Annual Report 2014/2015

Annual Report 2014/2015
A creative response to supporting
and working with people who
have learning disabilities
Chief Executive’s comments
I
hope you will find this annual
report interesting and enjoy
reading it. It is my first annual
report. I started as Chief
Executive in June 2014.
I have been encouraged by the hard work
and enthusiasm throughout the organisation.
We have all continued to work hard to begin
to achieve our new five year strategy,
building on all the excellent work Options
for Life has achieved to date.
This report tells you about the past year’s
work and the important part everybody
at Options for Life plays.
We have an excellent base on which to build
in the coming years to make sure adults with
learning disabilities are truly at the centre
of everything we do. It is important that
everyone is able to reach their full potential
and have the same opportunities. We are
developing our approach to ensure all of our
work is about clear outcomes for the people
we support. We will make sure we continue
to have the right staff and volunteers with
the right skills, support and expertise.
Thank you to everyone for their ongoing
commitment, enthusiasm and hard work
and I look forward to the coming year.
Alison Barrett
Chief Executive
June 2015
The Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees leads Options for Life. It meets quarterly each year.
Alan Daffern (Chair)
Harriet Moat
Gurmel Bhatti
Zaidie Orr
Andrew Hill
Debbie White
Ian Marsh (from August 2014)
2
Chair of the Board’s comments
O
n behalf of our Board
of Trustees I offer my
congratulations and
thanks to all our staff and
volunteers for another
successful year at Options for
Life. During this year we have
commenced the first phase
of our new five year strategy.
This strategy requires us to continually
improve and develop what we offer to
our current participants and to reach
out and extend our support to others
we feel will benefit.
Our participants are the reason we
are here. It’s important we ensure that
what we provide is what they want and
need and that we strive to be the very
best at what we do.
These developments are not without
Contents
4
Who we are and what we do!
5
Our five year strategy
6
Community based programmes
8
Creative Options
10 Health for Life
12 Learning for Life
their challenges, particularly in these
14 The Great Outdoors
times of severe cut backs in funding.
16 Oak Green Services
I know our committed and dedicated
teams will continue to rise to the
challenges we face in their usual
17 Family Support and
One to One Support
innovative way.
18 HydroZone and SensoryZone
Alan Daffern
19 Short Breaks
Chair of Board
20 Opportunities for all at Options for Life
June 2015
22 Our money and how we spend it
3
O
ptions for Life is a not for profit voluntary
organisation. We provide opportunities for adults
with learning disabilities to improve their confidence,
develop their skills, live as independently as possible and
enjoy the same rights and opportunities as non-disabled
people making choices about their own lives.
Who we are and what we do…
Our Community Based Programmes provide
a range of workshops and projects from
community hubs. We offer Family Support
and One to One housing related support
for people living in their own homes. Each
participant* is supported to decide what
they want to do and achieve and to look
at how this will help them develop their
skills and confidence. There is a variety
of opportunities, giving participants the
chance to meet different people across
Options for Life and in the wider community.
* participant
is the term we
use for people
who access our
support
4
Five Year Strategy 2014-2019
W
e have completed the
first year of our new
5 year strategy which
the Board agreed would be the
framework for all of our work.
To help us focus our work and
priorities we have five objectives:
■ Participants
We have started holding regular participants’
meetings at our hubs.
The staff team have had the opportunity
for further training. This has included:
•Positive behaviour support (BILD)
•Dignity and Respect
•Introduction to Forced Marriage
and Honour Based Violence
•The Impact of Hate Crime
•Safeguarding adults
•Training the Trainer
Grapevine, an independent advocacy
organisation are working with us to involve
our participants much more in the running
of Options for Life and in giving us regular
feedback.
We started the year working with Rathbone
and had two modern apprentices. During
the year we have also worked with Sandwell
Council and have recruited five more
apprentices.
■ Organisation development
■ Volunteering
Our hub teams are developing our bases
to become hubs in the community and
further developing joint work across
Options for Life.
Volunteers are a very valuable part of
Options for Life. We are looking at how to
further improve recruiting and supporting
volunteers to make sure we continue to
give a quality volunteering experience.
■ Nurturing talent
Our mandatory and induction training is
well established. This has been reviewed
and is being delivered in a different, more
engaging way, to make sure our staff are well
supported and trained to constantly improve
what we do, supporting a new approach to
supervision and annual appraisal process.
■ Opportunity ready
We have an initial one year horticultural
project with Ideal for All at their Salop
Drive site. Our participants and staff will
be supported by Ideal for All’s horticultural
staff to learn more about what is involved
in running a year round market garden.
Visit our website for more information
www.optionsforlife.info
5
O
ur person centred
approach to workshops
and skills sessions gives
the opportunity to develop
preferences, choices and
interests.
Community Based Programmes
Our four programmes, Creative Options,
Health for Life, Learning for Life and The
Great Outdoors take place from our
community hubs currently across Sandwell
and in Tamworth and Lichfield. Our hubs
have good facilities and are bases for
participants to access other opportunities
in the community.
In response to particular needs we have
also developed:
•Roshni, for women with learning
disabilities.
•Making Tracks which supports people with
profound and multiple learning disabilities
and complex health needs.
•Branching Out, for older adults
with learning disabilities.
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7
C
reative projects
and programmes
are therapeutic,
as well as providing the
opportunity for freedom
of expression and creativity.
Creative Options
■ Make to sell
Throughout the year, we make items which
are then sold. At Christmas, we had our
regular spot at Oldbury Council House. It is
good that items we have made have a real
purpose and are then sold on to someone
who will enjoy them.
■ Art
Art provides an opportunity to stretch our
creative muscles and try our hand at many
different skills. We have made flowerpots,
papier mâché models, pottery and kiln work,
a range of unique Christmas cards and
displays, crafts for Red Nose day, and
individual mosaics.
We have designed and made plaques for our
community hubs. Sandwell Women’s Aid
have commissioned us to produce mosaics
for their offices.
■ Drama
The Positive Acting Theatre Company is
working on their next drama performance
following the success of last year’s show.
8
More of our actors now have
the confidence to play a speaking part.
Our drama group see lots of different kinds
of theatre and performances to help inspire
us. We have seen pantomimes, musicals and
smaller shows at the Coneygre Arts Centre.
■ Music
Our Samba group have been in the music
studio writing a percussion piece which has
been recorded. We have made our own CD
which we are very proud of.
Roshni have been working hard in the music
studio exploring ways to mix different
traditional music. We have used different
languages to write new words to traditional
English folk songs helping share our
experiences and cultures.
■ Voice for Life Choir
I enjoyed
showing people how
to play the notes
Rachel
The Voice for Life Choir regularly practised
to prepare for its performance at ‘Heartlands
Hospital’, Birmingham. We are working on
new material to help improve our singing
technique and confidence for future planned
performances.
■ Pantastic
Our steel-pan band called ‘Pantastic’
performed at a Christmas Fayre at Sutton
Special School, Dudley. We put on an
arrangement of songs and a workshop
showing the basics of steel-pan playing.
■ Jewellery
I really enjoy
sewing the
bunting.
Jaswinder
In our jewellery sessions we have enjoyed
designing and making necklaces, bracelets
and earrings to sell at local craft fayres.
■ Textiles and sewing
During textiles and sewing workshops we
do a variety of types of sewing including
embroidery, cross stitch and knitting.
We use a wide range of materials, learning
about different fabrics and textures. It also
helps with concentration and hand eye
co-ordination.
■ Photography
In photography, we take
lots of photos. We have been
putting them into PowerPoint
and also making a calendar out
of them! We also edit photos.
I enjoy photography because it
is fun and something that
I am interested in.
Matthew
As part of our portrait photography sessions,
we chose the locations and the model
poses for our photos. We took it turns
in front of and behind the camera. We
chose our favourite photographer to take
our final shots.
“
■ Heat Press
Using our new heat press we can press any
design or logo on to mugs and phone covers
producing customised items. The art groups
create the designs and the basic skills group
edit ready for printing. We will soon be ready
to take orders.
9
I
t is important to exercise and stay healthy.
Sessions include Extend Exercise classes,
swimming, rock-climbing, ‘Boogie Bounce’,
trampolining, leisure walks, archery, canoeing,
gym, tennis, snooker, cycling, bowling,
crazy golf and horse-riding.
Health for Life
We work in partnership with community
venues to adapt and deliver sporting
activities.
■ Rock-climbing
A number of our hubs enjoy rock-climbing
sessions. David is excellent at quickly
solving any problem he encounters
during a climb.
■ Bollywood dancing
Bollywood dancing is held in a local dance
studio, delivered by a qualified fitness
instructor. It is all about fun and a real work
out to popular Bollywood dance music.
■ Inspiring visits
Paralympic gold medallist Mel Clarke
(Archery) paid a visit to the Portway to show
off her medal and pass round the Olympic
torch. Roshni participants enjoyed meeting
Mel and found her achievements inspiring.
■ Archery
Archery sessions are held at The Portway
and Malthouse Centres for Making Tracks
participants. We have made progress and
are at the stage where we no longer require
prompting to use the equipment. Our aim
is steadily improving!
10
■ Motor Activities
Training Program (MATP)
Making Tracks work closely with the
physiotherapy team to develop person
centred exercise plans to help our mobility.
The Motor Activities Training Program (MATP)
is designed for people with profound and
multiple learning disabilities. It develops
gross motor skills, and enables participants
to engage in sport.
I like swimming; it helps
me to keep fit. I have made new
friends at the swimming pool and like
meeting new people. I can now swim 12
lengths of the pool and I’m trying hard
to do more every week.
Charlotte
■ Gym
I burnt 300
calories off today on the
treadmill, its helping me
to lose weight.
Angela
A small group of us go to Portway gym
every Thursday. We each have individual
targets that we are working towards.
Angela enjoys using the exercise bikes
and treadmills.
■ Inspired Sports
Inspired Sports has been running for
a few years. It is a great opportunity for
participants to get together at the Harry
Mitchell Centre, Smethwick, to play sports
such as dodgeball, cricket, football and
basketball. Sessions are planned over a
number of weeks with clear learning and
development outcomes. Talks are also given
on the importance of drinking lots of fluids
while playing sports and what are the best
clothes to wear for sports.
■ Extend Exercise
■ Aqua Fit
‘Extend Exercise’ promotes gentle seated
exercise to those of us that are less able at
Oak Green hub. We have also introduced
homemade cheerleader props, maracas
and rainmaker strips to make the sessions
even more fun.
We really enjoy the aqua fit sessions at
Langley Leisure Centre. We have mastered
most of the routines and particularly enjoy
the fact that it is all done to some of our
favourite songs. We have made lots of new
friends and are now very aware of the
benefits of regular exercise. We look forward
to every week and at the end of each session
ask: “Are we definitely coming next week?”
11
W
e want to continually
develop and learn new
skills and abilities through
a range of groups and projects.
Learning for Life
I really enjoy
reading my book to
the staff and it has made
me more confident to
read out loud.
Paul
■ Travel Group
The Travel Group develops social skills and
provides the chance to experience different
forms of public transport. We have used
public transport to get to different places
including Cosford Air Museum, the Glass
Museum, Himley Hall, Canon Hill Nature
Reserve and the Rock House at Kinver Edge.
■ Basic Skills
The Basic Skills projects encourage skills
that help with things such as managing
money, computers, reading and writing
through a range of real life tasks and
experiences. We sort lunch money at
our hubs, write hub bulletins, type letters
and manage our own social businesses.
■ Independent Living Skills
Developing our Independent Living Skills
helps us to understand the basics of
household management. This includes
how to cook a healthy meal on a budget,
how to sort clothes to wash, safe
preparation of foods and safe and
correct use of kitchen appliances.
■ Cooking
■ Gateway Award
Our Lichfield hub has been working in
partnership with Saxon Hill School in
Lichfield to run their community café once
a week. Lunchtime meals and drinks are
made by participants in a working café
environment.
Having already completed the Bronze
Gateway Award, we are now working
towards our Silver Award. We were extremely
proud to have designed our own t-shirts
12
with a topic area which was important
to each of us.
Each hub holds weekly sessions on how
to shop, plan and cook healthy meals. This
includes learning about special dietary needs
and we are supported to cost meals, buy
ingredients and work out portion sizes
making healthy choices.
I like to meet new
people and enjoy
helping others.
Ravi
■ Volunteer
Participants are given the opportunity to
volunteer at other hubs, giving them valuable
work experience.
Ravi, a Roshni participant, volunteers one
day a week at Making Tracks. She supports
the participants by helping out in the kitchen
and making their drinks as well as getting
involved with the sessions held at Making
Tracks. This has helped her with her
communication skills, self-esteem
and self-confidence.
■ Courses
Each month, we send out
a news bulletin for the parents
and carers. I am the editor of the news
bulletin and it is my job to make sure all
the right information is in them. I enjoy
this because I like having the
responsibility.
Matthew
■ First Aid
Some of The Ashes hub participants have
been on a first aid course. We learnt how
to deal with an emergency, how to treat
bleeding, stroke, epilepsy,
unconscious casualty
and asthma. We
really enjoyed the
course and could
now treat or assist
in an emergency.
We also gained
confidence working
in a group and
interacting with
each other.
Roshni participants enrolled on courses
with Care First developing their literacy
and numeracy skills, money management
and work skills. We enjoyed working towards
them and all received diplomas at the
end of our courses.
■ Communication
Staff and families work together to
support participants with communication
or expressing their feelings. We have
communication boards for people
and use PECS (picture exchange
communication system) to provide
information on things such as activities,
feelings, transport, staff and other
participants. We have computer tools
such as new coloured keyboards with
large keys to help people with visual
impairment or dyslexia. We also gather
objects of reference for the people who
find it difficult to view cards.
Speech and language therapists work with
us to find new ways to communicate and
engage participants that need a more
intensive approach to interaction and
communication.
I have really enjoyed
the way I have been taught…
and I love practising with Annie.
Mandy
13
T
he Great Outdoors provides
opportunities to explore a range
of outdoor activities promoting
learning, health, wellbeing and
creativity in our communities.
The Great Outdoors
■ Horse Care Sessions
At Baggeridge Stables we take part in
horse care sessions. We have learnt about
grooming, mucking out the stables and
preparing feed. We are able to work
with horses of all sizes, colour and ages.
It is great to see everyone smiling and
watching them feed carrots to the horses.
■ Allotment
In the summer months, we volunteered
at a local garden centre in Lichfield. At their
community led allotment we cleared weeds,
picked ripe vegetables and helped maintain
the garden space. We are very much looking
forward to returning to this when the weather
allows.
Many of our hubs have allotments with
raised beds which are accessible for all.
We plan the gardening calendar, purchase
seeds and all the other materials needed.
We have learnt how to tend the allotment
and identify different produce, when to
harvest them and how to cook them. We
use the produce we grow in our cooking
sessions to make healthier meals promoting
a ‘plot to plate’ approach.
14
I did great to grow
this cauliflower!
Liam
■ Participant Led Walks
Locations for our weekly participant led
walks are chosen in our monthly participants
meetings, where there is usually a lively
debate by our keen walkers as to the best
places to go! We check out levels of
difficulty, ease of access and timescales.
Previous walks have included Wombourne
railway walk and Edgbaston reservoir.
Fishing is my
favourite thing I do!
Arthur
■ Fishing
Fishing at Albrighton Trust is very popular
and perfect for participants to practice
and develop their angling skills. This natural
setting is tranquil and ideal for days out for
those who enjoy this recreational sport.
■ Gardening
The ‘budding’ talents of the gardening
groups have continued to be nurtured both
through work undertaken at allotments and
the Community Garden Project. This project
gives participants the chance to use and
develop their gardening skills for the benefit
of customers from the general public.
We can offer basic gardening services
including grass cutting, weeding, hedge
trimming and general garden tidying. We
have also made a small fence in our craft
unit for a local gentleman, painted it and put
it up – he was very pleased with the results.
15
O
ak Green Services has had another great
year continuing to go from strength to strength.
Each year we increase grounds maintenance
contracts and our satisfied customers.
Oak Green Services
As a developing social business we wave the banner of inclusion and fly the
flags of self-esteem and confidence for each member of the team. As a team,
our goals are always to be better and to learn from each other. Our collective
knowledge is great and we all have our moments of true inspiration.
To paraphrase a Great Briton “never has so few,
done so much, for so many!” We think that this
in itself sums up the spirit that is Oak Green
Services. Oak Green Services is a key part of
Options for Life and offers opportunities to
participants for taster sessions, time limited
and longer placements to develop a range
of skills and talents. We have been
working to establish a partnership
with a training provider to work with
Oak Green Service participants to
undertake accredited training which
will then help participants in securing
paid employment.
16
Family Support and
One to One Support
Family Support
O
ur Family Support Service has been busier than ever
supporting our families in their own homes. There
continues to be a steady demand for our support
for parents who need a more specialist approach.
We have also trained members of staff to
deliver ‘in house’ courses such as Changes
and the Positive Parenting Programme,
Cookwell and most recently Confidence and
Assertiveness. These courses complement
our one to one support approach very well
giving people a chance to develop their skills
and also support each other.
Being on a team that
has been both supportive
and welcoming has developed me
both personally and professionally.
Emma Sheedy,
Student Social Worker
We have been able to offer a variety of
leisure and social events to families
throughout 2014/15. These include West
Midlands Safari Park, Warwick Castle, bug
hunts, pond dipping, cycling and picnics.
Most recently we went to the Black Country
Museum and on a Netherton tunnel boat trip.
We have taken on a record number of
second year Social Work students this year.
They benefit from working alongside the staff
team who all support them in their placement
and learning. It is rewarding to see them
grow in confidence. The students benefit
from their time with us as they get a real
insight into our work and that of the voluntary
sector generally which will benefit them once
they qualify.
One to One Support
O
ne to One Support
helps people with a
learning disability to
live in their own homes. We
can help with things like:
•Making your home safe and secure
•Learning to cook and clean
•Managing your money and claiming
benefits
•Helping you get training and a paid job
or volunteering
17
O
ur HydroZone and SensoryZone are continuing to benefit
a wide range of people from Options for Life and the
general public. Hydrotherapy sessions at our HydroZone
are very enjoyable and have many benefits. Making Tracks
participants particularly love this activity and have really
grown in confidence in the water. Most
weeks it’s a job to get them out of the
pool at the end of the session!
HydroZone & SensoryZone
“Chloe has a wide range of complex medical
health conditions that mean she can only
use the facilities of a hydro pool due to the
warm temperatures but had not been to a
hydro session for 2 years. We were so proud
of Chloe; 2 years after her last hydro session
she remembered the programme and carried
out the tasks required confidently. Chloe was
so happy to be in the hydro pool. She
enjoyed the feeling of the warm water,
relaxing in the water and playing ball games.
She was excited the whole time and the
hydro definitely benefited Chloe so much as
her usually very tight muscles were so much
more supple. Chloe enjoyed the session so
much that she did not want to get out of the
water and asked if she could come again!
Chloe is so looking forward to her next visit.
18
After hydro we had time in the SensoryZone.
Chloe was already very relaxed from her time
in the hydro pool that when we got Chloe
out to sit in the black leather recliner chair
she could of quite easily had a nap! Chloe
enjoyed changing the colours on the wall
board and thought it was funny that
she was in control using the interactive dice.
Chloe enjoyed the sensory experience of
the lights and the bubble machines. It was
a lovely way to end a wonderful afternoon.
We all left very chilled and relaxed.
We look forward to our next visit to
SensoryZone and HydroZone. A big thank
you to the team for looking after us so well
and your support!”
Caroline Eden, Parent
Short Breaks
P
egasus House in Wombourne
provides themed weekend
breaks for adults with a learning
disability. People are supported to take
part in weekends such as Bonfire weekend,
country and western festival, canal heritage
and healthy cooking. As well as being able
to spend time with their friends and make new friends,
it is a chance to try something new and develop new skills.
We recently had a Care Quality Commission
(CQC) Inspection during one of our Short
Breaks. We are pleased to report that we
scored on overall ‘Good’.
first platform where we could happily
watch the others. The group’s sense
of pride, because we had all achieved
our own individual goals, was brilliant!
Relatives of people attending a Short Break
told the CQC that they are confident that
Options for Life know the people well and
make sure they are well supported. CQC
observed a ‘positive, open and empowering
culture with relaxed and friendly relationships
between staff and people attending.’
At Pegasus House, we used different
skills, including communication, team
work and leadership to build an outdoor
shelter big enough for us all. Once the
shelter was complete we cooked our
evening meal outside on a barbecue to
celebrate a fantastic
weekend away.
The outdoor pursuit weekend in June
was about new challenges, facing our
fears together and taking managed risks.
A group took on the ‘Closer to the edge’
challenge which is an obstacle course
set 10 feet off the ground.
We worked together, to encourage
and support each other to reach
personal goals. For a couple of us
who were terrified of heights, we
managed to achieve our goal of
getting the safety equipment on
and just climbing the stairs to the
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Opportunities for all
at Options for Life
Volunteers
O
ptions for Life was
founded with the
support of volunteers,
and, 27 years later, we continue
to benefit from our volunteers,
including our European
volunteers. Volunteering gives
you the satisfaction of making
a difference to other people’s
lives, developing new skills,
gaining invaluable work
experience, putting your
existing skills to good use,
getting involved with the
community and making
new friends.
20
One of our participants, Lewis,
interviewed John, a volunteer.
■ Q1 What’s your name?
John Beard
■ Q2 Where do you live?
I live in Brandhall
■ Q3 How many days do you
volunteer at Options for Life?
I volunteer for two days every week at the
Oak Green hub, Mondays and Fridays.
Although I can be flexible with my time and
can change these to suit any special events
that may be taking place.
■ Q4 Why do you volunteer
at Options for Life?
I love volunteering to help people that need
help. I like working with people and I have
got the time to spare. I just enjoy doing it,
and think the participants like having me too.
Apprentices
■ Q5 What do you do
at Options for Life?
I help participants at the Salop Drive
allotment, and offer my experience of having
my own allotment to help the participants
gain in their knowledge and understanding.
I also help with various group activities and
have joined groups that have gone out for
the day. I also drive the minibus for groups
to and from other community activities so
staff can concentrate on supporting
participants who need their support whilst
on transport. Other activities that I have
volunteered my time have included, DIY
groups, Christmas Fayres, the men’s group
which do a whole range of activities from
games, discussions groups, day trips,
bowling and art to name a few.
W
e have recently
taken on a number
of Apprentices
across Options for Life. All the
Apprentices are taken on for
a year’s training with us and
given opportunities to go on
specialist training courses and
develop their individual skills,
so that they will be ‘job ready’
at the end of their time here.
■ Q6 What do you get out of
volunteering at Options for Life?
I get the satisfaction and pleasure of helping
people who need help. Passing on skills I
have to help the participants do things for
themselves – they really appreciate
everything I do.
I am really enjoying the variety
of the work and feel that I have been
trusted with responsibilities and given
the opportunities to work across
the different hubs.
Elizabeth, Admin Apprentice
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Our money and how we spend it…
D
uring the period 1 April 2014 until 31 March 2015,
Options for Life’s total income was £2,088,655.
We get most of our money through contracts with Sandwell MBC, Sandwell and West
Birmingham NHS CCG to provide day opportunities and to fund our One to One
and Family Support.
The rest of our income is smaller individual contracts and comes through personal
budgets and charitable grants.
Income is also generated by our social businesses and by the hire of the HydroZone
and SensoryZone to external customers.
Here is a detailed breakdown of or income:
Income 2014/15
Sandwell MBC
Direct payments for day services
£
1,144,130
284,971
NHS Sandwell & West B’ham CCG 397,991
EVS funding
30,265
Social business income
62,995
HydroZone & SensoryZone income 48,137
Miscellaneous income
(e.g. room hire, fundraising activities) 87,287
Charitable grants
32,889
Total2,088,665
Expenditure 2014/15
Employment
£
1,376,281
Vehicles and transport
100,085
Activities
205,430
Premises and buildings
146,494
IT and communications
30,324
Office and professional
59,728
Interest charges
922
Total1,919,264
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I
f you would like to find out more about what we
do at Options for Life or you would like more
information on our Community Based
Programmes, Oak Green Services or
our One to One and Family Support
please contact us on 0121 544 6611
or take a look at our website
www.optionsforlife.info
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Oak Green Lodge | Oak Green Way
Oldbury | West Midlands | B68 8LR
Tel: 0121 544 6611 | Fax: 0121 543 4400
Email: reception@optionsforlife.info
www.optionsforlife.info