Home and Community Recreation Therapy

04/30/2026

Today our clients had the opportunity to participate in an Ikebana Flower Arranging class lead by the Ann Arbor Chapter! 🌸

Thank you to Praise Community Church for letting us use their space!

04/23/2026

Therapy Thursday 💙 Spring into action and access!

Access like this changes lives.

Maybury State Park now has two Action Track Chairs available for FREE use for individuals with mobility challenges.

These chairs make it possible to access trails and outdoor environments that are typically out of reach—supporting:

physical endurance
mental health
independence
meaningful community participation

We appreciate parks and organizations that invest in inclusive resources like this. Opportunities like these create real access opportunities.

To reserve: 248-349-8390

04/22/2026

Sometimes you just have to stop into the Westland Humane Society, Michigan Humane, during your RT session to get some therapeutic puppy cuddles 😍

04/21/2026

Testimonial Tuesday 💬

No one else was dancing.

Music was playing, the room was quiet and when asked if she wanted to dance anyway, Pati said yes.

So the music started… and something shifted.

At first, it was just two people on the dance floor.
Then the next song others joined one by one until the dance floor was full.

That’s the power of saying yes and choosing joy.

🎥 Watch until the end to hear it from her:
“Gotta have fun in life. Life doesn’t live itself, you gotta live it!” – Pati

When asked what Recreation Therapy means to her, she shared:
“It’s been wonderful and makes my life worth living.” – Pati

This is what Recreation Therapy is all about.

04/16/2026

Therapy Thursday: ⭐️

As recreational therapists we aim to provide quality activities while also maintaining a realistic budget. One way we can do this is through library programming. This is a mini figures craft class provided by the Garden City Library! Here we made miniature yarn crafts. 🧶

04/15/2026

⭐ Testimonial Tuesday ⭐ “I love rec therapy because it gets my mind off my problems. I get to do things I never thought I would. It’s so cool." - HCRT Client

04/09/2026

Therapy Thursday:

🌸We are spring-ing in action with outdoor activities this season and a big part of that is gardening!

How can recreational therapists adapt gardening to best suit our clients?

These are just some of the ways we make things more accessible:
🌸Utilizing raised garden beds
🌸Adapting their gardening tools to meet the level of fine motor skills they posses
🌸Making stands mobile or utilizing space by introducing container gardening
🌸Adapting for physical aspects such as kneeling pads or garden seats

What are you looking forward to planting?

04/07/2026

We hope today's ⭐ Tuesday Testimonial ⭐ inspires you this spring!

“I’ve been working with a Recreational Therapist for over a year now. It’s kind of hard for me to meet people because I live on a farm; most of my friends are cows and chickens! Also, I can’t drive a car because of my TBI. Kellie helps me find, and get to, opportunities to meet people. In the past, I’ve made friends with a couple of the other clients I met through the group outings with Recreation Therapy. We went out to dinner, went bowling and went fishing at a picnic we all had. Fishing is a hobby of mine.

One of my goals was to make my garden bigger and to be able to sell more produce from my veggie stand. Kellie helped me learn to build a grow light stand to start seedlings; it was fun to put together. Then we planted the seedlings in raised garden beds and used adaptive gardening. This helped me be safer and more independent with my garden this year. I already have some ideas about making it better for next year.”

- Caleb

04/02/2026

🌲 No trail should be off-limits & thanks to the Michigan DNR there are many trails in our beautiful great state that aren't. The MI DNR offers free off-road track chairs at 30+ state parks across the state & they're built to go where traditional wheelchairs can't. Think sandy beaches, snowy trails, & even up to 8 inches of water.

🌲 Available at no cost
🌲 First-come, first-served with advance reservations recommended - some parks ask you to call while others offer online reservation systems & further details about each park are included further down in this post
🌲 Service animals are always welcome
🌲 Locations are statewide from Grand Haven to Tahquamenon Falls

These electric all-terrain chairs are part of the DNR's commitment to making Michigan's wild places accessible to everyone. Know someone who would love this? Tag them below! 👇

🔗 Find your nearest location & reserve: michigan.gov/dnr/about/accessibility/track-chairs

04/01/2026

This week's ⭐ testimonial ⭐ is short & simple!
"I feel more on the social side thanks to Recreation Therapy. I like that side! I feel adventurous." - HCRT Client

Stay tuned because tomorrow we share all you need to know about track chairs (pictured!)

03/27/2026

Sharing a free resource for those with Traumatic Brain Injuries:

To celebrate Brain Injury Awareness Month, Hope Survives is hosting an accessible virtual benefit concert centered on hope, inspiration, shared presence, and community voices - featuring music from Cristabelle Braden with Chrys Dolcé, along with encouragement from other special guests.

📍Virtual
💲Free
📆 Tuesday, March 31st, 2026
⏱️ 7 PM Eastern

Click on the link to get your ticket and access to the replay:

An Evening to Be Here A virtual benefit concert of music & community to celebrate Brain Injury Awareness Month 2026for anyone to attend and enjoy! To celebrate Brain Injury Awareness Month, Hope Survives is hosting an accessible virtual benefit concert centered on hope, inspiration, shared presence,...

03/26/2026

🧠Therapy Thursday: TBI Awareness Month

Getting out into the community when you have a traumatic brain injury can be rewarding but also challenging. Our Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists are trained to assist with these considerations. This is what defines going out into the community different than a recreational therapy session. We can provide resources, guidelines, support and advocation for the needs of our clients.