My Special Place closest thing to witnessing a Miracle in Progress

Parady’s Commitment:

• Parady Financial will designate MSP as a major charity, supporting us with events already scheduled as well as new fundraising initiatives.
• Mr. Parady is offering his personal expertise in business finance to help in the acquisition of two currently vacant Villages properties and will engage consultants at his own expense to determine the best approach to structure the purchase of those facilities for our organization.
• He plans to enlist other community business leaders to join in this effort.
• He has personally committed to make a substantial financial contribution to MSP.

The involvement of the Parady organization is truly beyond our wildest dreams. Having such a well respected, intelligent and generous community leader as our partner gives us tremendous hope and momentum. If you believe in miracles, this might qualify!

As you might remember, we have been focused on the acquisition of two existing vacant buildings located at 1475 El Camino Real directly across from The Villages Hospital. Acquiring these buildings makes our housing initiative available in months as opposed to waiting years for new construction.

However, we recently learned that another buyer had submitted an offer on the buildings. To protect our initiative, we promptly submitted a Letter of Intent which, after negotiations, was accepted. A Purchase and Sales Agreement is now being drafted, and once finalized and signed, it will initiate a 75-day due diligence period. Although this progress is encouraging, there is still no guarantee, as the buildings remain on the market.

Soon we will be launching an aggressive fundraising effort, reaching out to our 550+ contacts and far beyond. If you would be interested in serving on our Fundraising Committee or committing funds to our Capital Campaign, please reply to this email with your contact information.  In addition, we have contacted several foundations about potential grants.

One of our biggest challenges has been navigating licensing requirements with the Agency for

Persons with Disabilities (APD) and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). In recent weeks, we have met with the Director of Operations for the Central District, Jeannette Estes, and her team to determine our best option to license the two-building facility (a total of 44 units) for MSP. We believe we now have a viable path forward and we are working out the details.

The two-story building, with 31 units, will offer 24/7 supervision, daily meal options and services tailored to higher-functioning residents with IDD. The one-story building, with 13 units, will provide 24/7 full care for those with greater needs.  These models provide flexibility to serve individuals across a range of abilities while ensuring compliance with state and federal requirements.

• Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit application is currently pending with the IRS, and we have formally requested expedited processing. We have already been approved as a registered charity in the State of Florida.
• We have met with numerous State Representatives, Senators and Congressmen to highlight both our project and the regulatory disparities that limit IDD housing options especially compared to senior living facilities.
• In August, the new APD Director, Bob Asztalos, visited The Villages and met with us. We were encouraged by his genuine desire to understand the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families as well as his passion for finding meaningful solutions to better serve their consumers and provider partners.

In just five months since establishing our new Board, we have made great progress but much

important work lies ahead. We need to strengthen our Board with additional expertise in nonprofit accounting (CPA) and legal matters. If you would be willing to lend your skills by joining our Board, or know of someone, please reply to this email. Our immediate priority is to secure ownership of the buildings and prepare for a major fundraising campaign.

We hope this memo conveys the same excitement and encouragement that we feel today. We invite you to join us in our efforts to finally make My Special Place a reality. Your continued prayers and support are deeply appreciated as we move forward with these critical next steps.

Together, we can create My Special Place—a safe, loving home for our 

Special Needs Community and a legacy of care that will endure for generations.