By NewsLine staff
The First Coast Cultural Center (FCCC) was recently awarded a grant of $10,000 from the Autism License Plate Fund and the Autism Services Grants Council to expand its music therapy program. The center was one of 18 Florida nonprofits to receive funding.
The grant supports Sound Connections® Music Therapy (SCMT), an FCCC outreach program that provides no-cost therapeutic interventions to nearly 300 students per week in four St. Johns County schools, focusing on individuals with autism and related disabilities.
“This grant allows us to continue our mission of providing structured, data-informed music therapy services to elementary students with special needs, particularly those in Title I schools,” said Candice Sirak, senior music therapist and SCMT manager.
The program uses clinically validated techniques to target individualized goals across communication, language, academic readiness and social-emotional functioning. The grant funding was generated by sales of the specialty “Support Autism Programs” license plate, which provided nearly $160,000 to nonprofits statewide this year.
