Parent Ryan Voelker wants families to find happiness through growth. As a father of three, he believes the best way to help children grow is by providing them with a strong support system.
Professionally, Voelker has committed himself to being a part of the support system for many children and young adults in Boone County through his involvement at Perspectives: Skills for Life, a Florence-based nonprofit that serves teens and young adults aged 11 through 25, with autism, Down syndrome, ADHD and other developmental differences.
“Families gain hope and a support system,” he said. “Communities gain productive and contributing members, and along the way, these teens and young adults gain what everyone deserves, friendship, confidence and a future filled with purpose.”
On Wednesday, Perspectives: Skills for Life debuted its new Florence headquarters to the community with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Located at 45 Cavalier Drive near Boone County High School, the Perspectives facility will allow volunteers and educators to better engage with the nonprofit’s participants. The ceremony included representatives from Perspectives, the City of Florence, and Who Dey, the Cincinnati Bengals mascot.
Perspectives offers individuals with developmental differences the chance to build and enhance their social skills, set and achieve goals, and learn lifelong skills such as cleaning, doing laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, and managing money. Its curriculum focuses on a blend of in-person instruction, hands-on practice and community-based learning.
“For so many teens and young adults on the autism spectrum, the opportunities to actually practice daily living skills or to explore real career paths and to build social confidence are extremely limited, but here, in this place, we are changing that,” Voelker said. “Perspectives is more than a building. It is a launch pad, a bridge between potential and purpose.”
Perspectives’ new building includes a kitchen for cooking, living areas for cleaning and other household chores, classrooms, and flexible therapy and teaching spaces. Before redevelopment, 45 Cavalier Drive housed Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine of Northern Kentucky, a doctor’s office. According to Boone County property records, Amicus Certus, an LLC registered to Voelker, purchased the property on March 8.
Perspectives’ initial lineup of programs includes PEERS Social Skills Groups, a curriculum that helps participants develop and sustain friendships; Healthy Living Habits, which covers topics like online safety, relationships, and personal wellness; and Perspectives Membership Events, a schedule featuring more than 30 inclusive social gatherings throughout the year.
In addition, the organization will debut a 16-week daily living skills program called Surviving and Thriving in the Real World.
Florence Mayor Julie Metzger-Aubuchon emphasized the nonprofit’s unique importance and its significance to the community.
“You know, these are all geared at creating a community and a sense of pride in this opportunity that they have to come together and make an impact in this community of Florence,” she said. “So here in Florence, we do take pride in being a city that supports inclusion and empowerment. Facilities, like Skills for Life, which I really don’t know any other facility like this. This is unique. It’s one of a kind. It’s really special what you guys have created here, and I know that it’s going to change lives.”
