Austin County
Living
A
Joyful Place
Written by Lakendra Lewis • Photographs by Brookwood Community
he Brookwood Community may not be the first thing that comes to mind for everyone when the words “a joyful place” are uttered, but for its residents and community staff who live and work there, and to the visitors, volunteers and businesses who
Located in Brookshire, approximately 20 minutes from Sealy and just west of Houston, the mission of the Brookwood Community, which was founded in 1983 as a God-centered non-profit organization, is simple: To change the way the world thinks about adults with disabilities.
In the new short documentary film, “A Joyful Place,” Brookwood founder Yvonne Tuttle Streit, who started the community after a childhood illness left her daughter Vicki with severe disabilities, speaks of her daughter’s plight.
“What do you want to do?” Streit says in the film, which recently debuted at the Roundtop Film Festival. “Do you want to give her a chance at the best life she could have? We’re going to teach adults with disabilities to play with the cards they’ve been dealt. Not try to change the deck of cards, but to take it and go with it.”
Streit’s decision coupled with her strong faith sparked a community that sits on 485 sprawling acres and includes a worship center, café, garden center and gift shop. In 1985 Brookwood welcomed its first residents. It is currently home to about 230 residents, who are affectionately known as “citizens.”
“We’re looking for three things for our citizens and that is for them to be safe, happy and healthy,” said Sharon Pullen, Brookwood Community Marketing & Communications Manager. “We want to take the time to fall in love with them, and they need to know and trust us.”
Citizens work in one or more enterprises at the community’s main campus in Brookshire, as well as in one of two satellite locations in Richmond and The Woodlands. On the weekends, Brookwood citizens engage in an active social life that includes going to the movies, concerts and other social events. The residents also participate in various sports and the fine arts and are provided health and wellness services, along with spiritual enrichment.
Brookwood does not operate on government funding but relies instead on donations and routine fundraising events (enterprise revenue generated from its café, store and garden center), capital campaigns and endowments.
Approximately 25% of the community’s annual operating budget comes from donations. In addition to its regular fundraisers, Brookwood holds an annual “I Believe in Brookwood” fall fundraising campaign, in which citizen teams work together to raise funds. Last year’s target goal was $1.8 million.
Brookwood will kick off this year’s fundraising with their annual Rodeo Fashion Show Luncheon on Friday, January 31 from 11 AM-1 PM in the Brookwood Café. Tickets are $60 per person.
The event includes a delicious lunch while viewing the latest trends in rodeo attire as modeled by Brookwood’s citizens, community family members and friends from the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Merchandise from Shudde Bros. Hatters also will be on display and available for purchase, as well as fashions and accessories from Pretty Please Boutique and Brookwood’s Gift & Garden Center. This event fills up fast, so hurry over to the Brookwood Community website to reserve your seats!
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