SURE TO BRING YOU THAT LIVE ON AIR AND ONLINE AT NEWS. 4 JAX DOT COM.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: ALL RIGHT.
HERE’S SOMETHING TO BE
EXCITING ABOUT HELPING SERVE
ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND
DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES FROM
BASIC ACADEMIC TRAINING IN
HANDS ON JOB EXPERIENCE TO
EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES AND LIFE
SKILLS. PINE CASTLE HAS BEEN
HELPING EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS.
FOR DECADES. THEY’VE BEEN A
STAPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND
NOW THE ORGANIZATION IS
BRINGING BACK A JACKSONVILLE
TRADITION. THE PINE CASTLE
BARBECUE. YES, I’M LISTENING.
JOINING US NOW TO TALK MORE
ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET
INVOLVED. LORI ANN
WHITTINGTON, THE CEO OF PINE
CASTLE. GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
50 YEARS 70 I-70 IS EXCUSE ME.
I’M YEARS. REALLY, REALLY
INCREDIBLE. SO TELL ME ABOUT
PINE CASTLE. WHAT YOU DO HERE
IN THE COMMUNITY. GREAT. WELL,
PINE CASTLE IS A NONPROFIT
AGENCY.
>> THAT SERVES ADULTS WITH
INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
DIFFERENCES LIKE AUTISM,
CEREBRAL PALSY AND DOWN
SYNDROME. AND WE DO THAT IN 3
DIFFERENT WAYS. WE HELP THEM
LEARN WORK AND CONNECT. AND
WE’RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE.
HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR
ANNIVERSARY. CERTAINLY
CERTAINLY BECAUSE A LOT OF
TIMES YOU SEE THE CARE OF 4, 4
RIGHT K THROUGH 12, SOMETHING
LIKE THAT.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THERE’S NOT
THAT MANY RESOURCES IT COMES
TO ADULTS WITH THE
INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
DIFFERENCES. AND THAT’S WHERE
YOU FILL IN THAT GAP. THAT’S
RIGHT. WHEN WE ACTUALLY
STARTED AS A SCHOOL FOR
CHILDREN IN THE 1950’S 1952,
ACTUALLY.
>> AND WE OPERATED AS A SCHOOL
FOR CHILDREN UNTIL THE MID
60’S. AND THEN THE SCHOOL
SYSTEM PICKED UP AND STARTED
THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM.
AND THAT’S WHEN WE STARTED
SERVING ADULTS FOR JOB
TRAINING IN LIFE SKILLS AND
THINGS LIKE THAT. AND WE’VE
BEEN DOING IT EVER SINCE. SO
LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS. HOW ARE
YOU COMMEMORATING THIS BIG
MARK? 70 YEARS? WELL, WE
REALLY HAD 3 COMING UP TO OUR
70TH ANNIVERSARY AND WE’VE
BEEN WORKING ON THAT SINCE
JUST BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. SO
WE WANTED WE WORK OUR
PROGRAMMING INTO 2 DIFFERENT
PATHWAYS. THE PATHWAY TO LIFE
ENRICHMENT AND THE PATHWAY TO
COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT ALSO READ
REVAMP OUR CAMPUS TO SUPPORT
THOSE 2 PATHWAYS. SO WE
REMODELED THE ENTIRE CAMPUS
AND WE ALSO DEVELOP NEW
CURRICULUM FOR THE
PARTICIPANTS TO LEARN SKILLS
AND BE ABLE TO MEASURE THEIR
PROGRESS. AND OUR 3RD AND
FINAL GOAL WAS TO REALLY MAKE
PINE CASTLE DEBT FREE FOR THE
NEXT 70 YEARS. AND SO WE’RE
EXCITED THAT WE RAISED ALMOST
1.8 MILLION DOLLARS COMPLETE
THE CAMPUS RENOVATIONS
CURRICULUM. AND WE ONLY HAD
ABOUT 425,000 TO GO ON THE
DEBT REDUCTION. SO WE’RE
WORKING ON THAT RIGHT BEFORE
THE BARBECUE ON NOVEMBER 5TH.
THAT’S GREAT. TAKING CARE OF
THOSE BILLS. SO LET’S LET’S
TALK ABOUT THE BARBECUE.
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT AND HOW
DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
WELL, THE BARBECUE IS ACTUALLY
OUR GETS BACK TO THE
COMMUNITY. IT USED TO BE A
FUNDRAISER MANY, MANY YEARS
AGO. AND WE DO OTHER
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES NOW. SO
WE JUST WANTED TO BRING IT
BACK FOR A COMMEMORATION FOR
THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY. IT WILL
BE ON NOVEMBER 5TH FROM 10 TO
3 AT THE PINE CASTLE CAMPUS
TICKETS IN ADVANCE OR JUST $5.
AND THAT’S REALLY FOR US. JUST
GET A COUNT OF HOW MANY PEOPLE
ARE COMING AND THERE’S GOING
TO BE CARNIVAL GAMES AND
ACTIVITIES AND BANS AND
CELEBRATION IN OUR OWN BAN.
THE FLASHBACKS IS GOING TO
PLAY SO SUMMER. ARE ADULTS
HAVE FORMED A BAND OF WAY ALL
OVER THE COMMUNITY AND THEY’RE
REALLY, REALLY GOOD. OH, WOW.
I LOVE THAT. YEAH, YOU’RE
SEEING THESE ADULTS JUST
FLOURISH. FLOURISH. AND THAT’S
WHAT MAKES. PROBABLY GOING TO
WORK. SO VERY SPECIAL FOR YOU.
AND YOUR TEAM IS VERY
REWARDING. AND THESE
INDIVIDUALS CAN DO MORE THAN
ANYBODY EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE.
AND MANY OF THEM ARE WORKING
IN THE COMMUNITY NOW. AND
THAT’S ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO
HELP MORE ADULTS FIND JOBS IN
THE COMMUNITY. SO WE HOPE THE
COMMUNITY WILL SUPPORT US AND
BE OPEN OPEN THEIR HEARTS AND
THEIR COMPANIES TO
POSSIBILITIES FOR ADULTS WITH
DISABILITIES, WORKING WITH
THEM. WHAT KIND OF JOBS WE
KIND OF JOBS ARE WE TALKING
ABOUT? WELL, WE’RE DOING JOB
TRAINING SOME TRADE AREAS
FOODSERVICE, LANDSCAPING,
JANITORIAL AND MAINTENANCE, AS
WELL AS WE DO. A LOT OF
MANUFACTURING ASSEMBLY AND WE
WORK CLOSELY WITH THE FIRST
COAST MANUFACTURERS
ASSOCIATION AND SOME OF THOSE
GROUPS TO TO DO THAT ON
CAMPUSES TRAINING. AND THEN
THOSE INDIVIDUALS CAN GET JOBS
AT THOSE COMPANIES IN THE
COMMUNITY. AND FOR THOSE
COMPANIES THAT DO HIRE, I
MEAN, THE REWARDS JUST
CONTINUE TO COME IN, HAVE DONE
SEVERAL OF THE STORIES AND
IT’S SO INCREDIBLE TO SEE.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: JUST THE
BOOST IN MORALE AND THE
PRODUCTIVITY AND AND HOW OTHER
EMPLOYEES REACT TO HAVING
THESE AMAZING INDIVIDUALS FROM
OUR COMMUNITY TAKING PART IN
THE TEAMWORK.
>> WELL, IT’S HARD TO HAVE A
BAD DAY WHEN YOU’RE AROUND.
INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT
SAYS BECAUSE THEY GO THROUGH
SO MUCH EVERY DAY JUST TO GET
WHERE THEY’RE GOING IN TO WORK
AND TO HAVE A PRODUCTIVE LIFE
THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SAY WHAT WE
GOT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. YOU
KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING. SURE.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
WHAT YOU DO. I KNOW THAT YOU
HAVE A GREAT, STRONG TEAMWORK
MIND YOU SO WANT TO GIVE THEM
ALL OUR THANKS. AND ONE MORE
TIME, THE WEBSITE TO SIGN UP
FOR THAT BARBECUE RIGHT THERE
ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN.
PINE CASTLE DOT ORG SLASH 70
YEARS. OBVIOUSLY WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT THE BARBECUE IN
NOVEMBER, BUT THERE’S A LOT OF
OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THERE’S A LOT
OF OTHER REASONS TO GET BY
THAT CAMPUS IS CERTAINLY GO ON
THAT WEBSITE. REACH OUT AND
CERTAINLY MAKE SOME NEW