BiG North Florida is rooted in a parent’s love, founded on a mission to serve, and framed around the hope of a better tomorrow.

In 2015, Founder and visionaries, Tim and Lynn Yeager started a school - BridgeHaven Academy - for their son, Jacob, when he began typing using an alternative form of communication known as Facilitated Communication. BridgeHaven Academy grew and thrived, serving non-speaking individuals diagnosed with Autism. The school provided an age-appropriate education to high school students who used Facilitated Communication and Spelling 2 Communicate as their primary means of communication. The school was founded upon presuming competence and each individual’s right and ability to communicate.

As BridgeHaven continued to grow, Lynn Yeager began to focus on providing the gift of communication to individuals and families in North Florida - the same gift Jacob received in 2015 that literally changed the trajectory of his entire life. In 2020, the BridgeHaven Communication Clinic was founded as a place for families to come and learn alternative forms of communication methods. Our clinical director is an accredited Facilitated Communication Trainer through the Wellspring Guild. Currently, in addition to training families in the methods of communication, we also host introduction seminars for new and interested individuals along with social skills typing sessions for non speakers to come together to have meaningful conversations with their peers.

With BridgeHaven Academy and the BridgeHaven Communication Clinic successfully operating, the Yeagers began to look to the future. Their goal was to develop a place for adults with special needs unlike any other available in North Florida. In her search, Lynn Yeager came across the Brookwood Community in Brookshire, TX and Brookwood in Georgetown (BiG). After connecting with these amazing organizations and visiting their campuses and programs, the BridgeHaven Team knew what their future would look like.

In 2022, the Yeagers and the BridgeHaven Team entered into a partnership with BiG, serving as one of the first eight organizations across the nation to franchise with the parent company. In 2022-2023, BiG North Florida served as a pilot program for five non-speaking adults diagnosed with Autism. The program offered community, socialization, recreation, academics, spiritual growth, and vocational opportunities. Citizens in the program learned to make soaps, candles, fragrances, lip balms, greeting cards, and became a cornerstone of our community center.