Building Resilience: How a Community Grant Is Helping New Leaf Link Thrive
When the pandemic disrupted lives and funding streams across rural Frontenac County, New Leaf Link (NeLL) faced a critical challenge: how to sustain its vital programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, NeLL was able to support its Developmental Program Manager (DPM) position, a role that has become central to the organization’s recovery and ongoing impact.
“Maintaining this position is one of our biggest costs, but it’s also absolutely vital,” explains Brandy Sheahan, NeLL’s DPM. “The role has grown so much since I started. Without it, we simply wouldn’t be where we are now.” The grant, she notes, has been instrumental in allowing NeLL to rebuild connections lost during the pandemic, re-engage with families, schools, and other organizations, and lay the groundwork for future growth.
NeLL’s day program, which runs three days a week, offers a rich mix of arts, healthy living, and community participation. Professional artists, musicians, and instructors lead sessions in everything from music and drama to gardening and science. “We’re not just filling time,” Brandy says. “Our instructors are professionals in their fields, and they bring real expertise and passion to our participants.”
The grant’s impact is already visible. Enrollment is on the rise, with new families expressing interest and several participants joining after outreach events made possible by the funding. “It’s a direct result of the grant,” Brandy shares. “Sometimes you don’t see the impact right away-these connections build over time, and then you see the results.”
NeLL is also adapting to the needs of families by piloting before-and-after care programs, and arranging transportation, making participation more accessible. This flexibility is helping to attract younger families and ease transitions for participants moving out of high school.
Perhaps most importantly, the funding has allowed NeLL to focus on its mission: fostering social engagement, learning, and a sense of belonging for adults with IDD. “We’ve had participants as young as 21 and as old as 70,” Brandy notes. “For some, the program has truly breathed new life into them.”
As NeLL looks to the future, the resilience built through this grant is clear. “We’re incredibly grateful to the Community Foundation,” Brandy says. “Their support has given us the stability to rebuild, grow, and keep making a difference in people’s lives.”