After founding the Ability Tree First Coast in (YEAR) CEO, Joanne Alicea, has taken to the churches in the St. John’s community to spread Ability Tree’s message of inclusion.

Through her own experiences of being a Christian and being a mother of children with special needs, Alicea saw the opportunity to advocate for families like her own.

Alicea has a son with Down syndrome and a daughter with ADD and a learning disability. Her family is aware of the importance of inclusion and how  difficult it can be when the appropriate resources aren’t available.

“These families are struggling and they need help,” she says.

By telling her own story about becoming Josiah’s mother, and advocating for her daughter in school,   Alicea hopes to bring  more awareness to what exactly it means to be inclusive.

Her  goal is help educate and provide resources for people, like church families, who want to  accommodate for special needs families who might otherwise be turned away.

“It’s about establishing a culture,” said Alicea. “I want to inspire churches to have a culture of inclusion.”

For Alicea, and ATFC as a whole, the church is a valuable asset, it’s a place that reaches a diverse group of people within the community.

“You have the potential to impact people who can reach out to families that I would never reach,’ says Alicea.

But speaking to churches in the St. Augustine community is only the beginning.  Alicea says it’s like “warming up the butter.”

After getting the opportunity to train one church leadership team in the past, Alicea wants to dedicate more of her time to these trainings. The hope is that the churches begin to feel like they can meet the needs of special needs families, and the families feel welcome and accepted.

Awareness is only the first step, providing the support of mentors and training is what will make a difference. “I want it to be ongoing relationship we have with them, not a once and done kind of thing.”