HEAL Foundation Grants Awarded in 2015

New Wave Typing Summer Skills Camp
Grant funds will be used to train and educate families a communication method called Facilitated Communication. The families will learn methods that will allow personal interactions via iPads. Campers will work on social skills, and other activities in addition to the typing.

Facilitated Communication Training Seminar
The Facilitated Community Training Seminar will train 12 families (one child and four trainees). The seminar will help nonverbal or verbally limited individuals to communicate through typing with a goal of independence.

Alden Road Exceptional Student Center is committed to provide individualized instruction within a safe and positive learning environment that promotes self determination, advocacy and skills for life long learning.

Camp Cummer Scholarships
Camp Cummer is a week-long summer camp taught by full-time Museum Educators whose work is supported whose work is supported by the time and talent of dozensf of volunteers. Camp Cummer is a fun summer camp that offers fun, adventurous ways for children to grow by discovering art and person Expression. The Cummer will have six one-week programs for grades 1 through 6. These campers will print, draw, paint, create with clay, and learn new ways to think and talk about art in the galleries and gardens. The Cummer will also offer a one-week session grades 6 through 9. These campers will learn the skills of printmaking, drawing, painting, and clay techniques while being inspired by masterworks in the galleries and the histories gardens. All the children will also spend time exploring Art Connections.

Camp I Am Special
Camp I Am Special offers 7 week-long summer residential camps and at least 1 weekend mini-camp during the year for children with physical, emotional and developmental disabilities and disorders such as Autism, Spina Bifida, Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a safe, loving environment with one-on-one support. Thanks to HEAL, there will be scholarships for campers with Autism to help offset the high cost of camp.

Special Day at the Beach/Riding the Wave of Autism
The Super Surf Camp will provide a fun day in the sun for the children with educated instructors and fun equipment including kayaks, surfboards, boogie boards, catamarans and safety equipment. These funds make this 2-day camp affordable for up to 35 families.

Camp Cummer Scholarships
Camp Cummer is a week-long summer camp taught by full-time Museum Educators whose work is supported by the time and talent of dozens of volunteers. Camp Cummer is a fun summer camp that offers adventurous ways for children to grow by discovering art and person expression. The Cummer will have six one-week programs for grades 1 through 6. These campers will print, draw, paint, create with clay, and learn new ways to think and talk about art in the galleries and gardens. All the children will also spend time exploring Art Connections. A grant from HEAL will scholarship ten children with Autism to attend.

Camp Consequence
This parent help center holds Camp Consequence monthly for children and parents. The children are taught that everyday decisions they make in life carry consequences. They also run Max's Farm that runs 24/7 to help parents who find themselves in a crisis. They can accommodate 10 children at a time at their facility. Funds from HEAL will help families affected by Autism as they access these services.

The primary mission of Haven Horse Ranch is to assist each child with special needs in reaching their full potential through interaction and therapy with rescued horses. It is a licensed Spirit Horse Therapeutic Riding Center providing Free Equine Assisted Therapy. It's the only facility in NE Florida providing full time, free, therapy, 6 days per week for those with Autism, MS, MD, Celebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, learning disabilities, Developmental Delays, and att-risk and abused youth.

Camp Possible 2015
Camp Possible 2015 will provide learning in a fun environment while promoting age-appropriate social skills. Each week Camp Possible will have a different theme, which will relate to an area of living an independent life, such as safety and/or health. Camp Possible hosted 42 campers last summer, of which 36 had an Autism diagnosis.

Scholarship for Hope
The grant will be used to help alleviate costs for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and therapeutic riding to children and adults diagnosed with Autism utilizing hippotherapy.

HUG - Junior Golf Camp focuses on teaching the game of golf to juniors within the autism spectrum. The HUG Junior Golf Program is hosted at the TOUR Academy at TPC Sawgrass. This program integrates the following into the golf camp: physical fitness, history/rules of the game, environmental stewardship/golf course maintenance and the fundamentals of the golf swing. One of the goals of the program is that it will be a model for other PGA Professionals to use at their facility/community.

Bowling and Fishing programs for families
Inclusion Solution provides structured programs for families with children with autism and related disorders. They provide trained and experienced adult volunteers to be on site to help with grouping children, starting conversations and waiting turns. Both bowling and fishing programs help the children and parent by promoting social skills development, introducing them to a extracurricular activity, and fostering a community.

Summer Enrichment Programs
The grant will be used to help support the school's summer enrichment program, which includes piano, art enrichment and field trips. JSA's summer programs provide fun for the kids in a learning environment to ease transitions to and from school.

The Butterfly Exchange
The grant will be used to offset costs for a music camp for children on the Autism Spectrum. At the camp the children will learn what happens behind the scenes of recording a song and producing a music video.

Keystone Sensory Garden
The grant will be used to build a sensory garden. The idea of Sensory Garden is that plants, hard landscaping, and other garden materials are selected for their appeal to all five senses with the aim of offering a richer and more therapeutic experience to children with special needs. This garden relates to Keystone's mission, and correlate to the curriculum.

Field Trips and "In House" Trips
Little Star Center serves as both a school and Behavioral Therapy Center. The school is offering a summer school program which incorporates an intense ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) but with some fun. The grant will be used to help fund some of the summer outings. These include a riverboat cruise, trolley tour, hands on museum and more.

Speech/Language Therapy Resources
The grant will be used to purchase speech & language therapy items including iPad applications, Linguist systems, and sensory items that will benefit the 25 students with Autism, one quarter of Morning Star's population.

Flora, Fauna, Fitness Summer Camp
The school will be providing summer camp for 24 students, many on the Autism Spectrum Disorder. The camp will utilize North Florida School's extensive gardens and hiking trails. The grant will be used to offset the costs associated with the program.

The Exceptional Student Education classes will use the grant to purchase items to enhance the learning environment.

Nation Summer VBS/Summer Camp
Redeemer Church would like to offer Vacation Bible School to special needs children in the Jacksonvillle area. The grant will be used to staff the camp with skilled workers with experience in autism/special needs.

High School Prom for Kids with Special Needs
The grant will be used to provide beverages, desserts, appetizers, decorations, and photography for the Ridgeview High Exceptional Student Prom. Many teens in ESE classrooms are not able to attend certain events and activities and miss out on opportunities that others high school students enjoy.

iPad for Pre-K Classroom
The use of an iPad is very beneficial to students in ESE classrooms. This classroom has several non-verbal children who will benefit from an iPad and apps that can be very helpful in learning and can improve social and communication skills. This grant will also provide a projector and other accessories to make the iPad accessible to the class.

The Exceptional Student Education classes will use the grant to purchase items to enhance the learning environment.

Capernium Winter Formal
Younglife organized a winter formal for teenagers with special needs. The grant money was used to offset these costs.

Facilitated Communication Skill Building Workshop
The Facilitated Communication Skill Building Workshop will train 8 families (one child and four trainees). The seminar will help non verbal or verbally limited individuals to communicate through typing with a goal of independence.

BASCA’s Building Dreams Capital Campaign
BASCA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals with development and intellectual disabilities in Northeast Florida. They have recently purchased a 24,000 foot complex that will allow them to increase their services 200%. The grant will be used for a classroom that will house the Lets Cook! Building Abilities of Special Children and Adults program.

Best Buddies School Friendship and Ambassador Project
This project will directly engage at least 155 high school students with and without Autism and related disabilities as associate members, buddies (students with disabilities) and peer buddies.  Students with Autism and related disabilities are paired in one to one mutual mentoring friendships with peers without disabilities. These friendships are maintained for at least one academic year to maintain meaningful friendships to develop. Best Buddies requires that new friends contact each other once per week and spend time together at least twice per month.

2016 VSA Festival
The VSA Festival provides unique museum-based, hands on opportunities for more than 2,200 children, teachers and families over a four day period. Public students from the surrounding five county Exceptional Education Student Services program rotate through eight art stops in the in the Museum's galleries and gardens to create art, view The Cummer's collection, listen to live musicians and storytellers, and learn about art appreciation.  The Grant will be used to help fund this May 3-6, 2016 event.

Special Needs Awareness Yoga Program
The goal is to spread the word that yoga can be enjoyed and should be part of the therapy equation for every person with disabilities. The grant funds will be used to offset the cost to participants. These classes 6 week classes start January 2.

Equine Therapy
Primary mission of Haven Horse Ranch: "to assist each child with special needs in reaching their full potential through interaction and therapy with rescued horses." A licensed Spirit Horse Therapeutic Riding Center providing Free Equine Assisted Therapy. It's the only facility in NE Florida providing full time, free, therapy, 6 days per week for those with Autism, MS, MD, Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, Learning disabilities, Developmental Delays, and at risk and abused youth. To provide 100 sessions of Equine Therapy along with camp and various "horse shows"  for local children diagnosed specifically with an ASD.

Free 2 Be Me School and After School Programs
The grant will be used to help cover the costs of educational and therapeutic equipment for the Free 2 Be Me programs. This includes teaching material for elementary students and supplement therapies for students with sensory related disorders.

CSS Material
The funds will be used to purchase toys and items for the students to use in the classroom. This includes sensory balls, hand fidgets, vibrating pens, and other item to benefit the students.

Bowling Buddies program for families
Provides structured and fun bowling sessions for families with children on the ASD Spectrum. They provide trained and experienced adult volunteers to help with grouping children and starting conversations and wait turns.

JSA Musical and Visual Arts Program
The grant will be used to help support the schools enrichment program, which includes piano/music, karate and yoga. Remarkably, many Autistic children have been found to have extraordinary musical and artistic talents.

Lake Asbury Elementary School houses 6 self contained ASD units for grades PreK-6th.  Funds will be used to purchase items for the multi-sensory room.

The Exceptional Student Education classes will use the grant to purchase items to enhance the learning environment in the sensory room. They will also purchase iPad stands to enhance the ipad learning initiative.

Grant will be used for the purchase of tracking bracelets for individuals with cognitive disorders. The goal is to provide every individual with a cognitive impairment in Putnam County a tracking braclet. This will greatly help in the search and rescue efforts of the individuals.

The World Arts Film Festival was held Oct 15-17. Almost 5,000 attended this event from 30+ countries. Several of the short screenings were directed by young creative artists on the ASD Spectrum.

Yulee Primary School-iPads in ESE classroom
The grant will be used to purchase iPads, cases and earphones will be purchased to enhance to learning experiences for the children in this ESE class.