NFAR is pleased to announce our 2018 Community Project awards.
Each year, funds raised by the Race for Autism help to support autism programs and new initiatives in our community. Together, we have supported over 93 major initiatives, increasing the learning, social, training and employment opportunities for those with autism in San Diego.
The Nine 2018 Community Project Grant recipients include:
P18-P-706 Autism Society of San Diego - “Camp I Can”
Camp I CAN is a summer day camp serving autistic children and teens ages 6 to 17 years, living in San Diego County during June through August. It is the only summer camp programs specifically designed for autistic children and teens in San Diego County.
Goal is to serve a 120 children and teens in 2018. The camp is held Monday through Friday from 9 am until 3 pm. at Toby Wells YMCA in San Diego (72 campers) or Ecke YMCA Encinitas (48 campers). Each camper may enroll in only one week of camp due to the high demand for this program.
P18-P-703 Banyan Tree Foundations Academy - “Back to the Blacktop”
Banyan Tree Foundations Academy is a certified nonpublic school, that combines small-group work and 1-1 specialized training for intensive educational and therapeutic interventions.
Project would serve 38 students this year and potential for more in subsequent years. Current pavement is old and broken up and kids have slipped. Project would provide a new blacktop surface that allows the students to participate in PE exercises, play basketball, and ride their tricycles.
P18-P-707 K.I.D.S. Therapy Associates, Inc. - “Life Skills & Social Behaviors for Job Acquisition & Maintenance”
Goal is to serve 20 participants. This project will develop and implement two, six-week employment training sessions facilitated by a SLP and OT in consultation with a certified TEACCH Practitioner.
The program will provide direct instruction and simulated practice in areas including:
1) Social skills with employers and coworkers during interviews, collaborative work, break/social times, and electronic communication, and 2) Organization of materials and time management including the use of visual supports
P18-P-705 Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center - "Inclusion of Campers with Autism”
Camp Jaycee provides an exciting, enriching, and diverse array of activities that promote physical and emotional health.
The JCC's Inclusion program will serve 20 children with autism (K-6 grade) in summer camps alongside their typically developing peers. 60 kids per grade, broken into groups of 15 with 1 -2 inclusion campers per group.
P18-P-708 New Village Arts - “The Harmony Troupe”
New Village Arts has created programs for young adults with autism; Monday Night Live! introduces students to the techniques of acting, improvisation and sketch comedy emphasizing cooperation and creativity. NFAR helped to support this program last year. This program is continuing to grow.
New Village Arts was awarded funding for “The Harmony Troupe” for students that desire to have a direct involvement in creating the work they will perform, and will be guided to explore composition in music and dance as an essential part of their creation. The Troupe would serve up to 10 individuals with ASD as well as include peers, and visiting artists
P18-P-709 Positive Action Community Theatre (PACT) - “Performing Arts for Autism”
PACT provides four 8-week cycles of improv theatre workshops and performing arts (singing and dance) workshops on Saturday afternoons and serves 31 Teens and Young Adults.
The objective is to provide a supportive, highly motivating environment where skills such as group collaboration, turn taking, cognitive flexibility, listening and responding within context, perspective taking, problem solving, critical thinking skills, self-advocacy skills, and defining personal space can be learned and successfully applied.
P18-P-704 San Diego Center for Children - “ASD Thrive Program for Children and Adolescents with ASD and their Families”
The program is designed to help meet the mental and behavioral health needs of San Diego County adolescents with ASD, ages 13 and up, especially those from low-income households, and to strengthen their families through education, support and skills training.
Program model would support 6 families, providing the families with 12 sessions of family therapy over the course of nine months, interspersed with 24 sessions (48 hours) of in-home skills training. The adolescents would receive 48 hours of applied behavior analysis focusing on three adaptive skills (one social skill, one self-advocacy or communication skill and one coping skill) per participant over three months.
P18-P-711 Vista Hill/ Stein Education Center - “SmartBoard for Stein Education Center Special Care Services”
Goal is to serve 85 participants annually. The SEC Special Care services (after-school) serves youth and adults who typically cannot be served by the local public school systems, or traditional daycare, recreational or vocational programs, due to the level of their disability and severe behavioral challenges
This project is aimed at installing and utilizing a SmartBoard (or similar electronic whiteboard device) in the Stein Education Center (SEC) Special Care Services (after-school) as many elements that are motivating for our children.
P18-P-702 Whittier School - “Regulation and Relaxation Spaces”
Whittier School, is an alternative campus for students with complex needs and behaviors. The majority of the students who attend Whittier are on the autism spectrum. All students at Whittier have an IEP and require a variety of specialized services and accommodations to meet their potential. Many students placed at Whittier School struggle with sensory processing, the ability to gather, understand, and organize information that comes to us through our senses.
The School’s Regulation and Relaxation spaces would include tools and equipment and be used to proactively offer students ways to maintain emotional regulation and manage their level of arousal. Goal is to serve 55 participants.