CASSELBERRY, Fla. — Finding purpose is something most people seek, and Inspire of Central Florida is working help adults with special needs find their purpose by teaching them how to be independent.

What You Need To Know

  • Inspire of Central Florida teaches life skills to adults with special needs

  • The nonprofit received grant money from Addition Financial recently for its programs 

  • The credit union in May also hosted a workshop for Inspire's "specialists" to help them learn to budget money

That purpose is what Andrew Boyd says he recently found through his work at Inspire of Central Florida.

The nonprofit provides opportunities for special-needs adults by linking them to job training at places like the cafe at the Seminole County Services Building in Sanford.

That is where Boyd works alongside others to learn transferable skills — from counting money to taking orders from customers — that he hopes one day will translate into a job.

“It gives me a chance to go out into the community,” Boyd said. “I’m good with registers — hoping to be a cashier.”

Inspire Operations Manager Lilly Continanzi, who has been with the nonprofit for two years, said the day-training and learning center has about 100 adults enrolled, from “specialists” in their 20s to those in their 70s.

She said the goal is to help them be more independent.

“Things like cooking, doing their laundry, doing basic math so they can do change at the store, how to take the bus," she said. "Things like that."

The organization can build on its programs with the help of community partnerships, she said.

For example, Addition Financial recently worked with Inspire for the first time. In addition to getting a grant from the Lake Mary-based credit union, Addition Financial in May coordinated for Inspire a fair based around personal finance.

It was an opportunity to expand financial skills, like budgeting, and Boyd was happy to learn — and also to show off to his greatest supporter: his mom, who also happens to work for Addition Financial and volunteered at the fair.

“All that I’ve done over the course of being here is all to make my mom proud," he said.

His mom, Annette, smiled and said: "He makes me proud every day.”

After the workshop, Addition Financial announced that it selected Inspire and nine other local nonprofits to receive grants for the second year in a row.