Starkey recently broke ground on a 22-unit apartment complex at 591 N. McComas, near Central and West.

The $2.2 million project includes 16 apartments in the main building and two smaller buildings, each of which includes three apartments. The main building will also have a community room for activities.

Each one-bedroom apartment will have 625 square feet and will include a bathroom, living room, kitchen, storage and washer and dryer. Two apartments designed for people with physical disabilities will be 700 square feet.

Community living trainers will be on site during the week and on weekends at designated times to help with meals, grocery shopping, bill paying and transportation.

Financing for the project is provided by Bank of Kansas. The contractor is Ink Construction, and Don Folger Jr. and Associates is the architect.

Anyone interested in living in the apartments must be determined eligible for developmental disability services through the Sedgwick County Developmental Disability Organization.

Completion is expected by late summer or early fall.

Read more here.

Thank you to Associated Integrated Marketing for inviting individuals from Starkey to be part of the annual Care-A-Ton event.  During this popular community event, Associated gives away 600 free trees to citizens.  This year, they were snatched up in about 90 minutes in the Old Town Plaza!  Learn more at careaton.org.

The Outdoor Activity Space Initiative for Starkey (OASIS)  will create an outdoor park on a grassy 1/2-acre near Starkey’s main building at 4500 W. Maple.  With a walking path, exercise and activity stations, a water feature, picnic tables under a shade structure and benches for rest or conversation between friends, the OASIS will help individuals fit wellness and relaxation into their daily routines.

GLMV Architecture of Wichita has generously donated its design services for the project.  The initial plan allows flexibility to add new features in the future, based on how the space is used.

Research has shown that people with intellectual disabilities gain therapeutic benefit from activities conducted in natural environments. Safe, clean spaces encourage people to walk more often, lowering stress and increasing fitness levels, resulting in numerous health benefits.  Green spaces have also been shown to reduce stress, measured through muscle tension, blood pressure and electrical brain activity - sometimes detectable within  minutes of exposure to a natural environment.

Construction of the OASIS is expected to begin in spring 2013 after the annual fund campaign is complete. Please consider a gift to OASIS today - and learn more here.

Starkey updates you with news, photos and links on several social media sites:

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/starkeyinc

Facebook: www.facebook.com/starkeyinc

Twitter: www.twitter.com/starkeyinc

Follow us, "friend" us or "like" us today, and get the latest updates!

You can learn more about Starkey here by visiting our YouTube channel!

Find a general information video, specifics about our employment programs and a futuristic view of our OASIS project!

The Wichita Wagonmasters presented a $750 grant to Starkey for the purchase of wheelchair-accessible equipment to be installed in the OASIS, a future half-acre exercise space with walking paths, covered seating areas and exercise stations to be constructed at Starkey.

For more information about the OASIS, link here.

Imagine moving halfway across the country to find disability services for your baby girl.

That's just what Janet's parents did when they moved from New York City to Wichita, Kansas, in the 1950s.  Janet, now 58, has grown up at Starkey and flourished.  Read her story here.