SWFL Autism Support Center breaks ground in Cape Coral

What looks like a pile of dirt in Cape Coral is the future plot of land for a 3,000 square-foot space for children with autism to learn and grow.

Nonprofit Family Initiative Inc. celebrated the groundbreaking for the Southwest Florida Autism Support Center in Cape Coral Thursday.

The local nonprofit’s goal at the center is to provide resources to people living on the autism spectrum.

Sensory equipment, games and counseling are some of the resources they plan to offer families.

“To us, it means the world honestly for us to have this space,” said co-founder David Brown alongside co-founder Anjali Vandrie of Family Initiatives. “We hope that this serves as a site of inspiration that brings people together.”

The center will also include a sensory playground and classes for kids.

“It’s nice having people around that know the struggle,” said Amber Zollinger, a mother with a child on the autism spectrum. “It’s just going to be a built-in support for the community.”