Happenings & Stories
Our HDS Foundation Interns – Summer 2016
Over the course of this summer, the HDS Foundation has had two interns on board – Hope Sotolongo-Miranda and Benny Elfont. Hope and Benny have been incredibly helpful in their work at the HDS Foundation. Hope has been successful in putting...
End-of-Year BRIDGES Party – Midtown Athletics
On May 5th, 2016, the Cypress Bay High School BRIDGES class closed out the year with an HDS-sponsored party at Midtown Athletics. Although the main event of the day happened to be the party, the students also concluded their Social Skills curriculum with a tour of the...
The HDS Foundation Participates in CLE Mock Interviews
The HDS Foundation, which is known to have strong ties to the special-needs community, was asked by the College Living Experience (CLE) to assist in giving mock job interviews at the CLE Fort Lauderdale location to individuals with disabilities looking to soon become...
Light It Up Blue 2016 #LIUB
World Autism Awareness Day fell this year (2016) on April 2. Each year, HDS joins others around the world in celebrating Light It Up Blue, a campaign designed to spread awareness about and celebrate autism. Those involved “light it up blue” by showcasing and promoting...
HDS Foundation and partners kick off Golf Mentoring Program for Special Needs Teens & Young Adults
PRESS RELEASE The First Tee of Broward has partnered with two South Florida business entities, Global Business Brokers and The HDS Foundation, Inc. to bring their national golf mentoring program to a group of older teens and young adults with disabilities. “This is...
Come be Part of the Post Secondary Education Fair at Cypress Bay H.S.
Golf at Cypress Bay
Last week, Ms. Donna Mansolillo’s class had the opportunity to learn about and play golf at Cypress Bay High School. Part of an intro to the First Tee of Broward’s Golf Program, students were treated to a preview of the Golf Program that is starting in January,...
Halloween 2015
Dressing up and going to a party are typical activities high school students partake in on Halloween. This year, the Cypress Bay Social Skills class organized a party of its own. The event was scheduled at Tarantella's Ristorante at Weston Town Center on Halloween...
JAFCO 2015 In My Shoes Lunch
JAFCO’s Children’s Ability Center kicked off the season with its most successful fundraiser, the 5th Annual In My Shoes luncheon at Boca West Country Club on October 2, 2015. With 750 people in attendance, the organization raised close to...
Cypress Bay BRIDGES Students Graduate 2016
Cypress Bay High School’s class of 2016 officially graduated on June 5at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center. With a class of 1,100+ and a stunning graduation rate of 95%, it is no surprise that the social skills class seniors all received diplomas; some were...
Michael Marino Guest Speaker
At the 2016 Dan Marino WalkAbout Autism at Sun Life Stadium, Team Cypress Bay raised the most money for the cause, having brought in $12,780. Because of their success, the Team was to be gifted a prize of their choice. They all chose to invite Michael Marino, Dan...
Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center Gala
On Saturday, April 11th, 2016, the HDS Foundation participated in the Night of Stars, a 20th anniversary celebration for the Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center. This Recovery Center assists a defined group of people who generally need assistance; that is,...
WalkAbout Autism 2016
On Saturday, January 23, 2016, Team Cypress Bay participated in the Dan Marino WalkAbout Autism at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. The HDS Foundation and Cypress Bay High School (CBHS) teamed up and began participation in this fundraiser a...
1st Tee of Broward Program
Final Call for participants! The 2016 First Tee of Broward Golf Mentoring Program kicks off this Saturday, January 9th, 2016 2 PM at Weston Hills Country Club. Sixteen young players will be starting this 9 week program, led by Professional Coach Dustin Stearns. This...
First Tee Golf Mentoring Program
Last Saturday, December 12th, 2015, the First Tee of Broward held an Open House at Weston Hills Country Club to provide families with an overview of their Golf Program. This NEW Program, which kicks off January 9th, is a nine week activity designed by First Tee of...
Dan Marino Walkabout Autism
The CHBS ESE Department and the HDS Foundation are once again teaming up to raise funds through involvement in the 2016 Dan Marino Walkabout Autism. This community event is unique because through it, the Marino Foundation awards K-12 School...
It’s Official
The Cypress Bay H.S. Social Skills students are on their way to being good money managers. This week, the entire class went to the Bank of America branch at Weston Commons to officially activate their bank accounts. Earlier in the month, Bank of America staff met with...
BRIDGES at Cypress Bay Prom 2016
The night of May 28th, 2016, is one Cypress Bay High School's BRIDGES’ graduating class will not soon forget. The whole gang suited up in their finest attire to attend their senior prom. After a pre-prom party of refreshments and picture-taking at Foundation President...
The First Tee End-of-Program Luncheon
On April 24th, 2016, The First Tee of Broward program concluded for the year at the end-of-program luncheon. Officially, the mission of this organization is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill...
BRIDGES – Social Skills Class at HDS
On April 7th, 2016, the Social Skills class from Cypress Bay High School traveled to the Housing and Development Software main office in Weston, Florida for a tour of the grounds and a professional presentation given by HDS employees. This presentation aimed to give...
Post-Secondary Educational Fair at Cypress Bay
On Thursday, January 14, the HDS Foundation, Inc. hosted a post-secondary fair at Cypress Bay High School in Weston. Parents, students, teachers, facilitators, and other professionals came together for an informative session that aimed to provide post-secondary...
Team CypressBay @ Dan Marino Walkabout Autism
15 Days - 16 Hours - and Counting down the minutes...That's the time left for this year's fundraiser. The HDS Foundation, along with the Cypress Bay HS students, is making one last push to reach our goal. This year we set the bar high: We are aiming to raise...
Holiday Gift Exchange and Lunch
The CBHS students enjoyed the comfort and ambiance of Chili's as they ate and celebrated the holidays this week. The HDS Foundation group, including Cristina Miranda Gilson, Carla Otiniano, Hannah Miller and Dr. Sandy Rizzo Weiner joined the class and both teachers of...
CBHS Homecoming 2015
Homecoming is an exciting time of year for many high school students. It's a week of celebration, group activities, and pep rallies all leading up to the coveted football game and dance. Often, though, the students participating in these festivities are part of the...
Bank of America Visits the Bay
Saturday, October 3 was an exciting day for our Social Skills Project class students. Most of them visited and met with Bank of America executives who were kind enough to give their time to Cypress Bay's ESE department on a Saturday. These...