Lakeshore Foundation expanding its resources past Homewood

The Lakeshore Foundation has been helping people with disabilities since it was formed in 1984, but a renovation will help it extend its reach far beyond the city limits.

The Lakeshore Foundation is open to anyone with a physical disability to come and participate in recreation, sports and other physical activities. With the Homewood community taking advantage of the programs, Jeff Underwood, president of the Lakeshore Foundation since 1991, said he wants to reach people with disabilities around the world with a virtual approach.

In September, the Lakeshore Foundation unveiled a new 17,000-square-foot building that houses five telehealth suites to connect staff and programs to people across the country. It also has eight state-of-the-art labs for physical activity, mindfulness, innovation, research, nutrition and video production; four outdoor features for outdoor recreation and mindfulness; and other amenities.

Underwood said Lakeshore is developing a green space with walking trails and a garden to have a quiet place for people to go on the campus. All of these upgrades were part of the Lakeshore Campus Enhancement Plan.

“We’re going after new programs,” Underwood said. “Using technology to reach people with disabilities, wherever they are, is the goal. The new technology provides ways to not come to the campus and still reach people. It was normally done as people could get to campus, so some didn’t have our service.”

Underwood said the use of technology is exciting because of its potential to change lives.

“The use of technology is clearly the most exciting part of the projects,” he said. “We can expand the number of people we serve. We seek to encourage people with disabilities to be active and become independent.”

Underwood said the foundation spent $19.5 million on the new facility. It was completed in phases, with work starting in 2015.

Even though the Lakeshore Foundation is getting new equipment and upgraded buildings, the mission for the foundation stays the same. The foundation hopes to use the new resources to continue to help people with disabilities.

Underwood said no matter what changes at the Lakeshore Foundation, helping others is what drives him and his team to continue to help. The Lakeshore Foundation website cites what the team wants to accomplish through its work: “We constantly work to use our time, energy, expertise and resources to be a leader in addressing the needs of people within our mission while developing new opportunities for a lifelong path to wellness.”

Underwood said that is what the foundation wants to do with the newly acquired programs and renovated buildings.

“The core of our mission is to reach people,” he said.