August
- Camping Registration is Open
- August 16 - Zumba with Elyse
- August 17 - T21 Social Network (18+)
- August 18 - Club 321 (middle and high school)
- August 22 - Play Date at MyGym (Waterford)
- August 26 - Bowl-A-Thon Kick Off Meeting @ Boardwalk Bowl
September
- September 7 - iCan! Programs at UCF
- September 14 - Club 321 (middle and high school)
- September 19 - Parent Meeting
- September 23 - Skate Party
- September 28 - Field Day at Windermere Prep
- September 29 - Play Date at MyGym (Maitland)
October
- October 5 - 10th Anniversary Celebration & Down Syndrome Awareness Month Party
- October 12 - iCan! Programs at UCF
- October 26 - iCan! Programs at UCF
November
- November 1-3 - Camping Jamboree
- November 16 - iCan! Programs at UCF
January 2020
- January 18 - iCan! Programs at UCF
February 2020
- February 16 - 10th Annual Tour of Champions Bowl-A-Thon
- February 22 - iCan! Programs at UCF
- February 29 - iCan! Programs at UCF
Don't want to miss out on our events?
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iCan Bike! Camp 2019 proved to be a successful and exciting experience once again, as over 100 volunteers worked together to change the lives of our 40 determined riders and their families.
Most families visit Orlando for the theme parks, and tourist attractions and most teens use the summer to kick back and relax. One family traveled all the way from Naples, Italy just so their son could be a part of our 2019 iCan Bike camp!
As we look back to last week, it's hard to put into words what bike camp is really all about. We watched our riders show up on Monday feeling scared and unsure of themselves, our parents wondering why they ever thought their son/daughter could actually ride a 2-wheel bike and our volunteers excited and ready to serve.
Did you know that only 10% of individuals with Down syndrome and 20% of individuals with Autism ever learn how to ride a 2-wheel bicycle? It was awesome to see our riders work so hard to learn something that most of us donât even remember learning. The parents of our older riders had given up the dream that their son/daughter would learn to ride years ago.
When our riders are successful, we never know if we should be watching the rider who is smiling from ear to ear or the parent that is sobbing in the corner. Our riders left with a new confidence about themselves and the knowledge that with hard work they CAN achieve their dreams. It was amazing to see the transformation!
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The other thing we LOVE about bike camp is our volunteers. Our volunteers commit to coming out for at least one session every day all week. We do this so our riders can have the same volunteer each day and it also allows for a better experience for the volunteerâthey see their rider go from being scared to ride to a successful bike rider. It becomes a team effort. Over and over again, we watched our volunteers treat our riders with respect and compassion. Doing whatever they could to help them to continue to work hard to achieve their goal of being an independent bike rider. The reason we have such a successful bike camp is because we have a large group of committed and caring volunteers--many whom come back year after year.
THANK YOU to the amazing staff from iCan Shine - Eryka and Ben for caring about each of our riders.
THANK YOU to the families and riders for letting us be a part of your journey.
THANK YOU to our volunteers -- without you bike camp wouldn't be possible!!
A huge thanks to Camille Gardiner and her entire family for making this event possible.
Thank you for believing in our riders and for being a part of our effort to change lives and change expectations!
Click
here
to check out our pictures or like us on Facebook to see our iCan Bike! photo album. More pictures and video will be added to the link as we get them (we have a lot more of kids riding etc.)
RIDE ON!
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Florida Freewheelers cycling club once again provided the beautiful, brand new bike helmets to our riders!
They personally and professionally fit everyone again this year. You can find out more about the Florida Freewheelers club at their website:
floridafreewheelers.com
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Orange County Convention for providing an AMAZING space for our riders
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Centerplate for keeping our riders stocked with an assortment of yummy snacks!
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ï»żAnd the generous support of:
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iCan Shine, Orlando Health, Quality One Wireless, AmeriFactors, Gries Investment Funds, LMG, The Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation, Orange Cycle, Chick-fil-a, Roccos Tacos, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Olive Garden, Zaxbyâs Chicken and the incredible volunteers.
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Here is a quick recap of our AMAZING adventure. Stay tuned for a full recap coming soon!
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iCan Learn!
This program is designed for children ages 4-9 who are just entering or about to enter the school system. We partner wit
h
UCF's College of Community Innovation and Education
and
work with students who help our families with tools and
resources focused on research based methods proven to help our children through 5 centers -
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), Reading, Math, Speech and Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy. Through iCan Learn! we will
provid
e more hands on learning and skills geared for the 21st Century and beyond.
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iCan Excel!
iCan Excel offers youth ages 10-15 the opportunity to get moving and have fun. Our participants learn mindfulness and yoga in a supportive and creative environment. The goal of the program is to teach exercise as an effective way to manage and reduce stress levels and develop effective coping strategies.
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College & Career Prep
This program is beneficial for those 16 and older who want to continue to learn and develop skills that will help them be successful in the community. Participants and UCF students explore various parts of community life from navigating campus to building a budget to exploring healthy eating and exercise options. There is a presentation for the young adults as well as speakers who come to educate the parents about how to facilitate independence after high school. Check out a list of some of the amazing topics and resources in the link below!
This program is sponsored by Disney.
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iCan! Program dates
September 7
October 12
October 26
November 16
January 18
February 22
February 29
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Our very own Elyse Mundelein has a gig with our good friends at The Zoo Health Club Oviedo! No membership is needed! Just smiling faces!
When: Friday, August 16
Time: 5:30pm
Where: Zoo Health Club
1173 Oviedo Mall Blvd
Oviedo Fl 32765
You do not need to know how to dance, just want to have a good time.
The Zoo Health Club has been a wonderful supporter of the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida. They want to extend a warm welcome to all of our members to join Elyse! AND THE CLASS IS FREE!!!
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What:
Volunteering at Feeding Children Everywhere (FCE)! This month, our 18+ social group will be getting together for lunch and an opportunity to give back to our community. Together, we will be packaging meals for FCE's Full Cart program. This program allows families and individuals to extend their grocery budget by supplementing basic essentials found in the pantry.
The FOUNDATION will provide lunch at the start of the program at 12:45pm. Select your lunch option in the registration link!
When:
Saturday, August 17th
12:45pm-3:00pm
ï»ż
Where:
Feeding Children Everywhere
830 S Ronald Reagan Blvd, Unit 142
Longwood, FL 32750
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Club 321 (middle and high school)
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Get ready to rock and BOWL!
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Join us for an afternoon of bowling and lunch with friends!
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When:
Sunday, August 18th
1:00pm-3:15pm
ï»ż
Where:
Boardwalk Bowl
10749 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32817
* The Foundation is covering bowling, members will be responsible for their lunch
.
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Our Club 321 is designed for middle school and high school students to give them an opportunity to gain independence, socialize and make new friends and memories. This club hosts monthly drop-off events where participants have the chance to experience fun outings in an independent but safe environment (fully staffed events). So what are you waiting for? Register now!
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When:
August 22nd
9:30am - 11:00am
Where:
MyGym Waterford Lakes
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Bowl-A-Thon Committee members needed!
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We are looking for Bowl-a-thon Committee Members. If you would like to be part of the team which puts on our ONLY FUNDRAISER for the year, please email
Camille.Gardiner@dsfflorida.org
.
It is a short-term commitment that only requires a few hours a month between now and our Bowl-a-thon.
Our first meeting is
Monday, August 26th @ Boardwalk Bowl!
We would love a few more creative and energetic individuals to help us make this the best event yet!
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Our annual back to school skate night is always a GREAT time!
What a FUN way to socialize with friends! We want to give our members the opportunity to come learn to skate or practice skating so your loved one feels confident to say, "YES! I CAN SKATE!" when they are invited to an event.
Monday, September 23rd
Astro Skate
866 S Goldenrod Rd
Orlando, FL 32822
6:00pm-8:00pm
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Down Syndrome Awareness Month
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Camping registration is now OPEN
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Where
: Jetty Park Campground - 9035 Campground Cir.
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
When
: November 1st - 3rd
This weekend is one of the most anticipated events of the year! The FOUNDATION started camping with our members 8 years ago, not only because we enjoy camping and spending time with our members, but also because it is a GREAT way to spend time with friends and family. We go to Jetty Park (where the cruise ships go out to sea), provide tents (or you can bring your own), breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and dinner on Saturday night. We rent beach chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards and kayaks and have a BLAST. This a great way for us to spend the day together at the beach while teaching your loved one (or maybe YOU) to enjoy the outdoors. To learn more about what this event entails and to register, visit our website !
Registration Deadline:
October 11 2019 to receive a t-shirt;
October 21, 2019 last day to register.
RV reservations must be done by August 29th
to be guaranteed. We have a limited number of RV spots and if they sell out we will have to look for spaces not with our group (if they are even available).
ï»ż
Cost
: $25 per family to camp or $10 per family for Saturday cookout. Payment due at time of registration.
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Wonder why camping with us is so much fun?
ï»ż
Click on the video to find out!
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By definition, a community is a
group
of people united through a
common goal
and with the same stories.
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A
group
is more than two people. No man is an island, and two people can be a partnership, but you need at least three people to have community. Hopefully, over time youâll have more than three.
A
common goal
unites individuals into groups and creates a sense of compassion. The goal canât be too easy. Itâs good to be victorious in the end, but you have to go through some hardship along the way.
The
same stories
help bond the group together over time. Stories can be about anything related to the community. They can be informative, positive, and/or inspiring.
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We celebrate our 10th year anniversary with you; our members, our partners, our donors, our volunteers...
our community
. We know it takes a village and ours has grown from four founding members with a vision of inclusion to literally thousands of individuals who have caught the vision and helped us make dreams a reality. The journey has been one incredible adventure after another, one success story after another, and one life changed after another.
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We look forward to sharing this year long celebration and a bright future with you! đ
Join us in using
#IamTheFOUNDATION
this year on your social media posts. Watch for great ways to share your success story! âš
Here's to 10 years celebrating a community of
ï»ż
POTENTIAL
,
OPPORTUNITIES
and
SUCCESS
!
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More MAGIC coming your way!
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Stay tuned for opportunities to volunteer for iCan Work! Join us at the Amway Center as we work alongside individuals with Down syndrome gaining meaningful employment experience!
Check out the Magic schedule below - we'll be at all of the home games this season!
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We would like to take a moment to say thank you and good luck to Jennifer Sears! Jennifer served as The FOUNDATION's iCan Work! Program Manager and we couldn't be more grateful for her contributions. From leading our iCan Work! program with Levy Restaurants to helping us get to know more about Vocational Rehab, Jen brought enthusiasm, positivity, and excellence to everything she worked on. We wish Jennifer nothing but the best on her future endeavors! Thank you, Jen!
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Research Study - Participants needed
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For more information please contact:
Carolyn Buchanan, MA, CCCâSLP, ATP
Email: carolyn.buchanan@ucf.edu
Phone: (407) 823â4876
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Technology Tip and Tricks
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People who would never dream of downloading an email attachment from a stranger buy apps without considering the possible consequences. Some apps are malicious -- they contain
viruses
, worms, malware or some other way of harming you. They might steal things like your personal information, others' contact information, or passwords and share them with others.
ï»żLuckily, there are steps you can take to avoid downloading a malicious app.
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Let's get social!
Follow us on social media for more information
and to stay updated on our upcoming events!
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