VA • Operated by the Mary Buckley Foundation. • September 2012 – No Limits awarded a contract by the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (VA DARS) to operate under Executive Director, Rachel Evans as the nonprofit day program “No Limits Eastern Shore.” • No Limits Eastern Shore is now supported by state general funds administered by the VA DARS and private donations. • We also receive a yearly grant from the United Way of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. • Our Mission: “To improve the lives of survivors of brain injury on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.”

4. Taking A Closer Look at What We’re All About: • Here at No Limits we adhere to the core values of independence, integration, inclusion and productivity. • We do this by providing various activities in the following categories: • Independent Living • Community Impact/Outreach • Productivity • Health/Wellness • Cognitive

5. Independent Living Activities: • Shopping • Cooking (in-house) • Cleaning • Yard Work

6. Community Impact/Outreach: • Visits to shut-ins/long term care facilities • Newsletter Deliveries • Meetings/Seminars/Information Fairs

7. Productivity: • Volunteering in-house/in the community (Salvation Army, Outreach Cooking, can collection, street/litter clean-up, etc.) • Gardening/taking care of our chickens 

8. Health/Wellness: • United Way Exercise Group/Walks • Gross Motor Games • Monthly Safety Meeting/Health Advocacy Training • Speakers on health related topics

9. Cognitive: • Activities based on thinking, attention, and memory skills.

10. And sometimes we have a little fun…

11. Ongoing Projects at No Limits….

12. The Kate Award Kathleen “Kate” W. Richardson was an Onancock resident and a participant of No Limits Eastern Shore, the day program for survivors of brain injury in Onancock, VA. Kate was a smart and funny lady, a survivor of brain injury, and a dedicated community volunteer. Sadly, she passed away in July 2012. The Kate Award is a citizenship award offered by NLES available to high school students (grades 9 – 12) on the Eastern Shore. First prize is $300 and Honorable Mention awards of $100 may also be offered at the discretion of the judges (participants of NLES). The Original Kathleen Walsh Richardson! 2018 1st Prize Winner – Karyssa Lang with Zel!

13. Walking Trails No Limits Eastern Shore (NLES) partnered with Eastern Shore Healthy Communities (ESHC) in 2015 to evaluate and promote walking trails on the Eastern Shore. Although this collaborative project has ended, NLES participants continue to walk and assess walking trails throughout the community.

14. Ex. Trail Assessment that can be found on the No Limits Eastern Shore website under “Walking Trails”.

15. We have also developed brochures for the two main “Welcome Centers” of Virginia’s Eastern Shore to assist those traveling in finding accessible walking trails in the area!

16. Outreach Cooking Outreach Cooking is cooking for the community. Each month we make dog biscuits, cat treats, and monkey treats from scratch for animals in need at area animal shelters. Periodically, we also bake and cook for our friends in local assisted living facilities and nursing homes, for special events, and for local soup kitchens and community meals. Making Mini Muffins for our friends living in long-term care facilities! Making dog/cat/monkey treats for animals at local shelters and sanctuaries! Baked goods prepared for a fundraising event!

17. The NLES Pollinator &Community Gardens With assistance from grant funding provided by various local community organizations (including Eastern Shore Healthy Communities, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation, and the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District) No Limits has developed a flowering pollinator garden as well as fruit and vegetable garden for members of the NLES Day Program to enjoy. NLES participants have helped to establish, plan, and care for all of the plants in each of our gardens. Many of our flowering shrubs and bulbs are perennial and will continue to provide a food source for many Eastern Shore pollinators for years to come.

18. The No Limits Hot Dog Cart The No Limits Hot Dog Cart is a hot dog cart with purpose. The No Limits Hot Dog Cart provides supervised employment to survivors of brain injury and raises money to help to support our programs. The initial start-up cost of the cart was generously funded by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation in the form of a grant.

19. “Plant ES Natives” Demonstration Site Assessments In an effort to promote the preservation of the diverse and beautiful ecosystem of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, we will be visiting ALL of the Eastern Shore Natives Demonstration Gardens that have been installed in our community!  On these visits we will develop reports on the accessibility and amenities found at each garden as well as  documenting our plant findings. Ex. Assessment that can be found on the No Limits Eastern Shore website under ““Plant ES Natives” Demonstration Sites”.

20. ….A Final Thought…. “Our name is No Limits because there are no limits to what we can try to do.” – A Quote from a Founding Participant of NLES – Maggie Byrd