Courage Center Helps People With Disabilities Reach Their Potential

Correction: Susan Fink's last name previously was incorrect in two photo captions. They have been corrected.

The first thing visitors notice about Courage Center is that it's heavy on the tree cover and bubbling brooks, and light on the distractions of the day-to-day world. Limiting distractions fits with the center's singular focus—doing whatever it takes to empower people with disabilities to reach their full potential in every aspect of life.

Courage Center, with headquarters in Golden Valley, has facilities across Minnesota.

“If something is new, we're usually one of the first in the area to offer it,” said Sue Warner, communications specialist at Golden Valley's Courage Center. She cites the ABLE (Activity-Based Locomotor Exercise) program and the accessible fitness center as two chief examples.

If the newest technology isn't available to try out, Courage Center will build it themselves.

In the Shop Services department, social worker Judy Reeves and furniture designer and sculptor Bryan Unger have adapted their own talents to design technology for the unique needs of their clients. From playing card holders to one-handed knitting machines, Shop Services provides solutions for the everyday challenges that people who are newly disabled or have been disabled for a long time confront.

“Little things like getting on the bus, that's a major accomplishment for someone who's wheelchair-bound,” said Brad Nelson, a former client and volunteer at Courage Center, who emphasizes the organization's holistic approach to care. “What really sets us apart is our continuum of care. It isn't just a nursing home, per se. It isn't just a therapy place. It's the whole complete way that we wrap our arms around a person who needs help through our transitional rehabilitation services, our therapy services, our community-based and independent living program, and our work and learning programs.”

Such services include support groups and authoritative driving assessment, which can help families who are concerned about the driving capabilities of loved ones.

Courage Center doesn't rest on its good intentions, however. “It's all about outcomes,” Nelson said. “No insurance company wants to pay [for] anything that doesn't have a positive outcome. They don't want to waste their money. It's entirely understandable.

"The outcomes here are fantastic. Eighty percent of our people are able to greatly reduce or eliminate the use of narcotics. Fifty-five percent of the people who come here are able to go back to work.”

Courage Center's greatest resource remains its continuous and essential support from volunteers, many of whom are former clients who choose to give back to the organization that gave them so much.

“I know we have a lot of volunteers from the Golden Valley area. We have a lot of neighbors that support us as donors. More than a third of our operating budget comes from donations and volunteering," Warner said.

Courage Center's 2,200 volunteers per year equal roughly $2 million in operating costs, which can be redirected to essential services and care.

"Local community support is vital to helping us do what we do,” Warner said.