Tell Me A Story
HEAL is covering the costs of a weekly class for four months. This class uses Eurythmics to foster active listening and creativity. This grant fulfills the treatment and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation and will directly benefit ten children.

Special Day at the Beach
Surf camp will take place this June at Jacksonville Beach. This camp gave children with autism an opportunity to participate in an activity that appears inaccessible. Children on the spectrum are often calmed by spending time in the water. Surf camp touches on the treatment and awareness pillars of the HEAL Foundation, and over fifty children with ASD will be able to participate.

CCE Sensory Scene
Funds will be used to equip the multisensory room with tools to increase the sensory experience, and calm students down. This room will be used for a diverse group of special education students. A multisensory room meets the treatment and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

Kidbiz silkscreen & Embroidery Studio
Students in ESE courses will use class time to learn to silk screen and embroider items with school emblems and logos. This program will not only provide immediate gratification to children, but also teach them basic functions of a business and important life skills. The education, treatment, and awareness pillars will be fulfilled by this studio.

Sensory Room
The sensory room will provide any autistic or sensory impaired student a place to work on sensory stimulation. This helps fulfill the sensory needs of these students so they may attend to tasks and/or calm their nervous systems. By assisting these children with sensory integration, the education and treatment pillars are being met.

ASD Outreach
It is important for students with Autism to interact with typically developing students and the general population. These funds will pay for field trips, giving children exposure to new environments and situations, and allowing them to mirror typical students. This project meets three of the five pillars; education, awareness, and treatment.

Music Therapy
Music therapy assists development in cognitive, behavioral, physical, emotional, and social skill building. Students will be engaged by singing, listening, moving, playing instruments, and participating in another creative, non-verbal forum. Pillars met include treatment, education, and awareness.

GRMS ASD Unite
These funds will be used to purchase sensory equipment items for the newly created ASD Unit at Gamble Rogers Middle School. The equipment and timers would be for “sensory time-out” to help students take a break from school work, refocus their energy, and return ready to concentrate on school work. Sensory equipment meets treatment, awareness, and education pillars.

Fine Arts and Music Education
Almost sixty students, 15% with ASD as their primary development challenge, will have the opportunity to participate in a fine arts program with art and music instruction. Over 95% of students at this school receive some type of financial aid. Not only will the children participate in hands-on art creation, but the program plans to link their work to their reading, writing, and math programs. This addresses the awareness, education, and treatment pillars on which HEAL is predicated.

Summer Camp
These funds will cover the costs of field trips to places these children may not visit with their families, not only enriching the students, but the community at-large. Little Star’s population is entirely on the spectrum. Trips will include the Jacksonville Zoo, bowling, MOSH, and Adventure Landing. Pillars met include education, awareness, and treatment.

Spring League
The second session has built on the successful pilot. Up to thirty children are attending this weekly event. Therapists are on hand to facilitate social interaction. By funding the bowling program, HEAL will meet the awareness, education, and treatment pillars that are so important to our mission.

Mentoring under Dr. Julie Buckley
Due to the lack of pediatricians treating autism with a biomedical approach, practices like Pediatric Partners of Ponte Vedra have up to a two-year waitlist to see new patients. Through mentoring physicians within the region, HEAL hopes to increase the treatment options and availability for families who have a member with autism. This program will fulfill the education, treatment, research, and prevention pillars for the HEAL Foundation.

HEALing Arts at the Cummer
HEAL’s grant supported this year’s VSA Arts Festival and helped increase participation by children with autism by 10% over last year’s festival. In addition, scholarships will be granted for art classes, both inclusion and dedicated to students on the spectrum. This summer, the Cummer will also host Camp Cummer, for students on the spectrum. Art is an important medium for children on the spectrum, many with limited verbal communication skills. The HEALing Arts project with the Cummer will touch on education, awareness, and treatment.

Free To Be Me
Joey Travolta and his crew will travel to Jacksonville to run a two-week film camp for fifty children, thirty on the spectrum. Participants, ages 10-17, will write, direct, act and film in a 25 minute short film that will be titled “Free To Be Me.” When complete, the film will have a “premiere” here in Jacksonville and then be used as a learning tool to help others more fully understand autism. This grant was made possible thanks to a special benefactor who asked to support this camp. By giving these children a voice, Film Camp will touch on HEAL’s awareness, treatment and education pillars.

HEALing Hands Scholarships
PPPV currently absorbs about $80,000 a year in treatments for families in financial need. This fund would be a “co-pay” specifically targeting children whose families are unable to absorb the high costs of medical treatments. Families would provide detailed information on their finances to the staff, and then a decision would be made based on need. This is a continuation of a Fall 2007 grant. HEAL is grateful to be able to satisfy treatment and prevention pillars through this grant.

Mild Hyperbaric Therapy Effect on Cognitive Function
This is a research project to study Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and its effects on cognition. The study of 30 children on the spectrum will explore the safety, cognitive improvements, and treatment hours needed, of using hyperbaric chambers. This study will be submitted for publication. This is a continuation of a Fall 2007 grant. HEAL is fortunate to have a local partner to fulfill the research pillar.

Operational Grant
HEAL is grateful for TACA’s continuing guidance and support. These funds are given to TACA to assist their mission across the nation, including North-eastern Florida. This grant fulfills the awareness and education pillars.

Rainbow Artists
This grant is to underwrite Rainbow Artists: Art and Autism across the Spectrum . MOCA will host a “A Summer Camp Experience,” an inclusive camp opportunity to 14 children with ASD. Works produced by these participants will be selected and showcased in a student exhibition in April 2009 during National Autism Awareness Month. This art program will fulfill the education and treatment pillars.

HEALing Capetown
Funds will be used to send Dr. Julie Buckley to Capetown, HEAL’s adopted Sister City. This trip will assist the training and mentoring of a Capetown pediatrician and several speaking engagements to physicians, clinicians, and parents of children on the spectrum. HEAL hopes that this will spark greater self-sufficiency in the Capetown ASD population. HEALing Capetown supports the education, awareness, and treatment pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

Fall League
This Fall will be the third session of this successful program. Up to thirty children are attending this weekly event. Therapists are on hand to facilitate social interaction. By funding the bowling program, HEAL will meet the awareness, education, and treatment pillars of the Foundation.

Fall Support Groups
This twelve week support group will be offered to two different groups. Mothers are encouraged to meet once a week during the school day in St. Augustine, and both Mothers and Fathers are welcome in Jacksonville one evening a week. HEAL hopes to provide these parents with some tools that will assist them in their relationships to spouses, families, and their child on the spectrum. This is a continuation of a Spring program, with all new members. The treatment and education pillars are met through this program.

Practical Solutions to Life on Spectrum
ASD provides three-dimensional support for life on the spectrum. This personalized service helps families with a newly diagnosed child. These families need practical solutions to problematic behaviors, strategies for communication, and support for siblings and families. This company will provide scholarship opportunities through this grant to five families in financial need. Providing these services to families will meet the education and treatment pillars of HEAL.

Sib Support: A Support Group for Siblings
This support group will focus on the crucial role that siblings play in a family who have a member on the spectrum. The goal is to promote understanding and give siblings a chance to meet other siblings and discuss their experiences. Assisting these fifty children will strengthen the education and awareness pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

Mud Pies, Musical Melodies & Martial Arts Mania
The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach (CCPVB) will offer a one week summer arts camp for children on the spectrum in summer 2009. This camp will provide hands on activities in music, visual arts and creative movement. Both children on the spectrum and their siblings will have the opportunity to attend this camp and explore a variety of media including clay, music, dance and martial arts. This camp will be offered to twenty children on the spectrum between the grades of kindergarten and 5th grade. HEAL believes this will touch on the awareness and education pillars.

CARE: Cunningham Art Reaches Everyone
Cunningham Creek Elementary School, a hub school for special needs children, and CCPVB created a music therapy program that is now an integral part of the school’s curriculum. Evaluations, teacher and parent feedback and case studies show that the program has had significant impact on student classroom achievement. HEAL is proud to partner with these two organizations to help cover the cost of this worthy program reaching over 100 special needs children. This program supports the education, awareness and treatment pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

HEALing Arts at the Cummer
HEAL is again proud to support The Cummer and their efforts to provide art education to student s in North East Florida. Through this grant, HEAL is supporting the 2009 VSA Arts Festival, and allow for children on the spectrum to be integrated into next year’s art classes and summer camps. Close to 400 children with Autism attended the 2008 VSA, and The Cummer hopes to increase that number this year. By continuing it’s partnership with the Cummer Museum, HEAL is supporting the education and awareness pillars of the Foundation.

Pilot Respite Program
This pilot program for Spring 2009 will offer four separate respite opportunities for families who have a member with Autism. Up to twelve children per session will be paired with a buddy, and spend four hours on gardening, playground activities, social play and modeling, and arts and crafts. This program has great value to the parents, participants and buddies and fills the awareness and education pillars.

Jacksonville Daysail Program
Heart of Sailing provides a day of “on the water” sailing instruction as a form of recreational therapy for children with special needs. This program stimulates the participants senses, cognitive skills, eye hand coordination, self confidence and balance. This hands on outing fits the education and treatment pillar of HEAL.

Music & Interactive Metronome Instruction
This school will offer reduced fees on individualized piano and interactive metronome instruction. By developing their sense of rhythm and timing, both programs have been successful therapy tools with children with Autism. This grant meets the treatment and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

LSC Electronic Learning Center
The Electronic Learning Center is have computers equipped with child friendly keyboards and mice, and be installed with software targeting visual learners. Each student’s progress can be tracked for each computer program and adapted to address their learning needs. This HEAL grant touched on two pillars: education and treatment.

Art for Autism
This continues the partnership between Nassau County Autism Foundation (NCAF) and HEAL. NCAF ‘s is working with schools to provide art exposure and art therapy to children with autism. They have also teamed with their county’s school district to provide an extracurricular activity to older students with special needs who no longer receive art classes. Art therapy in the public schools touches the treatment, awareness, and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

Gear and Garment for Children & Assistance Service Dogs
Project Chance trains puppies to work with families who have a member with Autism. These funds will go to buy equipment to assist in this training. Specially designed vests for the children, harnesses for the dogs, and leashes will be purchased with these funds. This project fulfills the treatment pillar of the HEAL Foundation.

Equine Program 2008
This grant continues HEAL’s partnership with Riders By the Sea by providing scholarship funds for therapeutic riding and hippotherapy. Equine assisted programs have been shown to improve balance, coordination, communication, and attention. This therapy meets the treatment and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

RHS Fixit Crew — I2 (Industrious Interns)
This programs goal is to provide students opportunities with hands-on learning careers such as landscaping, recycling, and custodial maintenance. In addition to developing these job skills, students will experience personal satisfaction and greater self-confidence. This is a pilot program targeting 18 ASD students, and more ESE students. HEAL believes this fulfills the education and awareness pillars.

Help Me Pretend
These funds will be used to purchase items for the PVPV Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Exceptional Education Students to help them learn to pretend. Pretending is critical to ASD children learning to fit in with their peers. Through this modeling children will begin to experience what it feels like to have fun. The goal is to increase these children’s language skills, social skills, reshape behaviors and hopefully help them develop friendships. These items will be used year after year and will touch on treatment and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

ESE-ASD Music Enrichment Program
There is limited access to electives like art and music for ESE students. Grant funds will be used to pay a music educator and purchase special equipment and instruments to allow students to fully participate in music education. This is a 16 week project that is to begin in December 2008 and continue through April 2009. There are five students on the spectrum in this class. The treatment and education pillars are met through this program.

CCE Sensory Scene
This grant is a continuation from spring 2008 and hopes to assist in the furnishing of the Cunningham Creek sensory room. Funds will be used to purchase items to increase the sensory experience, and calm students down. This room will be used for a diverse group of special education students. A multisensory room will strengthen the treatment and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

Music Therapy at St. Augustine High School
HEAL partnered with St. Augustine High School last spring to begin music therapy for one hour a week. This grant will continue this project through the end of the 2008-2009 school year. Pillars met include treatment, education, and awareness.

Arts with a Heart at Gamble Rogers Middle School
Gamble Rogers ASD students taught through the self contained classroom do not have the option of taking a visual arts elective class. These funds will pay for teaching staff and materials for this classroom to participate in a weekly art class. The pillars met will include education, awareness, and treatment.

Ocean Palms Sensory Room
This is a continuation of a grant from Spring 2008 that founded the Ocean Palms Sensory Room. These funds will be used to purchase more equipment and supplies for this room. Both ESE and general population students take advantage of the sensory room to work on their sensory stimulation. This room will also be used as a calming place for children who need it. Education, awareness, and treatment are the pillars that this grant will strengthen.

ESE Department
The ESE department has requested these funds to purchase equipment enhancing the classroom experience. A printer will be purchased to personalize students work, scan and download documents, and print photos of the kids. The other piece of equipment is a Classroom Performance System. This large screen and corresponding clickers for students to give feedback with can engage the student, and allow the teacher to move about the class more freely. This grant fulfills the treatment and education pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

Swim and Learn Program
Children with Autism are drawn to the water, but often unprepared to swim. This nine week program will take six children with Autism and teach them about swimming safety skills, swimming technique and provide opportunities for inclusionary activities. This program touches the treatment and education pillars of HEAL.