After her son’s brain injury diagnosis, Darlene Blakey founded Coventry Reserve — a thriving program serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Coventry Reserve founder Darlene Blakey’s Determination

Darlene Blakey is a firm believer in “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

“I was 21 years old when my 13-month-old son, Anthony, was struck with meningitis. Having a traumatic brain injury, doctors offered little hope that he would lead an everyday life. My husband, Derrell, and I were saddened to hear that Anthony would never speak, walk, or eat. We were encouraged to put Anthony in an institution and move on with our lives. As Christians, we held firmly to our faith, trusting that if God had not taken Anthony, he was ours with whom to work,” she shares.

Aid comes in the book “What to Do with Your Brain-Injured Child”

The book “What to Do with Your Brain-Injured Child,” was a Godsend and provided Darlene with a home-therapy plan. “Patiently, I got down on the floor and helped Anthony learn how to roll over, how to crawl, and how to pull up on furniture,” she said. He slowly responded and eventually walked independently at age 10.

Anthony’s teacher happily wrote in  note, “Anthony didn’t sit down all day!”

Anthony, now 54, lives a fulfilling life in Coventry and the community. He never meets a stranger and makes friends everywhere he goes.

Darlene founds Coventry

Anthony was approaching the end of his school’s Special Needs program and Darlene’s search for the appropriate purposeful school was depressing. The closest school was Brookwood Community in Houston. “Undeterred, I started a program in my sunroom, patterning it after Brookwood, with my best friend, Gina Barnett, and two neighborhood sisters with Intellectual and Developmental Delays (IDD),” she shared.

Coventry grows

As time passed, they expanded, quickly outgrowing Darlene’s little sunroom. The solution for more space came from a local church in Rowlett, Texas, which allowed them to meet in its gymnasium, enabling them to add more participants. Soon, another Godsend came their way. “My friend Dave Meehan, an elder for Restoration Church, asked me to drive to St. Paul, Texas, two miles north of Wylie. The church had a building they wanted to rent to us for $1 a year. I jumped at the opportunity, immediately seeing the potential of the needed space to expand,” Darlene joyfully explained.

Twenty years later

In 2008, Darlene and Gina purchased the building, along with two acres. The building now has two additions, with another addition soon planned for a dedicated classroom for Art and Horticulture. Plans also include expanding the kitchen to accommodate a culinary class. In 2023, Coventry purchased the adjacent 9.2 acres, which consists of a renovated home and a large storage building. The house serves as a Respite house three out of four weekends a month. The renovated storage building currently serves as a community center, housing collaborators Adapted Fitness and Powered To Move (PTM), which provide adapted fitness and rehabilitative services for individuals with spinal cord injuries and work with individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDD). An additional 7-plus acres is in the works for Long-Term Residential programming.

Coventry Reserve’s staff 

About half of Coventry Reserve’s staff have a child or someone in the family with special needs; however, it is not a requirement for parents to serve. There are 15 paid staff members, with 30-40 volunteers. Typically, new hires come from the volunteer pool after observing the kind of care and nurturing they require. 

Students initially receive an evaluation, and there are three requirements:

1. Must be independent in the restroom. Volunteers, primarily retirees, are not trained to assist with ambulation or toileting students.

2. Students have to be able to do what employees do. This can be as significant as being able to use their arms without needing “hand over hand” assistance, or as simple as not having a sensory aversion to having their hands be dirty (not a good fit for working with clay).

3. Behaviors that are consistently disruptive to Coventry Reserve’s program, harmful to themselves or others, or destructive to the property are not a good fit, as there is no full-time behavioral specialist.

How Coventry Reserve receives funds and how to help

Coventry Reserve is tuition-based, with a daily cost of approximately $50. Parents choose to send their adult child two, three, or four days a week. The program runs for four days, Monday through Thursday, with Friday reserved for evaluations of potential new participants. An Annual Golf Tournament takes place in October, and patrons participate in North Texas Giving Day each September, each of which raises about $100,000 in revenue. Those who choose to become recurring donors can donate through Coventry Reserve’s website.

Percentage of Revenue garnered from items made by students

Sales of items garner about 20 to 25 percent. Whenever the school is in session, Coventry’s gift shop is open (check website for details), with two significant sales held annually. The first is an open house on the first weekend of May, geared toward Mother’s Day, Graduations, Weddings, and Teacher Appreciation. The second two-day open house is the first weekend in December, focusing on traditional Christmas pieces, Nativity sets, and ornaments. Coventry also participates in local mission markets and church programs where pottery is featured. Because of the nature of each piece of pottery, shipping costs, and the possibility that one-of-a-kind items may break, online sales are not available.

No material to make items is donated

All supplies used to create pottery, from clay to glaze to finishing materials such as twine, ribbon, and pricing materials, are bought by Coventry. “Our Program Director, Sherri Rapp, evaluates each student and knows what to look for before approving a potential candidate, and also knows how to work through sensory challenges. If needed, reach out to us and feel free to schedule a tour. We believe every person is valuable and deserving of dignity and respect. With appropriate assistance and loving guidance, all are capable of enjoying a whole, active, and purposeful life,” says Darlene.

Please visit and experience wonder; take home some art with a story behind it.

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Cover photo courtesy Coventry Reserve

Minnie Payne grew up in South Carolina but because of her husband’s government job, lived in many different U.S. cities. Having lived in Texas 38 years, she claims it as home and appreciates the many opportunities and advantages that the Lone Star State provides.