STARability Foundation

We serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Collier County, Florida, by providing them community-based vocational training and continuing education opportunities as well as life-enriching experiences through art and social activities. We fill a need that exists for people with disabilities who have aged out of the school system. Our innovative and creative programs focus on continuing education, teamwork and community involvement. 

Our signature program, the Trailblazer Academy, gives participants a unique opportunity to learn vocational skills to become a part of the workforce. In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic forced us to suspend in-person classes and activities, we quickly changed our program-delivery model to virtual platforms. This pivot has enabled us to continue providing virtual programs to many of our participants. The Trailblazer Academy, focuses on developing eight core life skills that lead to greater independence. Our goal is to continue offering engaging programs with measurable outcomes that include participants achieving 85% skill mastery.

Modeled after the Trailblazer Academy, the Junior Trailblazer Academy is a structured after-school program for high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This program helps prepare students for a transition to young adulthood. Our goal is to continue offering engaging programs with measurable outcomes that include participants achieving 85% skill mastery.

The STAR Store, Upscale Resale & Stellar Art, in the Naples Design District, continues to increase our community presence. The STAR Store is a source of revenue for our organization, provides vocational training to our participants, and is the site of our social enterprise program, called the STAR*Made Studio. Participants make candles and other products at the studio, and their work is sold at the store to support our mission. Our goal is to expand our product mix to include hand-made home decor items.

Finally, a long-term goal is to open a community center as a base of operations for training, education, enrichment opportunities and connections to the community.

Our goals are classified in three strategic functional focus areas, as outlined in our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan: Programs, Fundraising and Development, and Community Engagement and Marketing.

Programs:
The strategic focus is to refine and grow our existing programs and ensure their availability for current and future STARability participants.
1. Identify options for facility expansion that can increase our physical space and grow participation in current and new programs.
2. Develop a staff surge capacity to respond to the demands of our staff-dependent programs and accommodate personnel tempo of arrivals, absences and departures.
3. Enhance the outcomes of the Trailblazer Academy and increase its seasonal capacity to serve more participants of varying ages and abilities.
4. Increase the inclusiveness and skills development of our programs as we provide more options for our participants.

Fundraising and Development:
The strategic focus is to ensure the sustainability of current STARability operations and establish a foundation for future growth and expansion.
1. Raise a minimum of $1 million annually at the Star Gala and widen the circle of major and corporate support, while positioning the event as a “must attend” function in the Naples charity event season.
2. Create the capacity necessary for complex and comprehensive initiatives such as a capital campaign.
3. Diversify revenue streams so that the Star Gala is no more than 50% of total revenue.
4. Create a culture of philanthropy throughout all levels of the organization.

Community Engagement and Marketing:
The strategic focus is to significantly expand awareness of STARability’s mission and work, demonstrate our impact in the community and build lasting partnerships.
1. Build our credibility in the community with key leaders who can provide advocacy and support for the critical needs of our programs and services.
2. Strengthen internal and external communications.
3. Become the community leader for raising awareness and promoting respect for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities so that they can lead meaningful and productive lives.

STARability's capabilities include:
-- Impact reporting. We have adopted a means of assessing ability that was initially developed by Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation Research & Training Center. This evidence-based approach focuses on building knowledge, skills and communication abilities in eight life skills that Trailblazer Academy instructors teach through in-person and virtual classes/activities. The life skills are: 1. Self-determination and advocacy (i.e., greater independence, personal responsibility across settings, problem-solving abilities, ability to ask for help) 2. Health and safety (i.e., nutrition, fitness, personal safety) 3. Peer relationships and social communication 4. Community participation and personal finance 5. Leisure and recreation 6. Transportation 7. Career path and employment 8. Home living
-- Program adaptability. With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, we changed our program delivery model to include program delivery through virtual platforms. Virtual programs are now a permanent and critical component of our program offerings.
-- Lesson plan development and partnerships with respected regional institutions. We've embarked on a project to document lesson plans and instructional practices tied to participant goals and ability measures. The lesson plan series will make up a first-ever curriculum guide for working with young adults on community-based skill development. We're partnering with regional universities and county specialists in Exceptional Student Education on a peer-review process. In September 2020, we convened an advisory board that includes an esteemed researcher in the field of autism and neurodiversity from Florida Gulf Coast University and a program director in the field of occupational therapy with Keiser University. The peer-review process will ensure we optimize instructional activities with proven, evidence-based best-practices.
-- Board leadership that brings energy, vision and dedication to seeing the organization succeed. 
-- A professional staff that is passionate about the mission and always working to improve.
-- The commitment of dedicated volunteers.
-- History of service. STARability was founded in the early 1980s and has had an active role continually since then. (We were previously known as the Foundation for the Developmentally Disabled.)
-- A growing base of donors.
-- Filling a gap in service to disabled individuals in our community. We provide a real opportunity for individuals with disabilities and their families to communicate, connect and participate.  We offer educational and training programs and activities that are not offered by other organizations in Southwest Florida.
-- Strong partnerships and collaborations.

In 2020, we pivoted to a virtual program delivery model as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Our programming staff now can shift between online and in-person instruction as we continue to adapt our class and workshop schedules to meet the needs of participants while ensuring their safety. For example, while small groups meet in-person with three or four instructors, other instructors are simultaneously leading live virtual classes or creating recorded videos of activities. We anticipate using this model in the short run. Once we can safely resume in-person instruction at full capacity, virtual lessons will continue to complement our curriculum.

We also continued to build on program success by creating an evidence-based program tracking model and program curriculum. In June 2020, we partnered with families to take an interim read on what was happening at home, especially related to participant goals, which cumulatively make up our program's top impact areas. Programming was interrupted in March because of COVID-19, and while in-person activities shifted to a virtual platform, we wanted to know whether participants were maintaining the gains they had made. Families reported that their loved ones improved their self-determination and advocacy (e.g., problem-solving abilities) and
communication skills (e.g., awareness of personal boundaries, using social conventions), among other areas.

We're partnering with regional universities and county specialists in Exceptional Student Education on a peer-review process. The peer-review process will ensure we optimize instructional activities with proven, evidence-based best-practices.