Let's Be Friends
We want you to hang out with us.
Let's Do Something
Exercise, arts, hang-outs—HUG’s community calendars include tons of fun events and activities specifically designed for our friends with special needs.
Let's Connect
Look, we want you to like us. Join the HUG crew on Facebook right now.
Meet the HUG Entrepreneurs
HUG is passionate about helping our talented friends with disabilities succeed. Check out how these brave and inspiring pursuits of happiness are breaking barriers for social inclusion.
Mark Fleming
The first personal trainer with autism to own the first gym in America catering to clients with autism opened here in the Tampa Bay area. He just needed an assist getting the word out. That’s where HUG came in.
Ethan Holt
During a Friends of HUG photo shoot, we noticed Ethan Holt was a born model. This young man with Down Syndrome admitted that was his dream career. HUG helped pave the way to a contract that made him a viral sensation.
Maxine Simeone
Making fab glam jewelry was her passion—why not turn it into a profitable business? HUG rolled up our sleeves to help our friend with Down syndrome build Sparkles by Maxine from the ground up.
HUG’s “How Do You Include?” Campaign
Everybody loves our HUG Ambassadors. You will, too, in this public education campaign we launched starring our inclusion champions. They’ll walk you through a first-person perspective on the beauty of inclusion and how simple it is to build a better world.
Meet Tim
People with disabilities love to give back to their communities. Here, Tim talks about his volunteer work in the cat section of the Pinellas County Humane Society. (Yes, there are cats in this video.)
Meet Lauren
Did you know people with disabilities often outperform their counterparts on the job? Here, Lauren talks about her own job and offers some helpful social tips for anyone working with someone with a disability.
Meet Will
Inclusion champion Will coaches you through how to be your best when communicating with a non-verbal person.
Meet Ethan
Need a handsome model with a stop-traffic smile and a little bit of friendly swagger? We’ve got one whose story went viral and proves inclusion works.
Meet Maxine
When we’re talking about inclusion, we mean business. Here, the owner of Sparkles by Maxine shows that people with special needs make great entrepreneurs.
Meet Kartheek
People with disabilities say a lot of valuable things. We only need to take time to listen. Here, Kartheek—a master public speaker—talks about turning people’s #1 fear into his favorite hobby.
What They're Saying About HUG
Featured Stories
Wanna know what we love at HUG? Creating a more inclusive world by showing off our amazing friends and inspiring people to embrace those of us with disabilities. The good vibes behind HUG are catching on—take a look at these top stories.
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Made national news. Went viral on social media. It’s Ethan Holt, our friend with Down Syndrome who landed a modeling gig with Surf Style.
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Some people go to the Threshers’ games to see baseball, but we know most people go to see our friend and HUG Ambassador Dirk Howard, as Bay News 9 confirms in this heartwarming spotlight.
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Mark Fleming, a personal trainer with autism, owns the first gym in America catering to clients with autism—and it opened here in the Tampa Bay area. How cool is that?
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FOX national news gives a shout-out to HUG for our work with inclusion for people with disabilities.
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The solution is as simple as a connection. This video explains what we’re all about at HUG.
