For Lovese Purifoy, caring for family has always been part of who she is.
A working grandmother raising three young grandsons with disabilities, Lovese also cares for her husband of 30 years, who is living with dementia. Between full-time employment and her family’s needs, finding time to rest was difficult.
She was committed to providing a loving, stable home. But she also needed support.
That support came through Parc Center for Disabilities, where an initial connection to caregiver relief services grew into something much larger: a network of care for Lovese and her family.
Finding Support When It Matters Most
Founded in 1953 by parents seeking better opportunities for their children with disabilities, Parc Center for Disabilities has spent more than seven decades supporting individuals and families throughout Pinellas County.
Today, Parc serves more than 800 people annually, providing person-centered services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from infancy through adulthood and the senior years.
Its programs include early intervention, inclusive preschool, therapies, supported employment, community engagement, residential care and caregiver relief services.
For Lovese, caregiver relief became an important starting point.
After a referral from the Kinship Navigation Team, she connected with Parc’s Caregiver Relief Services program. With funding from Pinellas Community Foundation/Senior Citizens Services, Parc’s Kinship Care program provided respite that allowed Lovese time to rest, recharge and manage the demands of caring for her family.
As Lovese shared:
“Something as simple as having a caregiver for a few hours… gave me the ability to rest, to breathe, to reset.”
But the support did not end there.
A New Chapter for A’mir
As Parc’s team learned more about the family’s circumstances, they connected Lovese with additional services for her grandsons.
Her youngest grandson, A’mir, was born with tibial hemimelia, a rare condition affecting the development of his leg. He uses a wheelchair and was experiencing developmental delays, including being nonverbal.
Parc helped enroll A’mir in its inclusive Discovery Learning Center preschool, where he began receiving physical, occupational and speech therapies.
Over time, Lovese began to see meaningful progress.
A’mir, once nonverbal, began speaking. Today, he sings.
For Lovese, hearing her grandson’s voice has been especially meaningful.
“So, where we once were told he was non-verbal… he talks. And not only does he talk… he sings.”
She added:
“And hearing his voice… that is something I will never take for granted.”
A’mir’s progress illustrates the value of connecting children with developmental disabilities to individualized support and opportunities to learn, communicate and grow.
Supporting the Entire Family
Parc’s approach recognizes that supporting a person with disabilities often means supporting the family and caregivers alongside them.
Beyond caregiver respite and A’mir’s preschool and therapies, Parc helped Lovese access financial assistance, summer camp scholarships for her older grandsons and caregiver support groups.
The team is also working with Wheelchairs 4 Kids to help secure a wheelchair lift for the family’s vehicle.
Each connection addresses a different part of the family’s needs. Together, they help create a more sustainable support system.
Lovese described what that support has meant:
“Through Parc, I met people who didn’t just point me in a direction… they walked beside me.”
And perhaps most importantly:
“And for the first time… I didn’t feel like I was doing this alone.”
Her experience demonstrates why access to coordinated, family-centered services matters. Caregiver relief can create the time and space families need, while connections to education, therapies and practical resources can help address longer-term needs.
Investing in Stronger Families Across Pinellas County
For more than seven decades, Parc Center for Disabilities has helped individuals with disabilities and their families access services, build connections and find opportunities to thrive.
Sustaining that work requires both resources to meet today’s needs and investments that support the organization’s future.
Parc is a recipient of a 2026–2027 operating grant from Pinellas Community Foundation (PCF). Operating support helps strengthen the organizational capacity needed to deliver services and respond to community needs.
Parc’s submitted impact story also identifies funding from PCF/Senior Citizens Services as supporting its Kinship Care program, which provided caregiver respite for Lovese.
Looking further ahead, the Parc Endowment Fund at PCF offers donors an opportunity to invest in the organization’s long-term sustainability. Endowment support helps build a lasting financial resource for the mission, complementing the funding and generosity that sustain programs today.
Together, these relationships reflect PCF’s commitment to supporting nonprofit organizations in ways that recognize both immediate community needs and long-term organizational strength.
For families like Lovese’s, the importance of that support is reflected in everyday experiences: time to rest, access to specialized services and knowing there are people ready to help.
Continuing the Work
Parc’s commitment to individuals with disabilities and their families continues through its programs, community partnerships and fundraising initiatives.
Community members can support that work through volunteering, donations and upcoming events, including Parc’s Black-Tie Gala on November 7, 2026, Giving Tuesday on December 1, 2026, and its 55th Annual Golf Tournament on May 7–8, 2027.
Parc is also advancing its $10 million Raise the Roof! capital campaign supporting the new Tom & Mary James Children’s Services Center, which will support access to early education, therapies and family-centered services.
These efforts help sustain and strengthen the services that families throughout Pinellas County rely on.
The Difference a Helping Hand Can Make
Lovese’s responsibilities have not disappeared. She continues working, raising her grandsons and caring for her husband.
But she has a network of people and services helping her along the way.
As she shared:
“My life is still full. It’s still hard. But it’s also full of love. And because of Parc… I’m not doing this alone anymore.”
Her family’s story is a reminder that meaningful impact does not always begin with a major intervention. Sometimes, it begins with someone recognizing that a caregiver needs a few hours of rest.
And when that support opens the door to additional resources, the impact can extend across an entire family.
Learn more about Parc Center for Disabilities: www.parc-fl.org
Support its long-term mission: pinellascf.org/parc
