The Grove

 

The Grove supports adolescents suffering from alcohol or substance abuse and in need of a more intensive individual support plan. Our voluntary residential program is available for youth 13-17 years old and the recommended stay ranges from three to six months depending on the individual’s progress.

The family component educates those closest to the youth about chemical dependency and the practical skills needed to support the youth in his/her vision of a better life.

With the primary diagnosis of substance abuse, a youth can benefit from the structure of the day to day activities The Grove provides:

  • Group therapy 5 days a week
  • Individual and family therapy at least once a week
  • Florida Virtual School for all clients to maintain his/her current status with credits or catchup with the assistance of a teacher in the classroom. Credits from Florida Virtual School are accepted at all Florida schools. This helps reduce the possible stigma when the youth returns to school.
  • Life Skills Courses teaches our clients those basic life skills they might not have received as they progress into adulthood. Basic budgeting, interviewing for a job, and planning a healthy meal are a few of the topics touched on in our Life Skills program.
  • Community outings and volunteer opportunities
  • Evenings can include Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous

Intake Procedures

When inquiring about intake procedure for The Grove, be prepared to provide the following:

  • Household income documentation
  • Current school transcripts and withdraw paperwork
  • Immunization records
  • Tuberculosis skin test results

This program is sponsored by Central Florida Cares Health Systems Inc. and Florida Department of Children and Families

For more information about The Grove or make a referral, please contact us at 407.215.0095; option 3 or email thegrove@impowerfl.org.

Make a Referral

To make an adolescent referral for The Grove please complete the online referral form below. Once submitted an IMPOWER staff member will contact you.

Parents/Guardians and Dependency Case Managers CLICK HERE

Online Referral Form for Parents or Guardians

All Others CLICK HERE

Online Referral for Providers

Download a Referral Form

Referral Form (PDF)

Our Founder – Dr. Luis M. Perez (1928-88)

Luis Martin Perez was born in Cuba on January 30, 1928. In 1957, after becoming a cardiologist, Dr. Perez and his wife Maria Pique, a dermatologist, left Cuba for America to study at Atlanta’s Baptist Hospital.

However, when the time came for them to return home communist leader and dictator Fidel Castro had taken power, leaving the Perez family stranded in the United States.

After much deliberation, the family moved to Florida and in 1963 Dr. Perez began practicing medicine in Sanford.

“People in the United States do not realize that a free society is still an exceptional society. The idea of a free society is still unattainable or unaccepted to most of the people of the world….It would be easier for us to grasp this truth if we weren’t so blessedly comfortable.” –Dr. Luis Martin Perez (1928-88), Founder, The Grove

Over the next two and a half decades Dr. Perez became an integral community leader in Central Florida, and particularly in Seminole County.

In 1971, he founded the Drug Action Committee of Seminole County (DASC) which later became The Grove. He also became a noted Florida lobbyist, civic leader and advocate against drug abuse, especially youth substance abuse.

Eventually, Dr. Perez became the first foreign-born president of the Florida Medical Association, a trustee at Central Florida Regional Hospital, and spoke at The University of Central Florida’s summer 1985 Commencement ceremony. He was beloved by everyone he came in contact with, and truly had a heart for his community.

Through the vision of Dr. Perez, The Grove has helped tens of thousands of youth and families throughout its history. His resolve to eliminate drug and substance abuse, his desire to promote free democracy and his deep passion for helping others continue to be vital components of not only his legacy, but of the life-changing programs at The Grove. We are forever in his debt.