Happenings & Stories
Autism Awareness Month
It’s Autism Awareness Month- Let’s Light It Up Blue! In 2007, the United Nations recognized April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day to raise awareness for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). About 1 in 54 children have been identified with ASD according...
Wings of Friendship
Friendship was the topic of last week’s Community Based Instruction (CBI) with the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students! Special Guests Robb Armstrong and Samantha Novick from the Wings of Friendship, a non-profit organization, attended the class to educate the students about...
Self-Determination Skill Building
Students in the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. class had the opportunity to participate in the “Nuts and Bolts of Self-Determination Skill Building” workshop hosted by Luke Wilson with Family Network on Disabilities (FND). The focus of the workshop was to help students learn how to...
The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Gardeners!
From little seeds, grow mighty trees – Here come the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Gardeners! Last week, the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program had the opportunity to participate in a virtual gardening experience with their classmates! A week prior to the Community Based Instruction (CBI),...
Presidents Day 2021
Mentorship Month
In honor of National Mentoring Month, HDS Foundation would like to shine a light and highlight Dr. Tara Rowe, Co-founder of the University of North Florida’s Transition to Healthiness, Resourcefulness, Independence, Vocation, and Education (THRIVE) Program. Dr. Rowe...
B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Hammer Away!
Last Friday, our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Builders were back at work, but this time they were building a toolbox! Students came prepared with safety googles, nails, glue wood pieces ready to hammer away. We have never seen them more excited! As facilitators Kathy Gorman-Gard...
HDS Elves at Work to Spread Christmas Cheer this Holiday Season!
If this crazy, unpredictable, and difficult year has taught us anything, it has reminded us how grateful and fortunate we all are. This holiday season, the HDS Companies has chosen to support Children’s Harbor, a foster care organization whose mission is to keep...
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas especially for the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Class! COVID can’t stop us from spreading holiday joy. Every holiday season our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Students participate in their class secret elf exchange which we were still able to make happen...
Happy Thanksgiving 2020
World Kindness Day!
Kindness - a universal language that binds people together regardless of race, religion, gender, political affiliation, and location. November 13th is World Kindness Day! World Kindness Day is an international holiday which was founded in 1998 and is celebrated around...
Veterans Day 2020
If You Don’t Know the Sender, It Might Be a Pretender!
Today the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. class participated in a workshop hosted by Luke Wilson with Family Network on Disabilities. Since the pandemic, teens have spent an extraordinaire amount of time on their phones, computers, and tablets, either doing virtual school or...
B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Has a Fang-tastic Halloween!
The B.R.I.D.G.E.S students let the ghoul times roll this past Friday evening celebrating Halloween as they dressed up in costumes and decorated their parent’s car with spiders, ghosts, and goblins. To add to the spooky fun, we also had balloons, candy, and music!...
Where There’s a Whisk, There’s a Way!
The HDS Foundation B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Program is always keeping things fun and exciting when it comes to our Community Based Instruction (CBI) activities. Now that we have been virtual, it’s important to keep our mission alive guiding the students to independent living...
Homestead Parent Meeting Was a SUCCESS!
Last night, the HDS Foundation hosted a successful Parent Meeting with our Homestead Senior High School BRIDGES (Self-Determination Class). We were happy to have the opportunity to meet the parents and share the programs and resources the foundation has to offer. The...
We Look Forward to Tonight’s Homestead Senior High School B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Parent Meeting!
The HDS Foundation is very excited to host our Homestead Senior High School B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Parent Meeting, this evening at 7:30 PM. Parents will have an opportunity to learn about the programs and services that the foundation promotes for teens and young adults who...
University of North Florida THRIVE Program Director Receives Prestigious Award
A very special congratulations to Dr. Tara Rowe, Director of the UNF THRIVE Program, for being presented with the Marc Gold Innovative Practices in Transition Award. Dr. Rowe, the Director of THRIVE at the University of North Florida, received this honor at the...
HDS Companies Come Together On National Unity Day 2020
HDS Companies recently came together for National Unity Day 2020 and wore orange to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion in our world. By doing this, employees took a stand that no child should ever experience bullying. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention...
Say No To Cyberbullying
In a digital age, teens have constant access to their electronics whether it is a cell phone, tablet, or computer to communicate and socialize with their friends. This makes them an easy target to be cyberbullied. Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass,...
National Bullying Prevention Month
In 2006, the PACER Center-Champions for Children with Disabilities founded PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Through various partnerships with national parent organizations, PACER was able to provide schools, parents, and students with an abundance of...
B.R.I.D.G.E.S. the Builders
The B.R.I.D.G.E.S Builders participated in a fun Community Based Instruction (CBI) activity last Friday, when they all were able to show their building skills as they all built a birdhouse together. Facilitators, Kathy Gorman-Gard and Donna Mansolillo began the CBI...
HDS Foundation Welcomes the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Class Back!
Last week, the HDS Foundation had the pleasure to virtually attend the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. class. Over the past years, we have visited the students to introduce ourselves and tell them about how HDS Foundation is involved in the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program. A special lunch and...
Ask Eustacia – Q&A
Yesterday, the HDS Foundation attended the Ask Eustacia – Q&A webinar where Eustacia Cutler, Dr. Temple Grandin’s mother, presented on the topic: “How Will I Find My Way to the One Who Will Help Me Find My Way” via Zoom. Our employees and staff at HDS Companies,...
HDS Foundation Recorded Zoom Parent Meeting
If you were not able to attend the parent meeting, or if you would like to learn more about the HDS Foundation mission and the programs we provide, please watch the video above. The video is a recording from our most recent Zoom Parent Meeting with the Cypress Bay...