After sitting vacant for seven years, the expansive building along I-465 that formerly housed the Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Carmel has reopened with a new mission.

Dozens gathered at the 114,000-square-foot facility at 1300 E. 96th St. Oct. 1 to celebrate the grand opening of the new headquarters of Conquer Paralysis Now, which will include the nation’s second DRIVEN NeuroRecovery Center powered by NeuroHope. The nonprofit organizations are partnering to provide an outpatient rehabilitation center for those experiencing paralysis and eventually plan to transform former indoor tennis courts into gym space for adaptive sports. In the future, other related vendors and nonprofits are expected to lease space on the second floor of the building.

Conquer Paralysis Now founder Sam Schmidt, a co-owner of Indycar team Arrow McLaren Racing, became a quadriplegic in 2000 after suffering a spinal cord injury during practice. He splits his time between homes in Carmel and Las Vegas, where the nonprofit was previously headquartered and the first DRIVEN NeuroRecovery Center continues to operate.

“I would rather have my legacy be Indy 500 wins and championships, but sometimes your path in life changes,” Schmidt said. “Racing is my passion, but NeuroRecovery has become my purpose. It will be my purpose for the rest of my life.”

Conquer Paralysis Now invested $20 million to renovate the facility, which included infilling indoor and outdoor swimming pools and renovating the space to be fully ADA-compliant.

NeuroHope, an outpatient physical rehabilitation center, relocated its staff and equipment from Sunnyside Road in Indianapolis to the renovated facility. Executive Director Chris Leeuw founded the nonprofit in 2013 after recovering from a spinal cord injury that initially left him paralyzed from the neck down. He traveled the U.S. for two years of treatment and wanted to make recovery options more readily available in Indiana, especially for those who had maxed out their insurance.

“Just because patient care is expensive doesn’t mean it should not be available to the people that need it,” Leeuw said. “That’s what we’re building here. That’s what this facility will be.”

Brandi Kurka, executive director of DRIVEN NeuroRecovery Center, said the center’s programs have led to patients relearning how to walk, drive a car, go back to work and more. She said she is eager to see the Carmel facility continue to fill and be transformed.

“We can create a one-stop-shop for people with disabilities,” Kurka said. “Transportation is a challenge, so we can have everything here in this one building.”

Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam described the new facility as “a beacon of hope and a vital resource” for those navigating the challenges of paralysis and related conditions.

“We stand in a space that made children and adults healthier and happier for many years through the sport of tennis, but the building knew it had something greater in its future,” Finkam said. “It waited for this opportunity, and now this facility will be put to work in important and impactful ways, serving our community with compassion and very special expertise.”

Learn more at ConquerParalysisNow.org, NeuroHopeWellness.org and DrivenLV.org.