CAPE CORAL, Fla. — An improv class in Cape Coral performed for the public for the first time, bringing joy and recognition to adults and adolescents with disabilities in Southwest Florida.
Six months ago, artistic director Leslie Fanelli came to Special Populations with a simple idea. She wanted to start an improv program for adults and adolescents with disabilities.
"I love this play!" said Adrianna, one of the participants.
The participants took to improvisation immediately, embracing music, movement, dance and storytelling with pure joy.
Click here to see Fox 4 Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with those who made the show happen.
"They are just amazing people that really need to be recognized and seen. And they have worked so hard on these performances that they're really going to shine," said Lorraine Scarlotto, senior recreation specialist at Special Populations.
Sunday, their hard work paid off with the center's first improv showcase. But this performance is about more than entertainment. It's about showing the community the incredible gifts that people with disabilities have to offer.
The Guardian Angels, a non-profit that supports the center, helped turn this showcase into a fundraiser for the Cultural Park Theater. Mick Sheldrake from the Guardian Angels says it's their way of giving back to an organization that has supported them.
"As we grow, people that have special needs, that community is also growing, and we want them to know that there's a place for them," Sheldrake said. "When you see the self esteem that they have having walked that red carpet that day, it doesn't matter how much time it took to put that thing together, or even how much money that display of humanity and happiness on the faces of the participants is just amazing."
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