GOALS Everybody Counts
GOALS has had a long-running partnership with My Day Counts, a local nonprofit that provides employment services and programs to individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. Since the early 2000s, GOALS hosted participants from My Day Counts at GOALSland facilities in order to have them engage in adaptive sports opportunities,where they would play alongside youth volunteering in the GOALS Cadets: Summer of Service program.
In Fall of 2018, GOALS launched a year-round partnership with My Day Counts, known as "GOALS Everybody Counts." Now, Everybody Counts participants have the opportunity to participate in Adaptive Sports, Nutrition Workshops, Fine Arts Sessions, and Therapeutic Gardening, all of which are facilitated by GOALS staff and supported by AmeriCorps VISTA service members.
Program Schedule
The Everybody Counts Program operates on a 5 day a week Mondays through Fridays schedule.
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A look inside Everybody Counts
Adaptive Sports:
In Adaptive Sports the participants engage in Basketball, bowling, tossing beach volleyballs, and throwing toy footballs and baseballs to inflatable targets. The purpose of sports is to help the participants have some physical fitness which leads to a healthier life.
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Fine Arts:
In art, we give the participants a way to tap into their creativity side by having them work on an art project. This is very therapeutic for the participants because it gives them the opportunity to express themselves and learn different art styles and techniques.
Therapeutic Gardening
In Therapeutic Gardening, the participants learn how to run and maintain a garden, which can open doors to future employment to places that do gardening. In these Therapeutic Gardening sessions, the participants learn how to plant different season fruits and vegetables and how to maintain and be patient when harvesting. The participants Harvest the fruits and vegetables they grew themselves and can take them home.
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Meet The GOALS Everybody Counts Team
Coach Nancy
"Connecting with Everybody Counts participants, helping them, and seeing the smile on their faces makes my job enjoyable and rewarding. GOALS' collaboration with My Day Counts has been a gold mine. I’m honored to be part of this team."
Coach Abel
"I love working with the Everybody Counts participants because they are always happy when they see GOALS coaches. Even before entering the GOALS facilities, they burst into joy and excitement. When they finally get to the program, they are enthusiastic and eagerly participate in all of the activities that are offered."
Coach Natalia
"Working with the Everybody Counts participants has been one of the most fantastic experiences I've been apart of. Making connections and bonding with them makes my whole day and it's something I will cherish forever."
Coach Esmerelda
"Working with Everybody Counts participants always brightens up my day! Seeing the joy and excitement on their aces when they arrive at GOALS makes my job so rewarding. It is such a pleasure to work with My Day Counts and I am very lucky to get to work with these amazing people."
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Nutrition
In Nutrition, the participants are taught how to maintain good physical health, which is essential in any job that requires a lot of movement /manual labor. These nutrition classes are all health related topics that would be of great benefit to the participants. Some classes are on: hygiene, healthy food options, benefits of fruits and vegetables, home remedies, healthy meals around the world, stress management, etc…
In these nutrition classes the participants learn healthy living habits and what to stay away from.
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