Meet Angela Hines | CEO & Founder of Aim To Inspire

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angela Hines and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angela, what do you attribute your success to?
My passion of working with the special needs community has been a substantial factor in the success of Aim To Inspire as well as my faith in God. Honestly, I had never desired to become a business owner. I had just experienced significant changes in my life following my divorce and I was prepared to relocate and start a new profession. However, God revealed that was not his plan for me. He wanted me to create a program and a prom for the special needs community. As an educator for over 30 years with my current role being an employment supports specialist, I was already aware of the gap in services for young adults with special needs in our community. God providing me with the necessary resources to create Aim To Inspire and my love for teaching young adults with special needs is what fabricated the effective program we have today!

What should our readers know about your business?
Aim To Inspire is a program for young adults with special needs to achieve independence. The objective of our program is to integrate our clients into the community, immersing them into the workforce and into community activities. Unfortunately, there is still discrimination and stigma that exists for the special needs community. Many people with special needs are denied jobs and services. This is what makes Aim To Inspire unique. We are one of the few programs in the Grand Rapids community to assist young people with special needs with vocational and independent living skills. I owe the success of Aim To Inspire to God and His grace. He was the one who encouraged me to perservere. He paved the way through every obstacle that came in my way. I am so proud of the relationships that we have built with our families. I am so thankful to hear testimonies from the parents of our clients about how Aim To Inspire has changed theirs and their child’s lives. I want the world to understand that people with special needs are capable of living fulfilling lives and that they are just like everyone else. It is my mission to erase the stigma society has placed on the special needs community and show that they deserve employment, a fair wage, and a exceptional quality of life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would start our morning off at Real Food Cafe for breakfast and spend our day doing some therapeutic shopping. We would end our day going out to dinner at Forty Acres Soul Kitchen where they have delicious food and drinks, as well as fantastic live entertainment. It is also in a nice area to walk around and explore various little shops.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to acknowledge the many prayers of my family in favor of Aim To Inspire. I am truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support that I received from my family, friends, and church congregation. I would also like to recognize my lovely husband Robert. From the moment we met, he has truly been a significant supporter of Aim. He has done so much in a short amount of time to progress our program. I would also like to shout out to my staff Debra and Leya for all that they contribute to Aim To Inspire and the passion that they have for their profession. I also appreciate our Aim families. They are truly the heart of our program and it is such a blessing to hear them explain what a difference our program has made in their lives.

Website: https://aimtoinspire.wixsite.com/aim2i

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083365239804&mibextid=ZbWKwL