DOSA Camp Supported By HEAL Grant – HEAL Now Accepting Fall Grants

The Diocese of St Augustine (DOSA) offers annual overnight camps for hundreds of children, teens and young adults with developmental disabilities. These campers get six days of sleep away camp paired with a buddy to help them adjust. Last summer, over one third of their 350 participants had an Autism diagnosis. DOSA Camps provide these kids with the opportunities for growth, adventure and joy that many summer programs can’t provide.

This summer’s camp was even better thanks to a HEAL grant, allowing DOSA to offer a sensory room. As many parents and therapists know, a sensory room can help ease transitions, head off a meltdown, or allow a child with Autism to take a much needed break. As one counselor said “ My camper was always calmer after spending a few minutes in the sensory room a day. “ Another wrote, “getting the chance to de-escalate behaviors and relaxing campers proved to be fun and necessary!”

Are you and your organization doing something that needs extra funding? HEAL can help. To date, HEAL has awarded over $700,000 to a wide variety of First Coast programs, camps, therapists and schools. Click here to view the list. Grants must be submitted in triplicate by Monday, September 27th. Visit HEAL’s grant page to learn more.

Be sure to use HEAL’s new grant application. Click here to download.

Join HEAL in a Community Collaborative Art Project

Our Family Photography Project Needs YOU!

HEAL invites those living on the First Coast Area who are on the Autism Spectrum to participate in a very special art/photography project! Between now and the end of August, we need YOU and your family member with autism to take pictures for HEAL. Your pictures will be used by a team of professional photographers, to create amazing pieces of art depicting nature, which will be displayed citywide, and auctioned off as a fundraiser for HEAL.

Here are the guidelines: on a nice summer evening AT DUSK, grab your digital camera, and go take pictures of nature: specifically, pictures of the BEACH, RIVER or GARDENS! Plan an outing or go into your own backyard, making it easy and fun! There are no wrong images of nature for this project, only the lighting needs to be the similar, and we've chosen dusk when there's a soft, warm glow.

Go once, go many times, but please participate in this unique collaborative effort which will involve as many from our autism community as possible. How proud we'll all be of the results, by tapping into the amazing creativity that our community is known for!

The funds raised by HEAL go right back into the community.  HEAL has awarded over $700,000 to local schools, programs and camps.  This is your opportunity to help HEAL continue to fund these desperately needed local resources.

HEAL is grateful to the outstanding photographers Linda Broadfoot and Thomas Hagar, for collaborating on this project. These works that you helped create will be sold as part of HEAL’s Butterfly Project Art Auction at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA) this fall. 

Email your photos to events@healautismnow.org.

Project CHANCE Golf Fund Raiser – August 30th

Project Chance is a local non-profit that needs your help! This organization provides service dogs to First Coast families with a member with Autism. This worthy program has made a major impact on some families, including our founder, Leslie Weed. “Now I can take Lanier to places I never dreamed of. As long as Macon, her service dog is with us, Lanier is calm enough to go to the grocery store, handle car travel, and visit new places. Project CHANCE has given Lanier and our family more freedom!”

HEAL has been a generous supporter of Project CHANCE through grants. Now we are asking you to help Project CHANCE and participate in their Inaugural Golf Tournament on Monday, August 30 at the St. Johns Golf and Country Club. This fun event is just $100 per person for golf, and includes breakfast and lunch. There will be prizes and on-course games to keep you on your toes! Sponsorships are available for this great event!

Visit the Project CHANCE website for more information or to register for this great event.

Donate to HEAL Through Give and Go! Jaguar Tickets, TICKETS fore CHARITY and Shop HEAL!

Support HEAL by going to a Jacksonville NFL Jaguar football game or attending the Nationwide TOUR – Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open at TPC Sawgrass October 18-24. The Jacksonville Jaguar Give and Go program allows you to purchase tickets to the Jaguar games through HEAL. $10 from each ticket purchase will be donated to HEAL along with a $10 match from the program.

Purchase tickets to attend the Nationwide Tour Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open, October 18-24, 2010 at TPC Sawgrass.  Tickets are $25 for the week and 100% of the ticket price goes to HEAL. Not only will you get a chance to see the PGA TOUR stars of tomorrow at TPC Sawgrass, but you will make a difference by helping HEAL. 

The HEAL Foundation now offers several items for sale online. Proceeds from the sale go towards programs through the HEAL Foundation. Products such as coffee mugs and water bottles sport the HEAL logo while the beach tote and the note cards feature a beautiful illustration of the HEAL House by Kyle Walsh.

Proceeds from the ticket purchases from both events and the sales of HEAL products will come to HEAL to help fund the camps, school programs and events that are needed in our community.  Please support HEAL by purchasing tickets and products!

To purchase tickets for Jaguar football and donate to HEAL, click here!  
To purchase Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open TICKETS for CHARITY, click here!
To view and purchase HEAL logo items, click here!

Upcoming Events in Northeast Florida

If you have an event you would like to suggest for the HEAL calendar, please email details to events@healautismnow.org. Also, send your camp information to events@healautismnow.org to reach out the thousands of First Coast residents who read the HEAL Newsletter.

• August 28
  Surfers For Autism one-day surf clinic in Daytona Beach. Surfers are provided a safe environment where two to four highly skilled and trained surf instructors carefully guide them into waves. A catered lunch is also provided, all at no cost. This is a very special day where children with ASD interact with typical peers and wow families with their capabilities. These events are examples of inclusion at the highest level. Visit their page on facebook page for more information.
• August 30
  Project Chance Inaugural Golf Tournament. Foursomes will play a round of golf with proceeds being donated to Project Chance. It is $100 per golfer and sponsorships are available. It will take place at St. Johns Golf and Country Club in St. Augustine. Visit their website for more updates about the tournament.
• September 11
  SPARC 2010 Education/ Resource Conference will be held in Largo, FL at Fitzgerald Middle School. The conference will provide parents, teachers, and therapists with resources that will help their children make achievements. State, regional, and local organizations will be present for information and questions. For more information, visit www.standadvocates.org.
• September 25
  Surfers For Autism one-day surf clinic in St. Augustine. Surfers are provided a safe environment where two to four highly skilled and trained surf instructors carefully guide them into waves. A catered lunch is also provided, all at no cost. This is a very special day where children with ASD interact with typical peers and wow families with their capabilities. These events are examples of inclusion at the highest level. Visit their page on facebook page for more information.
• September 28
  Join Janeen Herskovitz for a HEALing Families support group. This 10 week session is free, but you must pre-register.  Conact Janeen to register: janeenherskovitz@gmail.com.
• October 2
  Support HEAL and Dove Hagan by purchasing “In the Key of G” or attending the CD Release Party at the University Club of Jacksonville.  Event starts at 7pm.  Buy tickets or the CD at www.DoveHagan.com.
• October 12
  Join HEALing Together Second Tuesdays! HEAL's new monthly meeting starts at 6:30 at Christ Church, 6045 Greenland Road, Jacksonville. Meeting topic TBD!  
• October 23
  Surfers For Autism one-day surf clinic in Jacksonville Beach. Surfers are provided a safe environment where two to four highly skilled and trained surf instructors carefully guide them into waves. A catered lunch is also provided, all at no cost. This is a very special day where children with ASD interact with typical peers and wow families with their capabilities. These events are examples of inclusion at the highest level. Visit their page on facebook page for more information.
• November 11-14
  National Autism Association Conference in Tampa Florida. Registration is open now. Don’t miss Dr. Julie Buckley on Sunday, November 14th at 9am.  Dr. Buckley’s speech topic is “Scientific evidence for the plausibility of treating autism as a medical disease”.  Click here to register or learn more.
• April 10, 2011
  Save the Date!  HEAL First Coast Zoo Walk for Autism is back.  You don’t want to miss this special family event!
• June 24 and 25 2011
  Join HEAL for the 5th Anniversary of the Valley of Dreams Gala and Charity Golf Classic at the TPC Sawgrass.  This is an event you don’t want to miss!