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.

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.

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.

The Sensory Diet Resource Kit will provide school personnel and families the materials needed to explore the use of sensory regulation tools and devices.  These kits will be available for loan to all elementary schools in the north end of the county, and enable parents to try these items before purchasing them for their home.  This kit will touch on the education, treatment, and research pillars.

Circle of Friends

These funds will create a social skills curriculum for peer groups and students with autism entitled ‘Circle of Friends.”  This will assist autistic children in socializing with their peers, and increase awareness among the student population.  Treatment, education, and awareness pillars will all be achieved through this program.

Academic Interventions for Special Need Students

Grant funds will target Pre-K -5th grade students in ESE.  This reading program uses strategies to assist students who struggle with vocabulary and language through a strong picture -based format.  Academic Interventions will fit into the treatment and education pillars that HEAL is based on.

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.

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 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.

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.

The North Florida School    

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.

Little Star Center

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.

PVAA Baseball

This spring baseball league is for children ages 8-13 with mild physical or motor planning challenges.  This gives them the opportunity to play a sport, foster self-confidence, and develop team work skills.  The funds were used to pay for equipment, county fees, uniforms, and marketing.  Ten children have come regularly, with several more on a drop-in basis.  The three pillars met are awareness, education, and treatment.

HEALing Autism Through Bowling

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.

Camden Pediatrics Group

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.

Summer Film Camp with Joey Travolta

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.

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