The Brookwood Community was founded in 1983 for adults with intellectual, developmental and/or physical disabilities preventing them from being successful in living or working on their own.
Our mission statement: Through the Grace of God, The Brookwood Community provides an educational environment that creates meaningful work, builds a sense of belonging, and awakens genuine purpose in the lives of adults with disabilities.
Our purpose: To provide opportunity through education so that Brookwood Citizens will:
- Acquire meaningful skills and work in The Brookwood Community’s own business enterprises
- Experience the pride that accompanies the ability to contribute to one’s own support, and to the community in which they live
- Grow professionally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually
Our vision: To change the way the world thinks about adults with disabilities.
Brookwood Citizens: Now in our 37th year, 112 Citizens live at Brookwood. Another 105 work in our day vocational program at Brookwood’s main campus, 20 work at Brookwood Grand Parkway inside Gallery Furniture in Ft. Bend County, and eight work in our newest day vocational program in The Woodlands United Methodist Church in Montgomery County. The range of neuro-diversity includes autism spectrum disorders; intellectual disabilities; developmental disabilities; traumatic brain injury; dual diagnosis; and/or aging care needs.
Our 485-acre campus in Brookshire has eight group homes, four single-family staff homes, a residential Inn, health and dental clinic, Worship Center, administration building, education and enterprise building, bike pavilion, aqua-therapy pool, gymnasium, 47 greenhouses, Gift and Garden Center and Café, and several other support buildings.
Our funding: Our programs are funded through a combination of enterprise revenues, tuition (although many families need and receive over $1.2 million in tuition aid from Brookwood annually), and donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, churches, and civic groups. Brookwood has operated independent of government funding since its inception.
Our Enterprises:
- Horticulture began with two greenhouses and a small tree farm and has grown to 47 greenhouses with specialized environments for bedding plants, plant propagation, transplanting, and showroom/sales. Our Citizens grow approximately 185,000 plants each year. Plants are sold to the general public and wholesale customers
- Handcrafts started as a small individual workshop and now includes large studios for the production of stone casting, ceramics, jewelry, and engraved products
- Consumables includes Brookwood’s famous Mesibov salad dressing, private-labeled products, soaps and lotions, dog biscuits
- A shipping and packaging operation for mail order and online sales
- The Café at Brookwood is open six days a week for lunch. The Café provides additional jobs for our Citizens and serves hundreds of customers each week with a unique, gourmet dining experience. Our Chef is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and previously was at the Maui Four Seasons Hotel.
- Weddings, receptions and catering are other revenue producing activities. Brookwood’s Worship Center is a beautiful venue for weddings and other gatherings.
Our retail outlets include:
- The Gift and Garden Center and Café located at 1502 FM 1489, Brookshire, TX 77423. Café reservations are recommended: 281-375-2400
- The Grand Parkway Store located in Gallery Furniture at 7227 W. Grand Parkway, Richmond, TX 77407 (832-759-5077)
- Our online store features a variety of products: www.brookwoodstore.org
