May 7, 2025
Gary Porter Finds Hope, Housing and Full-Time Employment Through Community Support
By Kyle Coppola
Gary Porter Finds Hope, Housing and Full-Time Employment Through Community Support
Leesburg, FL — After nearly a year of sleeping in his car and facing what seemed like hopeless circumstances, Gary Porter is turning a new page in life—thanks to the collaborative efforts of local organizations.
Just two and a half months ago, Porter walked into Hope 2 Restoration Center’s office in Leesburg facing hopelessness. At the time, he was displaced and struggling to find stability. The organization offered him part-time employment at its center and began assisting him not only as an employee but also as a client in need.
“We saw potential in Gary and knew we had to do more,” said a representative from Hope 2 Restoration. “We worked hard to help him not just get a job, but get back on his feet.”
The organization reached out to one of its partner agencies, Find Feed Restore, to explore available housing resources. That outreach proved successful. Through this partnership, Porter was recently handed the keys to his very own studio apartment.
(Gary was very emotional and gave big hugs after getting the news he would be employed full-time. He has since been able to aquire his own studio apartment as well.)
In addition to securing permanent housing, Porter is now fully employed with Hope 2 Restoration and is committed to helping individuals rebuild their lives.
The moment he received the news, Porter raised his hands in joy and danced in celebration. Staff members say it was a moment of pure happiness and a powerful reminder of why their work matters.
What a joy it is to see people’s lives be restored.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
