Cypress Bay BRIDGES Home Depot Flower Garden CBI
“Flowers are like friends; they bring diversity to your world.”
The HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Broward students worked on planting a flower garden at their high school over the past three weeks to enhance the garden space. The students participated in several activities to help them achieve their goals. First, they went to the garden and cleared the area of weeds while discussing what kinds of plants and flowers they wanted to plant and how much water and sunlight they would require.
The following class period, the students went on a Community-Based Instruction (CBI) field trip to Home Depot, where they used their Gift Cards to buy plants and soil. Once they entered the store’s garden section, the students were split into pairs. Their challenge was to find one large plant for $19.98 and two medium plants for $13.96 total, with a $40 budget. Two groups were given $60 in gift cards to purchase a 50-quart bag of potting soil. Each group did an excellent job, working together to find the plants and heading to the cashier to purchase their items.
Once everyone completed their tasks of finding all the items they needed to purchase, they headed back to school for lunch. The students were excited to get to the garden and begin planting flowers and plants. During the next class, the students enjoyed spending the morning out in the garden working together.
Several students were responsible for putting the soil in place and spreading it around the flower garden. Another group of students planted what they had purchased at Home Depot. The final group made sure to water the plants. The last thing done was to place their special flag in the front of the garden, which read: “If you plant, they will come to socialize.” This message had a lot of meaning for these students since their program focuses on peer interaction, and socialization activities.
All the students were proud of what they accomplished together! Now they can all enjoy the beautiful flower garden they all worked hard to create for themselves and the other students, teachers, and families at their school!
HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Broward Host Career Day with Special Guest Rixys Alfonso, CEO of CauseMo Marketing
As students in the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Broward Program prepare for their high school graduation, Program facilitators Ms. Kathy Gorman-Gard and Ms. Donna Mansolillo have invited special guest speakers in various careers to share their career journeys with the students.
As part of their Community Based Instruction in Career Exploration, students had the opportunity to request guest speakers who work in the career path they’re interested in pursuing. The requested Cartoon Animator, Entrepreneur, Theater / Drama, Astronauts, Teacher Assistant, Cashier at Costco, Tae Kwon Do Instructor, Computer Animator, Biologist, Hospitality, Electronic Repair, Computer Science, and Food Critic.
The teachers turned to HDS Foundation Program Manager Liz Falk for assistance in securing guest speakers. Today’s guest speaker was Rixys Alfonso, CEO of CauseMo Marketing. Mrs. Alfonso is a public relations, marketing, licensed fundraising professional, and impact strategist. An innovator in creative strategy, renowned for connecting brands with causes and consumers. She founded CauseMo Marketing 10 years ago to drive cause-related movement in key markets by consulting brands, non-profits, and civic organizations to develop Corporate Socially Responsible (CRS) partnerships, initiatives, and campaigns.
We want to thank Rixys Alfonso for taking time out of her day to share her career journey and knowledge with the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students. Stay tuned as our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students will have the opportunity to meet with other guest speakers in the weeks to come.
Congratulation to the Nominees and Winners of the 12th Annual 211 Broward Community Care Plan Non-Profit Awards
On behalf of our Board of Directors, Junior Board Members, and Program Managers at the HDS Foundation, we want to congratulate the nominees and winners of the Community Care Plan Non-Profit Awards Presented by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
The 211 Broward provides every person in our community with a place to turn when they need answers to life’s challenges, big or small. 211 is a free, anonymous, 24-hour helpline offering listening support, information, referral, and crisis services. In addition, the Care Plan Non-Profit Awards recognize and bring awareness to the collective work and impact of non-profit organizations and leaders throughout Broward County.
The HDS Foundation team is proud to have been nominated for the 2023 JM Family Enterprises Community Choice Award by one of our business partners and honored to be selected as a finalist by 211 Broward among many deserving nominees.
We congratulate WONDHERFUL for winning this year’s Community Choice Award!
Cypress Bay HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Students create Visions Boards
I had the pleasure of attending their class on a day some of the students shared their vision boards. I was so impressed with the goals they set for themselves in the areas of education, independence, social skills, and careers. Six students shared their hopes and dreams of becoming an actor, working in a space-related field, animation, health science, and electronics.
This lesson is two-fold; first, students share their vision boards with their classmates. Once everyone has completed the process and selected the careers/jobs they want to pursue, the HDS Foundation Program Managers invite guest speakers who have embarked on similar careers to present to the class, either in person or virtually. Last year, we even had a Team from Microsoft come out and host a workshop for the students.
For some of our students, this exercise has helped them share how they feel about reaching certain milestones. For example, Jancarlo shared that he has become more independent now that he has his driver’s license. In addition, Vincent expressed the steps he would like to take to be more social with friends and classmates, such as stopping by to say hello, sharing like-minded interests, and becoming a better listener.
I am so proud of HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students as they continue to work individually and in group settings to empower themselves and each other with their hopes and dreams for a bright future!
Liz Falk
Program Manager
HDS Foundation
HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Students Enjoy Lunch at their Local Panera Bread Cafe
The HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Community-Based Instruction (CBI) outings that we host in collaboration with our local high school partners are much more than purely educational. They are an opportunity for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other abilities to feel part of their community and enjoy all of the benefits and experiences that come with visiting local establishments with their peers.
Through these experiences, they practice money management, budgeting, food selection, and socializing. These skills cannot be taught in a traditional classroom environment, as creating real-life scenarios would only provide part of the experience. That is why the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program frequently takes students on CBIs where they can practice socializing, managing budgets, and other such skills that can easily be taken for granted by those not affected with Autism.
This week our students visited a local Panera Bread Bakery Café. Students ordered a drink, a meal, and dessert on their own. They used their Bank of America Debit Cards to pay independently. Once their order was completed, they had to wait for it to be ready and grab their food at the pick-up counter. Those that purchased fountain drinks had the opportunity to practice using the self-serve drink dispenser. The students truly enjoyed their delicious lunch and the chance to socialize with their classmates.
It’s experiences like these that make our HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Programs so successful!
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