New Golisano Program Center to anchor STARability campus

The future of STARability Foundation is taking shape on its new North Naples campus, highlighted by the announcement that its program center will be named for benefactor Tom Golisano.

STARability, the Naples-based nonprofit that empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking Nov. 19 on the 5-acre site at 2655 Northbrooke Drive, marking the start of Phase 1 of the planned campus.

During the ceremony, the organization unveiled the name of the Golisano Program Center, which will serve as the main building. The Golisano Foundation has committed $10 million to the project.

Karen Govern, CEO of STARability, told attendees the new campus will be a “welcoming home” for people with IDD and their families and represents a long-held vision. She thanked donors, community leaders, board members and the campaign committee for their support.

“This next chapter would not be possible without the incredible support from Tom Golisano and our entire community,” Govern said. “As we advance this work, we are not only building a regional hub that expands services and opportunities for families across Southwest Florida but also shaping a campus that will stand as a national model for what true inclusivity can look like. We are building a brighter future for our STARS (program participants) to shine.”

She said Golisano and his foundation’s support “reflects not just an investment in our mission, but a belief in our people and our participants, our families, our team and our community.”

Erica Dayton, executive director of the Golisano Foundation, represented Golisano at the event and said he is proud of STARability’s achievements and appreciative of the opportunity to support the organization.

“He knows that the work they do in Collier County and in Naples is so important for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Dayton said. “And as a parent himself, he understands the struggles and gets the needs of these individuals and their families that are really behind them.”

Phase 1 includes renovating an existing 42,000-square-foot building on the former Hodges University campus in North Naples to become the Golisano Program Center.

STARability said the renovation marks the beginning of a multiphase plan to create a “comprehensive, purpose-driven campus” to meet the needs of a growing Southwest Florida.

Phase 1 is estimated for completion in spring 2027, followed by phases 2 and 3 — an events center and a residential component — with more details to be announced later.

Govern said STARability currently serves more than 370 individuals annually, with about 75 participants attending daily programs. Demand outpaces space, and the waiting list grows each day.

“The new campus expands services and support to serve 1,000 people annually, welcoming 180 participants on campus each day and eliminating the waitlist,” Govern said.

The state-of-the-art program center will feature classrooms, activity rooms, a movement room and rooms for art and music, she said.

“We will also have services to support individual and family therapeutic services,” Govern said. She noted that adults with IDD often struggle to find providers who continue offering needed therapeutic services into adulthood.

STARability acquired the North Naples property in 2024 through a merger with the former Southwest Florida Music Education Center, which purchased the 8.78-acre site near the northeast corner of Immokalee Road and Interstate 75 for more than $10 million in 2022. Current plans call for utilizing only 5 acres, Govern said.

The new campus is being developed in partnership with Connor+Gaskins Studio and design firms including Stofft Cooney Architects, Lisa Kahn Designs, Architectural Land Design and Davidson Engineering.