Camp Care
Camp Care provides children and teenagers affected by Autism spectrum disorders the opportunity to experience recreational and residential summer camp. Grant funding used to help underwrite Camp Care by covering costs and scholarships. Education and awareness pillars will be met through this program.

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 with spouses, families, and their child on the spectrum. This is a continuation of a 2008 program, with all new members. The treatment and education pillars are met through this program. HEAL is proud to offer this to parents of children with Autism.

HEALing Autism Through Bowling
By funding the bowling program, HEAL will meet the awareness, education, and treatment pillars that are so important to our mission. Up to thirty children attend this weekly event. Therapists are on hand to facilitate social interaction.

Junior Golf Program
Funding provided for two junior golf camps that focus on teaching the basics of the game to juniors within the autism spectrum. The first clinic will be hosted by the Jacksonville Beach Golf Club in June. The second will be hosted by the TOUR Academy at TPC Sawgrass in July. HEAL is pleased to work with HUG to fulfill the education, awareness and treatment pillars of the foundation.

Student Enrichment Program
Funds will be used to provide JSCA students an opportunity to experience a broad range of weekly enrichment programs; including group karate lessons, individual piano lessons and therapeutic art groups. This grant meets the education, treatment and awareness pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

Teacher Training Program
These funds enable the staff to experience seminars and workshops in the community and around the state, in order to provide the best services for students with Autism. All of the funds will be used for the ongoing training of instructors who work with children with Autism. Pillars satisfied include education and treatment.

Intensive Reading Program
This grant is designed to aid students with ASD in improving their overall reading ability. The program focuses around multisensory, systematic, explicit, phonemic, and language-based approach to teach reading. This intensive reading program meets the education pillar.

Equipment Purchase
Lighthorse learning provides therapeutic horse riding for individuals with Autism spectrum disorders. The Grant will enable them to purchase equipment such as specialized reigns, saddle pads, sensory based games and art supplies. These materials are essential to enhancing the learning of Autistic riders. This grant meets the education and treatment pillars of the HEAL Foundation.

LSC 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.

ASD Classroom
These funds will go towards educational materials that will enhance the learning of the students in a self contained classroom. The grant will provide technological additions to the classroom, curriculum items, and hands on, manipulative books. The ASD Classroom grant meets education and awareness 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 2007 and 2008 grant. HEAL is grateful to be able to satisfy treatment and prevention pillars through this grant.

Tell Me a Story
Funds will be used to continue an inclusion program of music education with children diagnosed with ASD. The program fosters a community atmosphere of compassion and acceptance of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The education and awareness pillars would be enhanced through this grant.

The Smart ESE Class
This grant will pay for a smart-board slate and Elmo to help enhance learning in an ESE classroom. These materials greatly increase attention to task and ability to understand. Students become more patient and are more apt to participate when using these tools. This grant would strengthen the pillar of education.

Special Day at the 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.

Film Camp
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. 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 MDI Holdings, Inc. By giving these children a voice, Film Camp will touch on HEAL’s awareness, treatment and education pillars.

ABA Summer Program
This 8 week summer camp is designed to provide children with an opportunity to participate in fun activities while practicing a variety of important life skills. Each week of camp has a different theme. Grant funds are used to reduce the cost of camp for the participants. Great Strides Rehabilitation strengthen HEAL ’s pillars of education, awareness and treatment.

HEALing Arts at the Cummer
With the help of HEAL’s grant, the VSA Arts Festival and outreach programs hope to increase attendance of children on the spectrum by almost 20% to include over 800 children in the five counties surrounding Jacksonville. HEAL’s grant will support the 2010 VSA Arts Festival, as well as, enable twenty children with autism to receive scholarships to attend various summer camps at the Cummer Museum. The HEALing Arts project touches on education, awareness, and treatment.

Creative Classroom Exercise
Cunningham Creek Elementary has created a program that allows students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to participate in karate. Through instruction once per week, students will work to improve several areas including physical activity, verbalization, motor planning, and self-confidence. A pilot program during the 2008-2009 school year proved to be successful. This program meets the treatment, education, and awareness pillars of HEAL.

Community Based Instruction
The grant will be used to fund excursions that the students will take to increase independence in the community. Gamble Rogers Middle School uses field trips to teach students with ASD and other disabilities proper social skills. The program  takes trips to the grocery store and various restaurants, which help to build important life skills that promote independence. The program supports both the education and awareness pillars of HEAL.

Arts with a Heart Mosaic Mural
Gamble Rogers Middle School has created a program to keep children in the ESE classroom involved in the visual arts. This grant will allow students to participate in weekly arts classes instructed by a local sculptor. Over the course of the program, the students will help create a marine themed mosaic to go in the school’s courtyard. This meets the education, awareness, and treatment pillars of HEAL.

TAG Team
This grant would allow a buddy program to be created at Greenland Pines Elementary. Through the course of the school year, students in the general education program will visit the ASD students to promote social interactions and teach proper social skills to the children with ASD. This program serves children ages 3-12 and will promote both education and awareness pillars.

Little Star ABC’s
The grant would allow the Little Star Center to purchase materials for their new curriculum. In previous years, the school has focused solely on teaching developmental milestones, but will now teach academics, behavior, and communication. The new program focuses on the education and treatment pillars.

Fall League
The third session has built upon the past two seasons. Children with ASD attend weekly meetings during which they learn about the game of bowling. Therapists are on hand to facilitate social interaction. By funding the bowling program, HEAL will meet the awareness, education, and treatment pillars.

Rainbow Artists Spring Break Camp
This grant will sponsor Rainbow Artists: Art and Autism across the Spectrum. MOCA will hold a spring break camp for twenty children with ASD or related disabilities. This program will fulfill the education and awareness pillars.

Enhanced Therapies Program
North Florida School of Special Education (NFS) has over sixty students that will benefit from an enhanced therapy program. The grant will allow for NFS to purchase new equipment that will allow students to participate in various different therapeutic activities involving music, metronomes, and interactions with specialized therapists. The program promotes the education and treatment pillars of HEAL.

HEALing Hands
This fund would be a “co-pay” specifically targeting patients whose families are unable to absorb the high costs of medical treatments. This is a continuation of a 2008 grant. This grant will satisfy the treatment and prevention pillars.

RHS-I2
This program teaches vocational and life management skills to special needs children. The grant will help continue the community garden project. Students will have the opportunity to plant an orchard filled with various citrus fruits. They will also expand the garden that is currently at the facility by planting more vegetables and flowers. This program satisfies the education and awareness pillars.

Bilingual Outreach Program
The Jericho School has previously provided outreach programs in the surrounding community. With this grant money however, families whose primary language is Spanish may now attend. The school will provide a two- day workshop that will teach parents how to provide proper treatment and raise awareness in the community.  The grant will be used to meet the education and awareness pillars.

Touch Math
This program will provide students with a program that will teach them reading, counting, addition, subtraction, and other general math. Through this multi-sensory program, the students will also begin to learn vocational skills by learning to deal with time and money. This program fulfills the education and treatment pillars.

HEAL Joey Travolta Film Camp
Joey Travolta and his crew will travel to Jacksonville to run a two-week film camp for children on the spectrum. Participants, ages 10-17, will write, direct, act, and film a short film. This camp will touch on HEAL’s awareness, treatment, and education pillars.