A Milestone Worth Celebrating! Today, we celebrated the expansion of Thrive Academy! The newly renovated space allows us to expand greater access for students diagnosed on the autism spectrum from kindergarten through 12th grade. In addition, Family Initiative will expand ABA and Occupational Therapy programs for families across Southwest Florida. Thank you to everyone who joined us for heartfelt remarks from families, board members, and co-founders David Brown and Anjali Van Drie, followed by tours of the new space. We were honored to welcome Senator Jonathan Martin, Lee County Supervisor of Elections Jenna Persons-Mulicka, Representative Mike Giallombardo, and Mark Stevens, President and Founder of Stevens Construction, Inc., to celebrate with us. We are also grateful to Scott Rossi, General Manager of Fred Anderson Toyota of Cape Coral, for presenting Family Initiative with a generous donation through the dealership’s Drive for a Difference campaign. Thank you to our board members, staff, students, families, and community partners for being part of this exciting milestone. Together, we’re creating more opportunities for children and families across Southwest Florida! 💙 #ThriveAcademy #FamilyInitiative #AutismSupport #InclusiveEducation #CommunityImpact

The rain couldn’t keep our crew from having a blast in Fort Myers AND Naples today for our social skills playgroup! Our groups, led by our compassionate and creative clinicians, are all about building social skills, making friends, and learning together through fun activities and play. We love watching our kids grow, connect, and build friendships one playgroup at a time! Join us for next Saturday’s Social Skills Group in Fort Myers for our annual fall festival celebration! 🎃

Pick out your favorite costume and grab your trick-or-treat bag, because FI ASD Social Skills Playgroup Fall Festival edition is almost a week away! 🎃🍂 Bring your family and friends to enjoy an indoor trunk or treat, fall themed activities and games, with a grand piñata finale. All designed to give our kids a festive Halloween season full of wicked fun. Located at Christ Community Church, 4050 Colonial Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33966 Saturday, October 24 | 1:00 - 4:00 PM $20 per child For more information call 239-910-0712, or email [email protected] Fall into fun with us on October 24th and help us make this a playgroup to remember long after the candy is gone!💙🎃 #FallFestival #AutismSupport #ASDSocialSkills #TrunkOrTreat #FortMyersEvents #Halloween2026 #FamilyFun

Our team was honored to be invited to provide training at the Florida Regiment Young Marines conference this weekend in Orlando. Our amazing specialist, Kara, spent the weekend with Adult Volunteers and Young Marines from across Florida, connecting, learning, and teaching. We are grateful for the opportunity to support these amazing young men and women! #YoungMarines #SWFLYoungMarines #Marines #AutismAwareness #ThankYouForYourService

Today marks the 11th Anniversary of Family Initiative! Our organization began with very humble beginnings with the intention to disrupt the status quo and to be driven by the voices of the families we serve. We are incredibly proud of the impact and progress we have made, but we know we have so much more work to do. None of our success would be possible without our amazing Board of Directors, champions, families, and team members. Thank you for your support and we are so excited for what’s next! 💪💙

In some ways it feels like yesterday and also an eternity ago. Today marks the four year anniversary of the land fall of Hurricane Ian. Through one of the most difficult times our region faced, we witnessed resilience, compassion, and a community that came together to take care of each other. Despite the loss and devastation, we are reminded of the love and hope of the days to come. Thank you so much to the first responders, lineman, volunteers, and state leaders who showed up each and every day to help all of us rebuild. #HurricaneIan #SWFLStrong

We are beyond proud to share that @thriveacademyfl has officially been named a @SpecialOlympics North America National Banner Unified Champion School, the highest honor in the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program! 🏆 This incredible recognition celebrates the inclusive environment our students, staff, and families have built together, including our new Special Olympics bowling and basketball teams, a Unified basketball team in partnership with Fort Myers High School, and inclusive pep rallies which brought our whole school together. None of this would have been possible without Garret Copeland and the Fort Myers Green Wave Unified Club, whose partnership helped us launch basketball, bowling, and flag football this year. We are endlessly grateful for their support and for the incredible partnership with Special Olympics Florida that made this honor possible. Special Olympics Florida will present our National Banner at the Family Initiative Golisano Autism Community Hub in Cape Coral! At the end of the day, everything we do is for the kids. Thank you @officialSOFL for this outstanding opportunity. We are truly honored and appreciative! 💙 #UnifiedChampionSchools #SpecialOlympicsFlorida #ThriveAcademy #InclusionMatters #WeDoItForTheKids – at Cape Coral, FL

The FI team had a blast in Naples this afternoon playing corn-hole, shooting hoops, playing video games, and making friends! Thank you to our wonderful partners with Nami Collier for their support. We are thrilled to be able to support ASD families from across Collier County. 💙 – at Naples, FL

Save the date for Family Initiative's All In For Autism Casino Night! Coming to the Golisano Autism Community Hub on November 7, 2026! 🎰♠️ Join us for a night of fun while supporting our mission to empower children and families impacted by autism. Doors open at 5:30 PM, come enjoy a marvelous evening full of games, dancing, a complimentary bar, entertainment, silent and live auctions! Every ticket, bid, and dollar raised helps Family Initiative continue providing vital resources, therapy, and community-based programs to children and families across Southwest Florida. This is a night you won't want to miss! 💙 Tickets and sponsorships are available! To learn more about this exciting event, please visit  fi-florida.org/casinonight for all the details. If you have any questions email [email protected] or call 239-910-0712. High stakes, higher purpose. We’ll see you at the tables! #AllInForAutism #CasinoNight #AutismAwareness #SaveTheDate #EmpoweringFamilies

In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we honor and pay tribute to all those who perished that terrible day. 🇺🇸 #September11 #NeverForget #OneNation #USA

Our Cofounders David Brown and Anjali Van Drie with FI Statewide Director of Child Welfare Leigh Ann Drew at the 2026 Florida Children and Families Summit. FI will be presenting on the innovative work we are doing to support ASD children engaged by the child welfare system.

Join Family Initiative for our next Speaker Series "Preparing Students For Life: Looking Beyond The School Year". Jayme Fusco, RBT, BCASE, and Director of Transitional Services at Family Initiative, will be hosting the session sharing insight as a professional advocate and parent with experience from both sides of the IEP process. Jayme will also highlight: 1. Why transition planning should start well before high school 2. Building self-advocacy, independence, and problem-solving skills 3. Leading with strengths to create a life of purpose and belonging Located at Golisano Autism Community Hub, 3221 Chiquita Blvd S, Cape Coral, FL 33914 Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 1:30 PM This is an in-person event, livestream will be available. For more details, email [email protected]

Thank you SO much @DrTempleGrandin for a phenomenal day for our community! Your wisdom, insight, and perspective was such a blessing to each and every attendee at today’s event. Your mandate for what the education system needs to do to adequately serve students on the autism spectrum was received and our community won’t rest until we make your vision become reality. We deeply appreciate Lee County Sheriff's Office for being with us today to support ASD families! As always, thank you to our incredible team for making this day possible. 💙

This week, we had the honor of meeting with Dr. @AysegulTimur, President of @fgcu, to thank her and the entire FGCU community for their continued support and partnership with Family Initiative. 💙💚 This partnership means more to us than most people know. Our founders, @davidbrownswh and @a_vandrie, are both proud FGCU alumni, and a great number of our Family Initiative staff are Eagles too! FGCU isn't just a university to us, it's part of our story. Where so many of us found our footing, our purpose, and it's a big reason Family Initiative lives and grows right here in Southwest Florida. FGCU's commitment does not end after graduation. Long after students walk that stage, they continue to be there for our community, invest in people's futures, and make Southwest Florida stronger. We carry that impact with us every day, and it's an honor to keep working alongside FGCU years later. We are beyond grateful and even more excited for the amazing projects ahead! Thank you, Dr. Timur and FGCU, for always standing with us! 🦅🤙 #WingsUp #FGCU #CommunityPartners #AutismSupport #AutismStrong – at Cape Coral, FL

We are proud of our President David Brown for sharing his insights on the importance of empowering parents in having choice for their children’s education! We are fortunate to live in the state of Florida that recognizes the importance of choice for families and allows educators to innovate, so each child has access to options for what is best for their learning. Renowned autism advocate, Dr. Temple Grandin will be joining Family Initiative this Saturday in Babcock Ranch to share her perspective and insight on the state of education for students on the autism spectrum. capecoralbreeze.com/opinion/…

We had a FANTASTIC kick-off to our inaugural Naples ASD Saturday Playgroup! It was so wonderful seeing some familiar faces and some new ones. Thank you to our amazing team for their hard work and dedication to ensure today was a big success. And deep thanks to our partners @NAMI_COLLIER for hosting us! 💙 – at Naples, FL

On behalf of all of us with Family Initiative, we wish everyone a safe and fantastic 2026-2027 school year!!! ✏️✂️📓🚍📕 – at Cape Coral, FL

Family Initiative is honored to celebrate our partnership with @NAMI_COLLIER! Thank you to Beth Hatch and the NAMI team for making this opportunity possible and for the incredible resources they're bringing to families across our community. Our new Naples location will now offer weekly Teen Group and Young Adult Group sessions, plus Free Screenings and Playgroup every third Saturday. We also want to thank Commissioner Rick LoCastro, Commissioner Dan Kowal, and Representative @BenarrochYvette for their thoughtful support and for helping spread the word about Family Initiative's mission and services. We can't wait to welcome new families and keep working toward a future where every child has the chance to thrive.💙 For more information, email [email protected] or call 239-910-0712. Learn more about our programs at fi-florida.org. #NAMICollierCounty #AutismSupport #SWFL #CommunityPartners – at Naples, FL

Thank you so much Trish Petrosky for Lee County Commissioner for visiting Family Initiative and @thriveacademyfl! We enjoyed providing a tour of our campus and private school, Thrive Academy, Family Initiative was beyond thankful to speak with Commissioner Petrosky about all the amazing services we provide for the families across our region. It was a morning filled with inspiration and hope for our families future. Thank you and we are excited to have you visit us again soon! 💙 #AutismSupport #District5 #LeeCounty #FamilyInitiative #ThriveAcademy