Eldred’s Nursery gives disabled adults a place to learn, grow
By AMY ROGNLIE | Photos courtesy of MARGARET CHADWICK
“The nursery is not really the focus. The people are,” said Margaret Chadwick, Eldred’s Nursery founder and board president.
Teaching Bell County communities about both compassion and native plants, Eldred’s Nursery in Belton is not your average garden center. Besides being the only nursery in the area to focus on plants that are native or adaptive to Central Texas, the nonprofit nursery provides a job training facility for persons with special needs in Bell County, and also allows community-based opportunities such as communication, social skill development, and interpersonal relationship development with customers and other trainees.
As the former director of the 18+ program at Belton High School, Chadwick realized firsthand the need for resources for disabled young people.
“I was constantly talking to parents of disabled students who were wondering what to do once their child aged out of school at 22 years old, but there were no training centers (or) job placements sites in Bell County in 2017, so we decided to do something about it,” Chadwick said. “After a lot of thought and prayer, we bought our building and just jumped off the cliff.”
The nursery program started in 2017 with six shade domes for the plants and an existing building that had no bathroom facilities and needed improvements and repairs. Since then, with the help of an anonymous donor and many volunteers, Eldred’s Nursery has expanded into an adjoining property, gaining more land and an existing home. The newly renovated home, Evan’s Place, houses the “day-hab” portion of the program. Young people attend this program from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., five days a week where they work on social and intellectual skills by doing crafts, playing games and completing chores such as dusting, doing dishes and cleaning. Attendees also learn skills such as doing laundry or making beds, which could allow them to live independently at some point.
On the nursery side of the property, the “trainees” work to build their employment skills, beginning with learning the importance of punctuality and regular attendance. As with the day-hab students, each nursery trainee has goals and objectives that are monitored daily and/or weekly and are updated monthly or quarterly. Those goals and objectives are part of the training program but also include written documentation which is also communicated to parents or caregivers.
As trainees pot plants, shovel dirt and plant seeds, they are also interacting with each other and nursery customers, learning such important skills as making eye contact with others, how to behave on a break, or practicing using both sides of their bodies. So far, at least 27 trainees have been placed at a job in the community.
Chadwick and her team at Eldred’s Nursery strive to make their program accessible to all who need it. All areas have been designed and tested with the American Disability Act in mind to make sure everything is wheelchair accessible. In addition, the cost to families is kept at a bare minimum and can sometimes be covered by state or federal funding sources. As a nonprofit, the nursery program’s costs are slightly offset by selling plants, trees and bushes and by doing fundraisers, but expenses are far beyond what comes in via those avenues. Private donors and many volunteers keep the program going.
“Our program is an opportunity for individuals to gain experience and self-esteem, and for others to see how much individuals with disabilities can contribute to our community,” Chadwick said.
The organization works closely with the nursery works closely with Heart of Central Texas Independent Living, Texas Workforce and Central Counties Services to ensure that individuals and families are receiving the services they need. They also ally with other nonprofits such Centex Champs, a baseball/softball league for children, youth and adults; and Bell County Grownups, an organization that plans events for adults with special needs to socialize with each other and members of the community.
“This whole thing is not about us,” Chadwick said. “It’s about making sure that there is a full life for people with disabilities in our community.”
Eldred’s Nursery
Address: 1220B Main St., Belton (behind Bourland’s)
Phone: 254-831-3006
Website: enfound.org
Facebook: facebook.com/eldredsnurseryfoundation
