12/18/06----------------

The Next Stop has been extremely busy doing everything we can to bring an afternoon learning program to the special needs adults in Gwinnett County and Metro Atlanta alike.

Website Updates
The first big move we made was placing the Click and Pledge donation program on our website, so those interested in helping The Next Stop financially will be able to go online, insert their credit card information, and support our organization in that capacity.  It’s completely secure and tax-deductible, so if interested, please feel free to check it out.

Also, we have added our pins, key chains, and T-shirts to our site in the “Merchandise” department.  The pins and key chains have no mention of The Next Stop, just the symbol of a heart with the inscription inside, “Special Needs Means Special People.”  If anyone from another special needs organization is interested in buying these in bulk and selling them to their participants, email Austin@thenextstop.org and we can work out a deal.

Local Community
As a lot of you may know, we had a great initial parent meeting on October 23rd, where over 30 special needs families from around Gwinnett County were in attendance to learn about The Next Stop.  The meeting helped us understand a lot of families’ needs, and also gave families in similar situations a chance to toss around ideas and let us know what they’d like to see for their loved ones in the future.

One of the major things The Next Stop also has going is the Sugarloaf United Methodist Church’s Legacy Committee. This committee received over 20 applications from nonprofits in hopes of attaining the very substantial grant they were wishing to hand out.  After a series of interviews and presentations, the Committee narrowed it down to three possible nonprofits, The Next Stop included.  Because of a pastoral change at the church, the final decision has been postponed until mid-January.  This grant could be a very big step for us and Gwinnett County special needs community, so we’re really excited about it.

Recent Press
The Next Stop has also gotten a little bit of exposure lately!  Deborah Allen, a writer for UPSers.com—a website for those employees of the UPS corporation—recently wrote an article about The Next Stop which was posted on the FRONT PAGE of the site!  The article explained how Stu LaRoche (a UPS employee for over 30 years) and his wife Vicki had founded The Next Stop and how we were trying to help the community with our future program.  We received feedback from UPS families all over the country telling us they were in a similar situation, that they too had special needs family members who could no longer attend school because they were too old and their options seemed limited.  This exposure for the organization was fantastic, and we can’t thank UPS enough for their help.

Lastly, in a recent issue of Newsweek Magazine, a 20 year-old autistic man by the name of Danny Boronat is profiled.  Danny lives with his parents in New Jersey and is in the last year of school that his county will allow.  The parents don’t know what to do next, and they’ve started a nonprofit dedicated to figuring out some answers.  Their website is www.dannyshouse.org.  This segment was also profiled on The Today Show.  The exposure to the problems that our special needs adults are facing is starting to make its way into the limelight, and hopefully there will be even more of a focus on this problem we currently face.

The Next Stop wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday.  If you know of any families that would like to be added to the mailing list, please have them email Austin@thenextstop.org and we’ll be sure to add them to our list.  Take care, and look to hear from us shortly after the new year!

Sincerely,

Austin LaRoche
Executive Director
The Next Stop Foundation
www.thenextstop.org