BNB Spotlight Sponsor - Project Beacon

Greater EMC Chamber

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Project Beacon Texas: Building a Community of Belonging for Adults With Autism and Other Neurodiversities

"How’s your heart?" That simple question, shared by Demi Lovato on a morning audience, landed with executive director and co-founder Kelly Baughman in a way she could not ignore. It became a guiding reminder for Project Beacon Texas, an organization built around one core belief: adults with autism and other neurodiversities do not just need services, they need a community where they can play, learn, work, and live .

Kelly’s motivation is deeply personal. She is also a parent of an adult son with autism. When COVID hit in 2020, her son had just aged out of the education system and entered the world of adult care. What she discovered quickly was that adult supports for autism do not exist in a consistent, structured way. Adults often fall through the cracks at the exact moment they most need stability and opportunity.

Why Project Beacon Exists: The Gap After “Aging Out”

Kelly points out that autism rates began rising years ago, including around the time her son Mason was born. She notes that numbers have not continued downward in the way many families hope for. Today, the diagnosis rate is often cited as roughly 1 in 31 children on the autism spectrum.

That creates a predictable problem: the world invests heavily in early intervention. Then, just as adults begin needing support and structure, the system becomes unclear or incomplete. In Kelly’s words, there is effectively no such thing as a real system of adult care for autism.

So Project Beacon was created to solve a practical question families face every day:

“What happens when someone becomes an adult and still has autism?”

Mission in Action: A Community of Belonging

Project Beacon Texas is committed to building quality, sustainable solutions across the areas adults need most:

Social needs
Vocational and work readiness
Educational skill building
Residential support pathways

Kelly describes their mission in simple terms: build a community of belonging where people can develop independence while still having the right level of support when life gets hard.

The Beacon Access Center (Conroe, Texas)

Project Beacon opened the Beacon Access Center in Oak Ridge North in May 2025 . It is positioned as a premier support location across the greater Houston area for adults across the spectrum.
Kelly also pushes back on the language of “functioning levels” or “support needs.” Her message is straightforward: everyone needs a little helping hand . Autism is not the measure of someone’s worth, and it is not a reason to limit ambition.

Location: 27-316 Spectrum Way, Conroe, Texas (near The Woodlands, with a short drive down 99).

Pathways Program: Daily Skills, Emotional IQ, and Real Life Practice

One of Project Beacon’s core offerings is the Pathways program . It includes full-time and part-time programming at the Beacon Access Center and focuses on what adults actually use every day.

That includes:

Daily life skills
Living skills
Emotional IQ
Behavioral adaptability

Kelly brings a background from corporate leadership coaching, facilitation, and change management. That experience informs the structure and intentionality behind the programs. But the heart of the approach is values-based: people were made “for a purpose on purpose,” and Project Beacon aims to help individuals find and practice their purpose through growth, training, and community.

Vocational Training Through Community Partnerships

Vocational growth matters most when it is connected to real opportunities. Project Beacon works with community-based partners and local businesses to provide participants with chances to learn new skills in authentic environments.

Kelly shares a few examples that highlight how diverse those learning opportunities can be:

Interfaith Gardens (Veggie Village): Participants support garden work, and the harvest is used to help feed elderly individuals served through the Interfaith initiative.
Memory care facility group activities: Participants have led group activities, showing that meaningful roles exist far beyond traditional job descriptions.
Linens training for a catering company: A participant practices pressing linens, building practical workplace skills through hands-on experience.

The message to businesses is not complicated: give people a chance . Even skills that seem small on paper, like counting items or handling linens, are powerful training steps toward independence, confidence, and employability.

SMILES Coordinator and Programming: Supporting Mastery Through Inclusive Leisure and Employment Skills

Kuartez James, Project Beacon’s SMILES coordinator, who supports multiple program areas, explains the organization’s work in a way that aims to reduce stigma and increase access to opportunity.

SMILES stands for Supporting Mastery through Inclusive Leisure and Employment Skills . The SMILES programming includes:

Beacon Skill Sparks
Leisure Quest
Coaching
Social Club

Beacon Skill Sparks: Building Technology Skills and Entrepreneurship Pathways

Beacon Skill Sparks is designed to build technology skills with an emphasis on modern, flexible pathways to work. Participants learn skills such as:

Computer use
Coding
Graphic design
Podcasting
Digital marketing
Entrepreneurship

One of the strongest reasons for the entrepreneurship focus is the reality that job hunting is difficult for everyone, and especially challenging for adults with autism. Barriers include:

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Screening obstacles that reduce access to interviews
Interview expectations and questions that may not align with how individuals communicate or process

The coaching philosophy behind this track is clear: if you cannot sit at someone else’s table, build your own table . Entrepreneurship can create ownership, control, and opportunity for people who want to contribute in ways that fit their strengths.

Leisure Quest: Age-Appropriate Hobbies That Encourage Social Growth

Leisure Quest exists for an equally important reason: adults need recreation, connection, and interests that do not revolve around isolating routines. Participants work on age-appropriate hobbies and recreation skills, including activities they might not pursue independently.

Examples mentioned include:

Photography
Video editing
Coding
Cooking (noted as a favorite)

The program is also an invitation for community involvement. Project Beacon encourages people with skills to volunteer, teach, or lead sessions based on their comfort level and experience.

Coaching: No Glass Ceiling, Everyone Has a Coach

Coaching sits at the center of the belief that growth is possible for anyone. The SMILES coordinator describes it as a mindset and a skill set:

Everybody needs help
Everybody has a coach (a pastor, teacher, boss, mentor, or someone else who supports development)
There is no glass ceiling

Coaching at Project Beacon focuses on social skills, career readiness, and life areas that affect relationships and independence, including:

Social skills
Career readiness
Dating and relationship skills

There is also an intentional effort to normalize autism in the community. Not every person discloses autism, which means autism is present in more workplaces, neighborhoods, and social settings than most people realize.

Social Club: Connection Matters

Project Beacon includes a Social Club designed to help participants connect after hours. The message is simple: nobody wants to be alone , and social support is a form of health and belonging.

Beacon Works (Coming Soon): Expanding Job Opportunities

Project Beacon also shared that Beacon Works is coming soon, with additional efforts focused on job opportunities. The need is clear, and the organization is actively building more ways for adults with autism and neurodiversities to move from preparation to participation in the workforce.

How the Greater Community Can Help

This work is bigger than one center. Kelly and the SMILES coordinator both emphasize the role of local businesses and community members. Support can look like:

Partnering on skill-building opportunities
Providing workplace tasks and training roles
Volunteering to teach hobbies, tech skills, or life skills
Opening doors to connection through after-hours social events

If you are looking for a practical, heart-forward way to help, Project Beacon’s invitation is clear: give people a chance . The smallest assignments and the most unexpected partnerships can become stepping stones to confidence, independence, and purpose.

For more information about the Business Networking Breakfast or other Chamber events, contact:

Tracie Kamenoff, Director of Events and Marketing
Tracie@gemcchamber.com
281-354-0051

This event and all Chamber events are proudly supported by funding from EMCID’s Community Development Grant.