Post-renovation, disabled-serving nonprofit in Jacksonville has record number of openings

Beth Reese Cravey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·3 min read
The Flashbacks perform at the Riverside Arts Market. The band's members are clients of Jacksonville nonprofit Pine Castle, which serves intellectually or developmentally disabled adults. They perform popular music from the 1960s to the 2000s.
The Flashbacks perform at the Riverside Arts Market. The band's members are clients of Jacksonville nonprofit Pine Castle, which serves intellectually or developmentally disabled adults. They perform popular music from the 1960s to the 2000s.

Pine Castle, which serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has a record number of openings after a renovation project freed up more space.

The Jacksonville nonprofit already serves 226 participants and is seeking 200 more in its Academy Pathways Day Program, a "ground-breaking curriculum" that earned the Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities' 2023Innovation Award, CEO Lori Ann Whittington said.

"We are thrilled that our new capacity … will allow us to serve more adults," she said.

In 2022, Pine Castle launched a $2.25 million plan that included renovation of campus facilities that had not been upgraded since the 1980s, development of a new college-type curriculum and payment of $1 million in debt. The 10-acre campus has since been "fully renovated," from classrooms to the Chartrand Café where participants work in a new kitchen, Whittington said.

A subsequent capacity study revealed that the nonprofit can now serve up to 429 participants.

"Because of the new Pine Castle Academy, our new curriculum, and operating more like a college-like setting with the participants moving from classroom to classroom, activity to activity throughout the day, it allowed us to expand our capacity," Whittington said.

Direct support professional Walter McDowell, center, leads Pine Castle participants in a sensory-based curriculum activity. The Jacksonville nonprofit serves intellectually and developmentally disabled adults.
Direct support professional Walter McDowell, center, leads Pine Castle participants in a sensory-based curriculum activity. The Jacksonville nonprofit serves intellectually and developmentally disabled adults.

The Academy Pathways Day Program has two tracks for clients to choose from — the Pathway to Life Enrichment or the Pathway to Community Employment. After enrollment, each client receives a personalized curriculum and daily schedule that include weekly field trips and extracurricular activities such as band, chorus and Special Olympics. They can also receive mental health services.

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Clients in the community employment program have on-campus job opportunities in assembling and packaging, wood shop, culinary, janitorial and maintenance, earning minimum wage or more. Items they make in the woodshop are for sale at pinecastle.org/market-place. After they complete the program, they get help finding jobs in the community. On the Life Enrichment Pathway, participants "focus on developing the life skills necessary to increase overall independence and quality of life through hands-on learning experiences" and practice, according to Pine Castle.

The staff that leads them on these pathways are "highly trained support personnel," many of whom earn Pine Castle’s direct support professionals status after a year-long training program, according to the nonprofit.

"Pine Castle is one of only three providers in the state that offer this intensive training for our staff," Cynica Jackson, chief programs officer, said. "Combining that with our world-class services and newly renovated campus, Pine Castle offers a unique, meaningful experience."

Two Pine Castle participants create large planter boxes in the nonprofit's woodshop. The Jacksonville nonprofit serves intellectually and developmentally disabled adults.
Two Pine Castle participants create large planter boxes in the nonprofit's woodshop. The Jacksonville nonprofit serves intellectually and developmentally disabled adults.

The nonprofit helps families access federal and state funding resources to cover the monthly tuition, as well as a variety of payment plans. For more information go to pinecastle.org/admissions or call (904) 733-2650.

Pine Castle was founded in 1952 by 33 families of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They were part of a national movement away from institutionalizing such children, according to the nonprofit, and at the time there were no local programs or schools to provide support services.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville nonprofit that serves disabled people has 200 openings