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The Fonzie Times
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May 2008
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NEWS FLASH
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Since January 2008 look what we have been up to! - 267 Five day programs to families worldwide!
- 54 of which were provided through scholarships
- 51 wounded soldiers came to swim with Squirt & her friends for a day!
- 2,027 students have attended Fonzie's Backyard Marine Conservation and Education Programs!
- 22 local High School students were mentored through our programs and were provided aquarium management knowledge & experience
- 13 lectures about Island Dolphin Care and our programs were given in Austria, Germany, Holland & New York City!
Island Dolphin Care Has welcomed - 19 Student Interns from around the world
- 420 Walk-in Guests
We have been featured in: - 2 local newscasts
- 1 national newscast
- 1 international newscast
- Countless national and international newspaper articles and websites
Our volunteers have provided us with 2,650 Hours of Volunteer Work! And we did it again: WE Met the Batchelor joy challenge!!!
WOW! Now that is something to crow about!
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Message From the Director
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Deena Hoagland LCSW
Director, Island Dolphin Care
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Have you been trying to email us and not gotten a response? Check your spam folder and make sure you allow mail from Island Dolphin Care in your options & rules folder . If that does not work Please call our office (305-451-5884)! I recently read somewhere: "There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination." ........we all have the power to affect change ......we just may not know that we can. No matter how big or small our actions contribute to the whole! Please read the "Daffodil Principle" to see this point illustrated in the form of a wonderful story. And yes we have significantly changed our little corner of the world here in Key Largo - in so many ways - We have done so with everyone's participation! We at Island Dolphin Care, along with the children and families that participate in our programs are so grateful for your support- We all keep making the greatness happen right here and there is nothing better! You might remember that not long ago I had the dream of a sensory garden on our back lot which was once filled with weeds and construction materials - a sore sight to the eye-- One day a field trip of middle school students attended a marine science program here at the center. One of the students was so excited by the center that the next day I had a call asking if there was anything that a Girl Scout troop could do to earn a Silver Medal project. I told them about the sensory garden and they decided it sounded like a great project. As you are probably thinking as I was, isn't that sweet - we will have some planters and flowers and the scouts will do a fun project. Well I truly believe that that is what they were thinking too! One thing led to another...One conversation led to another ... and we have the MOST AMAZING GARDEN! Here is how it happened - like everything at Island Dolphin Care - People want to be a part of something good happening in the world- and GOOD is what is happening everywhere you look at Island Dolphin Care. Patti talked to David and David talked to Walt and Walt talked to ... and on & on & on and so the concrete walkways were donated, the plants & people power!...- everything else that was needed through the generosity of so many found its way to the garden. As you scroll through the photos you can see the transformation! There is not a day that goes by that I do not find myself out in the garden thinking - and feeling so inspired. Butterflies, hummingbirds, waterfalls - the sounds, the smells awaken the senses to something new and refreshing- a positive idea, thoughts and place to be! It is easy to find fault in the world- after all the economy, the politics, and global warming seems to be monopolizing the news. Rarely is the television sharing inspirational tales - it is a choice- a choice we make every day to see through inspiration or otherwise- Visit the slideshow to see our beautiful garden! It is inspiring to be here every day! The giggles, smiles, accomplishments, cheering, satisfaction, love and companionship found here every day is contagious ! There are so many wonderful things happening here at the center -Come by and visit! See for yourself! Get inspired today and do something wonderful to plant a seed of joy in your garden of life- Laugh, love more! Deena
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Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba Visit IDC
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Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) is designed to help improve the lives of injured soldiers returning from Iraq & Afghanistan. By training the soldiers in a challenging & rewarding activity it can help facilitate the rehabilitation process & promote mobility.Recently the soldiers had 5 days of fantastic weather and diving with Conch Republic Divers, and were able to have a really cool dolphin experience at Island Dolphin Care. The dolphin experience was generously provided through a donation from the Ocean Reef Rod and Gun Club. Please click here to view photos of the soldiers enjoying their dolphin swims as well as SCUBA dives on the coral reef.
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Therapy Team Update
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Hello everyone from the IDC therapy team!
Attention IDC families: If you live in South Florida, or will be in the area on June 26th, we are hosting an assistive technology workshop. Come to Island Dolphin Care and learn about assistive technology: what it is and what it can do for you or your child. Todd Metzler from Dynavox technologies will be present to showcase devices as well as several other low tech and high tech products. The workshop takes place on June 26th at 4 P.M. If you are interested, please contact our office to sign up for the free event! The "dolphin days of summer" are quickly approaching as we enter our fourth month of the 2008 therapy season. As the water warms up, the flowers in our new sensory garden are beginning to bloom. Those of you that have not yet been to IDC this season will be amazed at the new additions in our back yard. As Deena mentioned in her ‘Message from the Director', we have been blessed with a beautiful, fully equipped chickee hut and sensory garden. This is the new home of our music therapy and sensory integration workshops, as well as the world famous family barbeque's. In the water the dolphins continue to provide the children with motivation, giggles and unforgettable experiences. Art, Wendy, Fiji and Squirt have been thrilled to see so many new and familiar faces this season. Bella (the dolphin) and her trainer, Meghan, are very excited to have joined the program and look forward to being a part of the wonderful therapeutic interactions. Inside the building, assistive technology devices are becoming more of a reality for our children and their families. We, as a staff, have worked hard in the off-season to learn more about these tools and how to use them effectively. By building working relationships with companies in the AT field, we are now able to put the families in touch with the resources that will allow them to obtain appropriate and helpful assistive tools of their own.
A special congratulations goes out to Honey, our newly CERTIFIED therapy dog. Honey has continued to work with the children in the class sessions and always brings a smile to their faces (ours too!). When needed, Honey does a great job of modeling how to make choices, operate switch activated toys and even gets her paws dirty while painting. We are looking forward to the weeks to come, and the wonderful experiences we will all share together!!!
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Fonzie's Backyard
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The waters of Fonzie's Backyard have been moving as swiftly as the current through our canal! This spring Fonzie's Backyard has welcomed a record number of students to our educational programs. Sara has expanded the programs offered to schools to include new lab activities and curriculum. The new chickee hut has provided a wonderful space for lab activities, lectures, and pure fun! The 2008- 2009 field trip calendar has already started to book. Please get your date requests into Sara as soon as possible.
In addition to running our education programs, Sara has been busy marketing the programs across the US. Sara and a portable touchtank full of Fonzie's Backyard inhabitants traveled to Washington DC and California to promote our program to teachers. Island Dolphin Care is designing Marine Science Conservation and Education Camps for students grades 3- 12. If you would like more information or would like to sign your child up, please contact our office 305-451-5884.
Professional Development. Attention Educators, Island Dolphin Care and Dolphins Plus have once again teamed up to offer a Professional Development, Continuing Education Course. This year the course will take place July 28th- July 31st. Miami Dade College is offering the course for credit! For more information or to download your application please www.islanddolphincare.org/nonflash/teachers .
New Regional Director. Sara Hamilton, IDC's Marine Science Education Coordinator was recently appointed the Southeast Regional Director for the Florida Marine Science Educators Association (FMSEA). For more information on FMSEA please visit http://www.fmsea.org/ or email Sara.
Time to Celebrate! June 8th, 2008 was World Ocean Day. Dont worry, you can still celebrate! Get ideas for celebrating our oceans by visiting http://www.theoceanproject.org/wod/wod_ideas.php.
Even if you live far from the sea, you can make a difference in the health of our planet!
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Additional Therapies
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Music therapy and sensory integration workshops are now being held in our beautiful new Chickee hut. This winter Dr. Jack will be offering a continuing education course for OT and PT professionals and students. This course will be offered in affiliation with the University of St. Augustine for Health Science. Please contact Jack directly for more information at physicaltherapy@islanddolphincare.org.
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From the Office
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Hello from the office at Island Dolphin Care. There are still a limited number of reservations available for this year! Call now to make your reservation. The 2009 requests for reservations are coming in. Call and reserve your favorite time of year. Please remember, a deposit is required to hold the date for your reservation!
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Wonderful New Resources
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YourCause.com: A great way to spread the word about Island Dolphin Care and to raise money for scholarships. You can create a Your Cause Account to help IDC! Visit Deena's page at www.yourcause.com/dolphins The Rifton Report: Sign up for the Rifton Report Newsletter. This newsletter is full of great adaptive equipment, ideas, and inspirational stories. visit www.rifton.com/mailing/RiftonRapport/currentrapport.html to view the April Rifton Report. Autism Votes: May 2, 2008 Florida families applaud Governor Charlie Crist and the state's legislators for passing Senate Bill 2654, which will ultimately require insurance carriers to provide coverage of evidence-based, medically necessary autism therapies. Governor Crist is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks. Learn about autism legislation in your state and across the US. Visit http://www.autismvotes.org/ Autism Awareness: Not just an important cause, but now a horse! Visit http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/43986.htm to read about the race horse named to bring awareness to the complex developmental disability. Autism and Vaccines: Gov't: Girl's Autism-Like Symptoms Linked to Vaccines Federal Officials Say Vaccines Worsened Condition That Led to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Georgia Girl. Read More
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Stories to Think About
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The Brick A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded.. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.' Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door.. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' KIDS ARE QUICK
TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
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TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________ TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
________________________________ ____________ TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________ TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
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TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________ TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.' ________________________________ TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
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TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
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TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________ TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher
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