Incompass Human Services was extremely grateful to receive a grant from the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism to provide funding for their expanding Strive2Thrive Program. Strive2Thrive is an Incompass program designed to serve individuals on the autism spectrum without intellectual disabilities. Established with the intention of being a peer-mentoring program with social and recreational activities, Strive2Thrive has evolved to become so much more. The program now offers coaching and service navigation, including college navigation services, to help these individuals access more unique areas of interest.

Through this graciously awarded Flutie Foundation grant, program staff can now allocate funding towards additional staff time with our Autism Specialists. This will allow the Strive2Thrive manager to allot more time prioritizing outreach to recruit new participants, aiding in the expansion of the Strive2Thrive program.

Funding that comes from our grant, like the Flutie Foundation, allows us to develop the service offerings to meet the needs of the individuals who are in the programs, without worrying about fitting into a state-funded bucket,” says Michael Bloom, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer. While “the idea for Strive2Thrive is to help the individuals develop or articulate a vision for what living a full life in the community means to them,” says Bloom, “we want to help them assemble the tools, the resources, the supports necessary to make those goals a reality.”

As the Strive2Thrive program tackles the ever-changing obstacles of operating during a pandemic, the support of the Flutie Foundation allows us to continue to meet the needs of program participants in innovative ways.