At SCI, we know that meaningful connections can change lives and that community is built through the relationships we form along the way.
Several years ago, Jessica, one of SCI’s Coordinator of Community Services Team Members, supported Alexa, who was moving from high school into DDA services. Alexa was active in her community and played with No Limits Parkville Adaptive Lacrosse. Over time, their connection grew, and Alexa became acquainted with Jessica’s family as well. When Alexa learned that Jessica’s daughter, Lily, also played lacrosse, she invited them to one of her No Limits practices, creating a special bond rooted in a shared love of the sport and a strong sense of community.
During Lily’s freshman year of high school, they went to a practice, giving Lily the chance to experience her mom’s work firsthand and join the practice as a volunteer.
After that first practice, she got in the car and immediately asked, “When can I go back?”
Three years later, Lily has completed her third season with No Limits. She has become a dedicated volunteer and advocate within the adaptive sports community.
One of the most meaningful connections she has made is with a young girl named Stella, who has cerebral palsy. Stella and Lily quickly connected through No Limits. Their friendship grew beyond the program. Lily invited Stella to her high school lacrosse game, where the team welcomed her onto the field, gave her a team shirt, and invited her to take shots on goal. In 2024, Stella was featured in a Washington Post article after receiving a custom lacrosse stick for her wheelchair. What touched Jessica most was that Stella spoke about Lily as a friend who helped her feel included in the sport.
What has impressed Jessica most is the way Lily naturally helps others feel comfortable and included. During practices, No Limits often welcomes local high school teams to participate. When students are unsure how to interact with the athletes, Lily’s advice is always simple:
“Just treat them like you would treat anyone else.”
That message has become part of who she is.
This year, Lily received the Julian Roary Kindness Award for her commitment to No Limits, honoring one of the program’s original athletes whose kindness and spirit made a lasting impact. Since joining No Limits, Lily has volunteered with several disability groups and interned with a disability rights attorney at Kennedy Krieger Institute. This fall, Lily will begin her senior year of high school and plans to pursue social work to continue supporting and advocating for individuals with developmental disabilities.
When Jessica supported Alexa through the Maryland Governor’s Transitioning Youth Initiative (GTYI), she never imagined that relationship would later impact her own daughter. What began as a CCS relationship sparked a chain reaction of inclusion, friendship, advocacy, and service.
Reflecting on the experience, Jessica saw many of SCI’s Core Operating Values throughout the story. It began with putting people first and building a meaningful relationship with Alexa, then grew into opportunities for Lily to learn, serve, and become part of a community that helped shape who she is becoming.
The relationships Jessica built with Alexa and Lily built with Stella, along with the opportunities that followed, became something much bigger than she could have imagined.
The ripple effect of one meaningful connection is still being felt today.
