NextStep Orlando is Moving
For 15 years, NextStep Orlando, a 501c3 non-profit organization, has stood as a beacon of hope for individuals paralyzed from spinal cord injuries, strokes, brain injuries, and other neurological disorders. We’ve been dedicated to providing Activity-Based Therapy, empowering our clients to defy limitations and achieve a better quality of life. However, our current facility has reached its maximum capacity, limiting our ability to serve all those in need.
We are excited to share that we have found an ideal location at 8701 Maitland Summit Boulevard, Maitland, within the Genesis Orlando Sportsplex (formerly RDV Sportsplex), right next to Advent Health Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. This new space presents an opportunity for us to significantly enhance our services for 75+ clients each year. As we plan our transition into a 4,217 sq. ft. space, we envision transforming lives through the following improvements:
1) Accessible parking – The new location has ample handicapped spaces needed for many of our clients’ large vehicles, which accommodate wheelchairs.
2) Increased Equipment – We recently acquired specialized equipment, such as the THERA-Trainer Lyra (the only one in Florida outside of a hospital), that we have not been able to accept delivery due to space restrictions. The new location will provide the necessary space for us to fully optimize The Lyra, as well as two Ekso Indego exoskeletons.
3) Walking track – Adding an indoor walking track, which is triple the size of our current walking area, will facilitate enhanced rehabilitation opportunities in addition to outdoor training options for our clients.
4) Improved Accessibility: With expanded space, we will create a more comfortable environment for individuals using wheelchairs to navigate our fitness center seamlessly.
The impact of this expansion will be profound. Within one year, we expect the following outcomes:
1) Expanded Capacity: A 62% increase in space will enable us to accommodate 10% more clients and boost therapy hours by 30%.
2) Enhanced Services: Our rehabilitation program will expand to include specialized equipment for paralysis clients that is currently in storage, and we will increase exercise stations by 50%, including adding a walking track.
3) Staffing: We are committed to enhancing our team by adding at least one exercise therapist, ensuring personalized care for our clients.
4) Financial Sustainability: Securing funds alleviates the need for further debt, supporting immediate growth and program sustainability, backed by limited rent increases for ten years.
Unfortunately, the cost of building an appropriate accessible exercise-therapy location comes at a substantial price of $177,000. We are acutely aware that we cannot pass these costs on to our clients, who already face an increased financial burden ranging from $400,000 to $1,370,000 in just the first year of paralysis (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, 2024). Therefore, we are implementing a diverse strategy of using savings, corporate and foundation funding, grants, in-kind donations, and even a GoFundMe account to actively engage our individual supporters.
Your tax-deductible donation is an investment in the future of our community. By contributing to our expansion, you’re directly helping individuals defy the odds, fight off secondary complications, regain their independence, and rewrite their stories of resilience. NextStep Orlando not only provides the physical support to increase muscle mass, strength, endurance, flexibility, circulation, and overall health, but it is also an emotional support system to the families that attend and are craving the daily norm of engaging in gym activities among friends.
