Thirty seven year old Kari was an executive chef, a mother of a 10 year old daughter, and enjoying her life and career. But in October, 2010 she was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that left her in a 4 month coma with a severe head injury. She worked hard to recover and made great progress....but would never be the same as before the accident.
No longer able to work, Kari joined The Next Stop in August, 2015. She had come a long way in her recovery and was looking for purposeful ways to spend her time as well as a community of social support.
Intelligent, yet suffering from short term memory issues and some slight physical deficits, Kari strived to feel like she had a place where she belonged. Although she felt her best while in the kitchen, she could not work as a chef again. The Next Stop was always sure to involve Kari in conversations about our recipes and seek her advice during our daily cooking activity. She lit up as she shared
her expertise and knowledge of foods and cooking methods.
But Kari was still unhappy as she struggled to adapt to her new way of life. Our occupational therapist began talking with Kari and seeking out what was meaningful to her, and how The Next Stop could help. As with all our members, The Next Stop wanted to be a place where Kari
found purpose, not just a place to pass time
.
Wi
th the encouragement and counsel of our occupational therapist (OT), Kari
began to find meaning as a member of The Next Stop. She engaged in activities, interacted with her peers and smiled a lot more! She began to embrace a leadership role within our small groups. Excited to share her cooking expertise, our OT and Kari's mom helped her to develop and present a kitchen safety demonstration to her peers.
True to her desire to serve others, Kari has eagerly participated alongside other Next Stop members to help feed children around the world by twice participating in the Feed My Starving food pack over the past couple of years. Participation in a service project like this is possible because The Next Stop prepares our members with training so they will be successful.
Yes, Kari is now feeling productive and more content. Because the kitchen is her passion, she continues to be an asset to our cooking activities and during our kitchen clean up. She supports the needs of her peers by interacting with them and providing leadership as needed. She has truly found purpose in the days she attends The Next Stop and found a community of people who care deeply about her. In fact, last fall she requested to increase the number of days she attends The Next Stop. Kari's mom recently remarked "Kari is so happy at The Next Stop --you guys have the right formula for her"!
Thank you for considering a gift to The Next Stop so we can continue to support members like Kari!
