UNSCRIPTED: Turnstone Soars
Organization shows its clients how to aim high and keep going
UNSCRIPTED
By Keith Edmonds
Fort Wayne Ink Spot
At Turnstone Center for Children & Adults with Disabilities, clients learn to adapt their bodies to perform many of the daily functions we take for granted. When the disability is a difficult one to overcome, other people such as teachers, therapists and volunteers gather to assist. Turnstone, as home to the United States Men’s & Women’s Paralympic Goalball teams, has put itself and Fort Wayne on an international standing.
During this eye-opening interview, I spoke with Stasha Carasquillo (Chief Marketing Officer), Caroline Chastain (Marketing & Communication Specialist) and Molly Cinker (Competitive Sports Coordinator) to get their insights on what makes Turnstone perform at such a high level, meeting the needs of our city on a daily basis.
Q: What makes Turnstone go?
Stasha: We have been around since 1943, starting as a “bedside” school for children with disabilities. We have evolved into the largest menu of programs and services for children and adults with disabilities under one roof in the country. This encompasses programming including occupational, physical and speech therapies; an inclusive early learning center that services children aged 2-5; and an adult day and memory care program with competitive, recreational, and adaptive sports. Our health and wellness department has collaborated with our social services to provide additional resources for our clients. So we serve a wide spectrum of disabilities at Turnstone.
Q: How do you find your clients?
Stasha: Each program area has its own eligibility requirements. The “best” first step is to call us and you will be referred to our social services department. They will ask more questions and learn what your goals are, what you’d like to achieve and what you feel like you might need. With health and wellness being one of the largest services we provide, no referral is needed, but we do typically have a doctor’s clearance to ensure us that you can use our workout facilities. All our equipment is accessible and adaptable for our clients’ needs.
Q: Caroline, what’s your role at Turnstone?
Caroline: I handle the social media aspects of Turnstone. If an event or new program is introduced, I promote that event, along with supporting the development team to make sure the public is aware of what is going on at Turnstone. We have a variety of things that may be happening all at once. One event I was primarily connected with was the Adaptive Baseball program we started in partnership with the YMCA and the WBA (World Baseball Academy). We are looking forward to continuing to promote new and exciting athletic opportunities for athletes with disabilities.
Q: Molly, what is a Competitive Sports Coordinator at Turnstone?
A: I’m in charge of all our competitive teams in regards to scheduling practices, tournaments and when they travel away. I assist in running the home tournaments and make sure all their equipment is maintained and paperwork is processed. I’m kind of an athletic director. We currently have power soccer, sled hockey, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair, rugby and adaptive track & field (in conjunction with Blackhawk Christian School). We are also home to the United States Men’s & Women’s Paralympic Goalball teams.
Q: Turnstone had a chance to host a top international tournament last year.
Stasha: Yes! We were given the honor of hosting the International Blind Sports Association’s Goalball and Judo international qualifier. It was the first event of its kind in our country. It is typically held in Europe, so it was a huge honor for us to host over 40 countries. This was Fort Wayne’s largest international event to date. It was awesome to see the level of diversity that came to our city, as well as the level of “elite” performance that doesn’t usually find its way here. It left quite an impact on those who attended and opened their eyes to not only the sports they viewed, but also the level of performance it takes to be a Paralympic athlete. This was part of the vision that went into building this facility, which was to bring people and countries together for these types of events.
Q: Caroline, promotion is so important for hosting something on an international level. How did Turnstone get the word out about this prestigious event?
Caroline: This was huge for me because it was one of the first events I had to promote coming into my position. There are so many different layers that go into Turnstone and what we do, that we have to find proper balance between promoting our athletes and the events in which they participate. We want to make sure the people traveling and competing in these events are able to “tell their story,” so hopefully younger athletes will have something to aspire to.
Q: What adjustments has Turnstone made to continue to address your clients’ needs during COVID-19?
Molly: Most of our competitive sports were pushed back from our usual seasonal starts of mid-August to April, or they’ll start mid-September to June. Now we’re adjusting to have our sports seasons start in January, as many teams we compete against did not have facilities to practice and prepare due to closures. We are blessed to have a facility like Turnstone, which allows us to continue to practice, prepare and not rely on soliciting other facilities or gyms to get our athletes in.
Q: As Chief Marketing Director of this tremendous organization, what is the mission statement behind Turnstone that you would like the community to know?
Stasha: At Turnstone we are “creating possibilities.” That has been our tagline for several years and does a great job of encompassing what our staff is all about, and why we feel our programs and services are so important to the community. It also explains why our donors line up behind us so passionately and loyally, as well as the hundreds of volunteers that make us go. Just because you have a disability doesn’t eliminate you from having a full life, and we try to promote that every day.
The people who work at Turnstone believe our clients are able to achieve what they want to achieve, and we have to help them believe it themselves and help give them the tools they need to get there. We want you to believe that I can, YOU can or WE can do this together at Turnstone.