City's Special Populations Center Receives Innovative Programming Award
October 14, 2026
The City of Cape Coral's Freida B. Smith Special Populations Center was awarded the Innovative Programming Award for Health from the Florida Recreation and Park Association. The award honors the center's commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for connection and engagement.
The Freida B. Smith Special Populations Center received this recognition for its Talk Space Support Program. The program, which started in January, is designed to provide accessible grief support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants explore grief, build coping skills, and develop emotional awareness through adaptive communication strategies and therapeutic activity-based engagement.
The City of Cape Coral is honored to receive this recognition and provide meaningful experiences that inspire connection, inclusion, and discovery.
For more information on the Freida B. Smith Special Populations Center, click here.
The City of Cape Coral accepts the Innovative Programming Award from the Florida Recreation and Park Association.
Left to right: Joe Petrella, Cape Coral Parks and Recreation Director, Michael Ilczyszyn, Cape Coral City Manager, Rebecca Fontanez, Recreation Specialist, Sarah Scarlato, Recreation Specialist, Milena Park, Special Populations Supervisor