CampAbility  is a recreational and educational summer program for school-aged children  with Autism and other intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities being  provided in a fun and safe environment. We host 2 camps simultaneously - a  kids camp (elementary ages) and a youth camp (6th - 12th grades). We also  offer summer camp sessions to the elementary-aged siblings. This is in order  to help alleviate the burden on parents by keeping their children in one  location, as well as provide familiarity to the camper with special needs by  having his/her sibling nearby and give the sibling(s) companionship with  other siblings who understand what it’s like to walk in their shoes.    Our camps are offered for 6 weeks throughout the summer, Monday - Friday,  from 9AM - 2PM (25 hrs/week). Campers are welcome to participate all summer  or select particular weeks to meet their needs. The camps provide the routine  and structure those on the Spectrum need throughout the summer, as well as  continue to work on social skills, life skills, and academic skills in a  creative and fundamental way.

BASCA  offers a variety of programs designed to provide a range of learning  opportunities.  Our programs are a  blend of Educational Classes (Money Management, Languages, Science, and  History), Music, Exercise, and Art Classes, Social Development Classes (Anger  Management, Relationship Management, and Community Safety/Exploitation  Abuse), and Community Outings.  The  classrooms were set up so multiple classes could be held simultaneously, with  clients rotating to the various courses throughout the day and week. 33% of  the 77 individuals participating in the BASCA day program are on the autism  spectrum. A major part of our Day Program is getting out into the community  with every one of our individuals.  We  base these outings on opportunities that we think they will enjoy, that they  themselves advocate to participate in. The idea is to introduce both new  experiences along with experiences we know they find fun. Some of this past  year's outings included trips to the Alligator Farm, Marineland, The Pirate  Museum, the Florida Theater, and MOSH.   These outings can be at times both expensive to the individual families  and to the organization.  Entrance fees  for these outings are in addition to the normal day rate covered by the  State.  Also, due to additional  behavioral issues and/or physical issues, additional staff members must be  added to the outing to ensure that it goes smoothly.

Summer  Jam 2024 is 2 day/week summer program lasting for seven weeks.  In the past, Summer Jam was 1 day/week for  6 weeks. This year, I wanted to offer more activities such as creative dance  and movement, social skill groups, reading group, and tutoring. The tutoring  will be supervised by a certified teacher. The program is opened for 10  student; this will allow us to give specialized attention and support.

Best  Buddies is the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical  and economic isolation of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual  and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower people with IDD to  form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure jobs, improve  communication and advocacy skills, and live independently, while also  offering support for their families.    Within our one-to-one friendship program, we have an adult friendship  program, Citizens. Serving participants 18 and older to continue friendship  and leadership development. Our adult program runs monthly hosting one to two  events. This summer we hope to host a large summer bash event for all  participants to get together.

As  part of the day program, BIG North Florida community members will participate  in part-time employment job training, which is aimed at providing a variety  of creative and meaningful work opportunities for our members.  Work opportunities will include making  screen-printed items and creative gift baskets incorporating many artisan  items like shower gels, soaps, fragrances, greeting cards, and dog treats.  These items will be sold both online and in our local community.     Heal Grant funds will be used to purchase the necessary equipment and  supplies to enhance our small business ventures.

Summer  Fun at the Ranch will include Summer Adaptive Riding and Equine-Assisted  Learning Season, Open Houses, Movie Outings and Caregiver Respite  Events.    Summer Adaptive Riding and Equine-Assisted learning Season: Participants  will have equine-assisted sessions which include grooming and riding with  support of a team of volunteers. The Mustang Learning Program for high school  age and up, will utilize equine-assisted learning to develop social, life and  work skills.    Open Houses: Open to the entire community (including participants, their  families, potential riders, donors and other local autism community groups).  All are invited for a fun relaxing evening at the Ranch. Activities include  dinner, horse grooming, golf cart rides, fun and games.    Movie Outings: Partnering with Special Nation, we host a monthly private  movie showing for 50 participants and their families. Our guests are  comfortable to enjoy the movie however they want (walk around, make noises,  even dance). It's a great opportunity for our participants to experience  movies - often for the first time. This remains one of our most popular  programs so we remain committed to continuing this opportunity.     Caregiver Respite Events: Hosting a mom/caregiver retreat weekend which  enables them to get away to rest, refresh and rejuvenate. Additionally, we  host monthly gatherings for mothers with children/family members impacted by  autism or related disabilities. This affords moms the opportunity to gather  with fellow moms facing similar parenting challenges and being with others  who “get it.”

BridgeHaven  Academy is seeking grant funding to support our wellness / recreation  initiatives.  Many of our students  struggle with motor control and intentional movement, and therefore often do  not have the opportunity to participates in games and sports.  Grant funds will be utilized to purchase  much needed game/sports equipment, which will provide our students with the  opportunity to learn new games and develop new skills.  Benefits will include increased motor  control; purposeful movement; gross and fine motor skill development;  socialization; and wellness.

The  BridgeHaven Communication Clinic has been in operation since 2020, and over  the past four years has grown and thrived.   We are seeking funding for several reasons in order for our program to  continue to serve this community.     In an effort to expand our services to the community of typers and  spellers, the BridgeHaven Communication Clinic would like to offer ongoing  workshops to current and potentially interested families in the Jacksonville  area.  These workshops would be led by  our trained and accredited Facilitated Communication and Spelling 2  Communicate staff, and would be focused on implementing best practices,  developing fluency, and increasing individual independence.      Moreover, as our clinic continues to grow in name, reputation, and size, we  continue to receive requests for services from individual families that  cannot financially afford proper evaluations and coaching sessions.  We are hoping to secure funding to provide  financial assistance to these families so that funding is no longer a barrier  to individual communication.  The  financial assistance will be awarded to those families in need as determined  during the intake process, overseen by our Clinic Director.    Lastly, grand funds will be utilized to purchase the necessary equipment  for new typers and spellers, including Ipad stands and letter boards.

Since  1981, the agency has been a leading provider of quality specialized  therapeutic foster care services (STFC). Currently, the STFC program provides  placement and foster parent support services with 42 highly trained foster  homes in Duval County. These vulnerable young people face significant  challenges that require intensive mental health treatment services, including  psychiatric care and trauma-focused therapy modalities. The therapist to  client ratio is 1:5 to allow for two sessions per week depending on level and  24/7 crisis management. In many cases, youth in treatment also have  co-occurring developmental disorders, including autism. The goal of the  program is to develop the skills and pro-social behaviors necessary for youth  to thrive in their respective communities as well as to prevent the need for  a higher level of care and/or involuntary hospitalization (Baker Act).    The agency seeks to continuously develop and implement innovative program  enhancements not funded by per diem agreements in the effort to increase  engagement and to expose children to new and exciting experiences. Because of  the severity and complexity of disorders, they are often excluded from “main  stream” summer camps or activities. This is especially applicable for  non-verbal autistic youth.  Thus, the  agency seeks to place each child in specialized camps that focus on  addressing pro-social behaviors and communication skills for youth with  specific developmental needs. The agency has identified several specialized  camps targeting youth with developmental disabilities.

Smile  Camp is a week-long day camp run by Girl Scouts, for children ages 5 to 11  with autism and other developmental and intellectual disabilities including  cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and visual and hearing impairments. Smile Camp  offers campers with disabilities, who might not have the opportunity  otherwise, to experience a week of new friends, outdoor adventure, and a  sense of belonging in an inclusive environment.     Smile Camp 2024 is being held at North Florida School for Special Education,  a site designed to be an accessible and safe space for Smile Campers. Smile  Campers will have access to the barn and animals at the school for a farm  themed day, as well as the playground, gym equipment, and outdoor spaces.      Each day at Smile Camp has a new theme with corresponding activity  rotations, including games, crafts, music, and outdoor activities. Smile Camp  gives children living with autism and other disabilities a break from their  day-to-day routine and brings them outside for an entire week of new  experiences. The camp also provides much needed respite care for the camper’s  parents and care takers.     The camp is run by as many as 40 Girl Scouts who are trained counselors  ages 14 to 18. Supporting them is a team of up to ten Girl Scout directors  ages 16 to 18 and Girl Scout adult volunteers including two adult advisers, a  registered nurse and a chef. Depending on the intensity of care needed,  counselors are paired 1:1 or 1:2 per camper.

Our  8-week summer Transition Camp will focus on social skills with structured  group activities, daily living skills such as meal planning and preparing,  pre-vocational and vocational skills with work readiness lessons, exercise to  promote body movement and health/wellness, and weekly community outings. Our  program is specially designed for teenagers and young adults. Teenagers and  young adults are often overlooked and have limited summer program options. In  addition, many providers cap their ages for services at 10 years old. We have  certified staff who have the skills, abilities, and experience to work with  teens and young adults with continued oversight and support on teaching  methods and activities. The HEAL grant will help our families to reduce the  cost of camp, fund stipends for field trips in the community to generalize  skills learned in camp to real-life situations, food for our campers to work  on food preparation skills, and provide a scholarship to a family in need of  financial assistance to attend the camp.

A  pivotal aspect of our mission is the upcoming expansion of the center's  facilities. This strategic growth allows us to almost triple capacity,  thereby extending our reach and impact. By moving to a new, larger building  and enhancing our resources, Growing Together is significantly increasing its  ability to serve more students. This expansion not only aligns with the  center’s foundational goals but also reinforces its commitment to nurturing  every student’s growth in a compassionate learning environment. This move  signifies a major step forward in fulfilling the center's vision of a  community where every student has the opportunity to thrive and succeed,  including many of the 300+ students currently on our wait list! We view the  expansion and growth of Growing Together as a beautiful part of the legacy of  Aiden Kramer, for whom the school was originally designed, yet who sadly  passed away in July 2023. The sensory room, Aiden's favorite activity, held  particular significance due to his sensory deprivation from being deaf and  later going blind. It reinforced the importance of providing robust sensory  feedback in ways that really mattered to Aiden, a practice that has proven  invaluable for all our students. This understanding is a key element of how we  continue to learn and grow in our approach to education, honoring Aiden’s  memory every step of the way.

We are  seeking a grant to support summer activities and outings for our teens and  young adult students at Growing Together Behavioral Center. These  community-based experiences, such as dining at local restaurants, attending  movies, and shopping, are essential for enhancing the social skills of our  students. By engaging in these real-world interactions, our students can  practice and develop communication, social navigation, and practical life  skills, which are critical components of their overall educational and  personal growth. This grant would enable us to provide these enriching  experiences, fostering greater inclusion and community participation for our  students.

The  goal of the HUG Junior Golf Camp is to focus on teaching the game of golf to  juniors within the autism spectrum. The HUG Junior Golf Program will be  hosted at TPC Sawgrass. Every instructor that participated in the HUG/HEAL  Junior Golf Program last summer was extremely touched by all the  participants.    Our specific funding needs are for shirts & hats for the junior golf  participants as well as funding for food & beverage purposes. Due to the  heat each day, the participants are given plenty of water & snack breaks  so they can recharge and hydrated for the day. This requires plenty of snacks  & drinks throughout the day. At the conclusion of the program each day,  the participants have lunch provided to them at no cost to them.

We are  preparing for our Free 2 Be Me and Camp Possible summer programs, and we need  your help to make this a fantastic experience for our campers. We have been  receiving many calls weekly looking for summer programming for students who  have been turned away from other camps because their "special needs were  too special."  We want to welcome  them to our program and give them a fun summer experience while also make  sure their families have peace of mind their children are being taken care  of. Thank you for your sponsorship last year.   I’m hoping you’ll be able to help us once again make our summer  program a success for students with disabilities.

Our  funding needs include funding items to put on the camp; such as shirts for  tye-dying, crafts, snack supplies, extra equine staff for safety, etc. HorsePlay  Therapy Center is devoted to bettering the lives of children with special  needs by providing some horsepowered fun! In addition to our hippotherapy  program, where we offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech  therapy, we also have been able to provide our Breeders’ Cup Summer Camp in  2021, 2022, 2023, and upcoming in 2024! This camp will be a half day camp  where our campers get to experience therapist lead equine-assisted  activities, sensory trails, music, arts and crafts, life skills cooking  activities, and storytime with one-to-one child-to-counselor ratios. This  camp is put on by our clinical team, and counselors are Masters in  Speech-Language Pathology students from Jacksonville University - Palm Coast  Location.  In both 2022 and 2023, we  were fortunate enough to be supported by HEAL to do the Breeders’ Cup Special  Needs Camp free of charge for our campers! This year, seven out of ten of our  campers have diagnoses of Autism.

We  play on a rubberized field to accommodate players with mobility  challenges.   All players bat and play  the field each inning.   Players bat  from coach pitching or a tee.  Players  bat until they make contact with a pitch and run all the bases.  We had an increase in registrations this  year which resulted in adding 2 more teams to our league.  We now have 8 teams with ~10 players per  team. Mission  Statement:  Every Child Deserves a  Change to Play Baseball.   We are a  league that provides opportunities for children and adults with disabilities  to play baseball, regardless of their abilities.  We cannot change or cure the medical issues  life has dealt them.  What we can do is  provide them with an opportunity to experience the joy and benefits that come  from playing baseball.

The  Summer Music Therapy Program at JSA offers a dynamic and enriching experience  tailored to the unique needs and interests of our students. Designed to  provide a supportive and engaging environment, this program integrates music  therapy techniques with individualized educational goals to promote holistic  development.    Throughout the program, students will participate in a variety of  music-based activities carefully crafted to address their specific challenges  and strengths. Under the guidance of certified music therapists and  experienced educators, participants explore rhythm, melody, harmony, and  movement, using various instruments and vocal techniques to express  themselves creatively.    The program's curriculum is highly flexible and adaptable, allowing for  personalized interventions to support communication, social skills, sensory  integration, emotional regulation, and cognitive development. Through  structured music experiences, students learn to enhance their verbal and  nonverbal communication, engage in peer interactions, and build  self-confidence.    Beyond the therapeutic benefits, the Summer Music Therapy Program fosters a  supportive and inclusive community where students feel empowered to explore  their musical abilities, express themselves authentically, and connect with  others in meaningful ways. By harnessing the power of music as a universal  language, this program inspires growth, self-discovery, and joy for students  with autism, enriching their summer experience and laying the foundation for  continued progress throughout the year.

The  Intensive Summer Program is four weeks of intensive Applied Behavior Analysis  and Verbal Behavior services for children with developmental disabilities.  The program starts with the parents filling out an enrollment package that  give the staff a good assessment of the needs for each child. Each child  receives a comprehensive and Individualized Program with identified goals and  objectives for the acquisition of targeted skills. The low student-to-teacher  ratio maximizes individualized attention throughout the entire day. Parents  can choose a two-week program or take advantage of all four weeks for the  Intensive Individualized Summer Program.

Kids  Connect Today offers social skills classes in person and virtually for  children, teens and young adults with autism. We would like to use funds for  scholarships to give to families who cannot afford our services.

Summer  ABA Program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) and other special  needs. Provide a summer  program for  children diagnosed with ASD providing either one-on-one insurance paid ABA or  private pay social skills. Working in a fun and enriching environment with  arts and crafts, sports, sensory, and water fun while learning new  communication skills and social skills.

This program  offers a continuation and deeper dive into the STEM-centered customized art  therapy curriculum utilized during the school year. Created in collaboration  with Indigo Art Therapy, our art curriculum not only provides students with  opportunities to creatively express themselves, but incorporates sensory  integration, fine motor skills, cognitive spatial awareness, and strategies  for anxiety reduction. Funding is requested for larger-scale art projects  that will take place each themed week.

Both  Mandala Family Wellness and Palm Valley Child Development Center share a  common playground. While the grant is targeting summer camp activities, we  hope to look at a larger scale project in updating our common playground to  become more adaptive and ADA friendly. This includes installing AstroTurf for  a more easily navigable surface for students and clients and additional  playground equipment for students to engage in both for physical and sensory  input.

Our  clients range in age from 3 - 19 years of age.       Relevant to this grant application, we serve the needs of our nonverbal  clients through the use of alternative forms of communication, such as string  and percussion Instrument playing, dance/movement, composing, drum circles,  and individual playlist creations. Many of our clients who are nonverbal are  finding ways to express themselves through music. We also use singing or  humming for these clients as a way to encourage forming words or phrases,  which often leads to them  speaking  with increased rate of speech, inflection and clarity. Our specific funding  needs are to ensure continuation of our group Music Therapy sessions during  the summer months, at no cost to parents.

The  marriage of both school and therapy services allow our program to focus on  boosting children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and language abilities in a  learning environment. By using a databased approach, this program empirically  supports teaching and therapy practices that are deemed highly effective from  research in developmental pediatrics. This model fuses a behavioral,  relationship-based approached with a more developmental, play-based one in  order to create an integrated while that is both individualized and  standardized. To ensure our learners are accessing play and  relationship-based skills, Palm Valley Child Development Center continues to  seek enrichment materials for our program throughout the school year and  summer session.     Both Mandala Family Wellness and Palm Valley Child Development Center share  a common playground. While the grant is targeting summer camp activities, we  hope to look at a larger scale project in updating our common playground to  become more adaptive and ADA friendly. This includes installing AstroTurf for  a more easily navigable surface for students and clients and additional  playground equipment for students to engage in both for physical and sensory  input.

As  mentioned previously, our participants’ social lives are enriched through  organized activities with peers, and through therapeutic classes. These  classes develop basic social skills and prompt an understanding of  collaboration. Over the course of the last few years, our director has  observed enhanced vocational skills in individuals who participate in both  vocational and social programming. On average, individuals who partake in our  social programming, have higher capacities for collaboration, heightened  social skills, and increased abilities to maintain skills in different  settings. While we aim to equip participants with more refined skills, we  also appreciate the value fun activities provide.    We have elevated our programming to include fun, off-campus excursions.  It’s these supplemental excursions we are looking to have funded through  HEAL. Through excursions, we seek to build participants’ confidence,  challenge their self or socially imposed limits, and expand their personal  experiences. All excursions will be professionally chaperoned and guided. We  are seeking funding for four upcoming group excursions this spring and  summer: a kayak experience, a career fair, a comedy show outing, and a trip  to the movies.     Finding appropriate social opportunities for individuals with Autism, can  put significant emotional and financial stress on families. Through funding,  our goal is to cover the costs of these excursions and provide a safe and  structured environment where participants can enjoy themselves  barrier-free.    We hope HEAL can see the value in helping these individuals challenge their  self and societally imposed limits, through enhanced excursions, and  supplemental programming.

We  will run two programs during the summer:     1. Extra-Special Moms Group:     This group has been running for over a decade and is still our most  popular. It usually fills up in 48 hours and we usually have a waitlist. It  focuses on mainly moms, and this summer we will be opening it up to  partners/spouses of neurodivergent adults, as we're seeing a need for  understanding and support in this area. This group is created and led by  Janeen Herskovitz, LMHC    2. Socialization Group:     Katherine Scott, LMFT created our social skills curriculum/program, however  we have decided to call it a socialization group since the term "social  skills" usually has a negative connotation to those who have been forced  to learn how to be neurotypical. The goal of this group is to help autistic  teens and young adults learn how to function in a world that wasn't designed  for them. This group takes into account the sensory needs and abilities of  the group members and is led by two of our licensed therapists; Jordan  Depratter, LMFT and Nikeda Burphy, LMHC/registered play therapist.

We are  putting together a social skills program this summer with the hopes to run it  every summer moving forward for children between the ages of 8-12 years. The  program also has a parent component to teach parents the skills to increase  success with their children. We are planning to use the PEERS certified  social skills training program, which requires completion of a training  program in order to implement the PEERS system.

Special  Nation will provide social, recreational and therapy activities throughout  the summer for individuals of all ages in the community with autism and their  families. Our activities will include: regular Wednesday Night Friends Group  gatherings at Redeemer Church and other locations throughout the community  including Bit of Faith Ranch.This is a time for families to fellowship  together, enjoy community and learn about being followers of Christ with an  adapted curriculum.  Once a month, we  celebrate birthdays and have a Karaoke Night celebration. Additionally, we  provide respite on Sunday mornings for parents to attend on-site services.  Special Nation (partnering with Bit of Faith Ranch) hosts an At the Movies  event once a month for up to 50 people to gather to see a current movie in a  sensory-friendly private theater.  We  also partner with Bit of Faith Ranch to organize monthly Moms/Caregivers Meetups.  We offer a monthly Second Sunday Special Praise which is a family-friendly,  full church service including worship, a sermon, and communion for all  abilities.  This is a very special  intimate time for the individuals we serve and their families to go  to church where they find total belonging  and acceptance.  We will be hosting  five sessions of Music/Art Therapy over the summer. These once a week  sessions will be available by sign up for those impacted by autism and  related disabilities. Special Nation plans to have a VBS Night and a  sensory-friendly hour at our July 4th festival.

Spectrum  Sailing's 2024 Jacksonville camp took place during Duval County school spring  break, a time when children on the spectrum do not have school activities,  and also suffer from a lack of inclusive extracurricular activities and  programs to engage in.     Spectrum Sailing ran a 3-day professional sailing camp, free of cost to all  families, that was hosted by the Florida Yacht Club. Sailors were taught  knot-tying, weather and water safety fundamentals, parts of the boat, and how  to harness the wind to move the boat through the water. Each day of camp  consisted of several hours of active on-the-water sailing as each team of 3-4  kids worked together to sail their boats on the St. Johns River.     Inclusion is at the core of our mission, and we know that removing the  financial barrier to sailing is key to increasing access for this underserved  population. That is why we never charge the families whose kids attend our  camp. But our camps are not free to run, and we are seeking local community support  to help defray the costs of conducting camp, so we can keep this program free  for all kids.

We  have two Thrift Stores that we use to help the Autistic and developmental  delayed individuals learn job skills and life skills. Those skills that we  develop, and they learn really help them when going to work in corporate  America. We pay these individuals to help them  learn about money and how to manage their  income. We have completed over 250 On the Job trainings in 6 years.While  we get some funding its not enough to cover the income of all our  individuals. Some of our employees take longer to move into positions with  other companies than others and this is where we use the grant money.

We are  a licensed group home with the Department of Children and families that  exclusively takes in kids with Autism and other related diagnosis in the  foster care system. We are planning to do a summer camp for our youth which  is currently at 5 residence. Strive  YFS is a licensed group home under the Department of Children & Families,  we specialize in providing housing for children diagnosed with Autism and  related disorders.    MISSION:  Empowering individuals with  autism to lead fulfilling lives by providing supportive and inclusive housing  solutions.    VISION:  Strive Youth and Family  Services envisions a future where accessible and compassionate housing not  only meets their basic needs but also serves as a catalyst for personal  growth, independence, and meaningful connections.