A Pirate Christmas

A Pirate Christmas stole hearts and shared the spirit of Christmas!

After a one year hiatus due to COVID, New Horizons Academy’s annual Christmas musical returned to the Pettisville Missionary Church stage on December 14, 2021. The musical featured pirates and elves stealing our hearts and sharing the spirit of Christmas in A Pirate Christmas: The Musical by John Jacobson and Roger Emerson.

The sentiment heard over and over throughout the evening was “I’m so glad to see our kids back up on the stage. They are true stars and inspirations to us all!”

Just like the exhausted elves in the musical had to confront the rollicking pirates to find their inspiration and Christmas spirit, NHA’s special needs kids confronted their anxiety, fears, nerves, and stage fright to show us all the true meaning of courage and Christmas.

The contingent of vacationing elves was led by Head Elf Rebecca Myers and the legendary White Beard (aka Santa Claus) Josiah Acevedo while the salty crew of pirates were led by the Pirate Captain Anne Deffenbaugh and the Tiny Pirate Vivian Beck as together, they discovered what true treasure really is.

Our inspirational, preschool to high school cast members included:

Elves—Odin Tressler, Jeremiah Hernandez, Bruce Babcock, Ruby Snider, Danny Halmi, Annabelle Buehrer, Temperence Gillen, Jase Tressler, Orion Bailey-Lacy, Remington Shulters, Chance Zolman, Chase Thompson, Raylan Holbrook, Kyson Davidson, Axl McCarthy, Molly Boylan, Mark Jacobs, Danielle Tillson, Nadia Hancher, Breya Zolman, Clara Hollo, Eric Spiller, Joseph Green, Jimmy Forrest, Abbie Thomas, Cierra Flores, Lily Ringler, Sam Allen, Justin Bauer, Grayson Snider, and Michael Graham with Reindeer Luke Chambers and Jackson Snider.
Tiny Pirates—Colt Tammarine, Elena Smith, Ella Sancrant, Silas Johnson, Samuel Jimenez, Caleb Martin, Aliza Murray, Derek Ramey, Jensen Davenport, Owen Lewis, Tyler Shelton, Draven Tressler, Gavin Appel, Maverick McCarthy, Flynn Gallagher, William Ash, and Dakota Bricker.
Pirates—Isaiah Canales, Darien Homan, Levi Bettinger, Jackson Steiner (and parrot), Eli Saneholtz, Alexander Aguirre, Ben Rickenberg, Kamil Plaza, Seamus Brookes, Ethan Pieper, Taylar Alpaugh, Ashlyn Impton, Cole Hicks, Christian Lee, Izzy Armas, Liberty Wilson, Isiah Anders, Sterling Snider, Jaedyn Knight, Elizabeth Heberling, Auron Tanksley, Dominic Petz, Emma Wymer, Julie Stiff, Mason Rego, Syndel Barker, Cadince Ramirez, and Josh Parran.

Together, they performed Island Christmas; Pirates All Are We; Give and Take; Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Boots; He’s a Pirate; It’s Cool To Be Cool; Christmas Joy; Blimey Carols; and Silent Night.

In addition to the cast of elves and pirates, NHA students served as:

Channel 1 News Casters—Noah Nagel, Gabe Hobby, Kyler Campbell, Daymon Plassman, and Tyler Davidoff
Living Nativity Members—Omira Santillanes, Mark Jacobs, Cole Hicks, Ashlyn Impton, Ruby Snider, Jaedyn Knight, Emma Wymer, Danielle Tillson, Beaux Barrett, Lily Ringler, Christian Lee, Josh Parran, and Mason Rego.
Backstage and Lobby Assistants—Noah Nagel, Ava Keim, Tony Conti, Chase Burmeister, Gavin Leal, Alex Williams, Jackson Snider, Hannah Engler, Chloe Ruhnke, and Justin Tanksley.

This inspirational, Christmas musical was made possible by our dedicated NHA staff and teachers, especially Music Teacher Melissa Valentine. This was her creation and brain child. Without Melissa, this Christmas miracle would not have been possible. Without all of her hard work, vision, dedication, and creativity, the show would not have gone on. She found or created the absolute perfect role for each of our students’ abilities and personalities and corralled and coached over 100 of our special needs kids through the entire Christmas show. Melissa was truly our North Star, leading the way to Christmas!

If you missed this special Christmas production, check out our photos on Facebook or log onto our YouTube channel for your own special, encore performance.

Coffee Talk: Hope Brews at Special Grounds

Welcome to the January 2022 edition of Coffee Talk! Each quarter we hope to update everyone on what’s happening out at Special Grounds Coffee Co… from exciting new drink recipes and delicious food offerings, to fun events and giveaways. We are so blessed by your support of Special Grounds and are so thankful for what this project means for our kiddos at NHA.

ICE SCULPTING

On Saturday, Dec 11, 2021, 32 Wauseon Chamber businesses were part of the Wauseon Chamber of Commerce Ice Sculpting Event that featured Ice Creations with Chad Hartson and 4 other talented ice sculptors. Special Grounds Coffee was part of this event and it was fascinating to see how they sculpt the ice and how quickly they finished it.

HANDCRAFTED ARTISAN SOAP

This past month, the kids at NHA tried their hands at something new. We made espresso soap from our amazing espresso beans and it looks and smells divine! The first batch of bars were available for purchase right before Christmas and they were a huge hit as they sold out in just over a week. More soap is curing now and should be available soon!

NEW FLAVORS & RECIPES COMING SOON!

In the middle of January, we will be releasing some new drinks in the coffee shop, including: a Pistachio Latte, a Toffee Blondie Latte, and a new Strawberry Banana Smoothie! We will also have a release of our new seasonal LTO flavored coffees. Stop in and check out our new merchandise. Follow us on social media for details and release dates!

SANCTUARY SEATING & RENTAL

Our sanctuary is finally complete and we couldn’t be more thrilled. The sanctuary offers the cafe’s customers additional seating in a beautiful and inviting environment. The cafe’s sanctuary is also available to rent for private parties and events. For more information on sanctuary rental please contact Tara or Matt at 419-335-7272 or via email at [email protected] or [email protected].

THANK YOU!

Lastly, but most importantly… THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who had a part in making this dream come true. Thank you to all of the contractors and suppliers for all of your help and hard work. Thank you to all of our customers for your amazing support and and positive feedback. Thank you to all of our staff for your tireless effort and amazing smiles and attitudes. Because of all of you we are able to provide a vocational experience to our kids that is beyond anything we ever dreamed! They have taken ownership in this little coffee shop in a way that we could never imagined. We are beyond blessed by all of you for support and love!

2022 “Drive Fore Hope” Charity Golf Scramble

Sara’s Garden would like to invite you to participate in the 2022 “Drive Fore Hope” Charity Golf Scramble. Be sure to save the date! We have put together a fun-filled day at Ironwood Golf Course in Wauseon, Ohio and hope to see you there!

Event Date: Friday, May 27, 2022
Event Location: Ironwood Golf Course, Wauseon, Ohio
Event Format: 4-Player Team Scramble
Event Cost: $75 per Player ($300 per Team)

All proceeds from this event will be used towards the purchase of therapy equipment for our clients and students at Sara’s Garden and New Horizons Academy. Sara’s Garden is a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is the only facility in the United States to offer Autism Intervention, Conductive Education, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration and Speech-Language Pathology services.

Registration Includes:

Scramble format (4-player teams)
Green and cart fees
Range balls
Goodie bag
Contests and prizes
Awards for top teams
Lunch Buffet

Time	Schedule of Events
7:00 a.m.	Registration
	Range Open
8:00 a.m.	Shotgun Scramble
1:00 p.m.	Lunch Buffet at NHA Career Center
2:00 p.m.	Awards

Partnership Opportunities

Platinum Title Partner – $1,500

Includes one foursome, event promotion, platinum title partner signage and program recognition.
This level of sponsorship will provide 15 hours of HBOT treatments or up to 43 hours of intervention services.

Gold Event Partner – $900

Includes one foursome, gold event partner activity signage and program recognition.
This level of sponsorship will provide 9 hours of HBOT treatments or up to 25 hours of intervention services.

Silver Contest Partner – $500

Includes one foursome, silver contest partner signage and program recognition.
This level of sponsorship will provide 5 hours of HBOT treatments or up to 14 hours of intervention services.

Bronze Meal Partner – $350

Includes bronze meal partner signage and program recognition.
This level of sponsorship will provide 3.5 hours of HBOT treatments or up to 10 hours of intervention services.

O2 Tee Partner – $100

Includes O2 tee partner signage and program recognition.
This level of sponsorship will provide 1 hour of HBOT treatments or up to 3 hours of intervention services.

For additional information regarding partnership opportunities or team registration for the Sara’s Garden “Drive Fore Hope” Charity Golf Scramble please contact Tara at 419.335.SARA or via email at [email protected].

Please join us for a great day of golf filled with fun, great food, auction items, skill contests and fabulous prizes. Take a day off work for a great cause and meet some of the amazing people you are golfing to help!

Commemorative Bricks Available

Many people are not aware that they can still purchase engraved, commemorative bricks for the walkway in our playground area. These bricks are available indefinitely as we have a very large area for them to be displayed.

For a tax-deductible donation, we will personalize your limited edition section of the patio. This program offers you the chance to honor family, friends, mentors, sports teams, clubs, organizations or businesses by purchasing a personalized brick paver.

“Buy a Brick” Donor Levels

$50.00 – 4″ x 8″ engraved brick space with 1-3 lines of text.
$75.00 – 8″ x 8″ engraved brick space with 1-6 lines of text.
$100.00 – 12″ x 12″ engraved brick space with 1-8 lines of text.

Inscriptions are in UPPERCASE lettering and are centered on the brick. You can have up to 18 characters per line engraved, including spaces, periods, commas, quotations, etc.

You can also customize your brick with decorative clip art and logo graphics for only $15.00 more. We can also engrave your own clip art or logo for the same price. Simply upload a black & white high resolution logo where specified when you place your order.

ORDER ONLINE

You may suggest placement of the graphics on our order sheet under the comments section. Sometimes however it is not possible to accommodate the suggested placement in the layout. In these cases the final design will be left up to our engravers.

Make a lasting memory while supporting the playground project and investing in student’s lives, one step at a time. Help support the students at New Horizons Academy and countless families from across Northwest Ohio that will benefit from this inclusive, handicap accessible playground.

If you would like additional information or need help placing your order, please call or email Matt Rychener at 419-335-7272 ext. 1001.

2021-22 NHA Yearbook Sponsorship

We are so thankful to our sponsors for making this past year’s yearbook project possible.

Our goal is to once again provide our students and their parents with this very special memento. We hope to raise funds through sponsors in order to keep the costs of the yearbooks as low as possible, so that more students and their families will be able to afford one.

We invite you to consider being a sponsor of this very special project!

We also gladly accept general donations for those not interested in being recognized as sponsors.

COST: $150.00

This level of sponsorship includes a 3.75″ x 4.25″ (approx.) color advertisement in the yearbook, recognition on our website and recognition on social media with a link to your business’ social media page or website.

COST: $90.00

This level of sponsorship includes a business card sized color advertisement in the yearbook and recognition on our website.

COST: $30.00

This level of sponsorship includes your business or name listed in the yearbook and website.

SPONSORSHIP NOTES

Advertisements must be received by March 31, 2022.
Ads can be emailed in .jpg/.jpeg format to [email protected].
Ads may be dropped off at Sara’s Garden or New Horizons Academy.

Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please keep your email donation receipt as your official record. We’ll send it to you upon successful completion of your donation.

Vocational Training That Works!

Thanksgiving is the time of year where we appreciate the people, programs, and organizations that have touched our lives, supported our families, and helped our students to succeed! This year, we are so grateful for Shalian (Shali) McCarley and want to celebrate her accomplishments and appreciate all of the New Horizons Academy (NHA), Career Center, and Special Grounds Coffee staff for helping her to become more confident, independent, and a part of the world of work.

Over five years ago, Shali and her parents, Jack and Sharon McCarley, came to NHA looking for a supportive, special education school environment where she could gain confidence, find her voice, develop work skills, and feel valued and appreciated. According to one of her high school teachers, Ms. Kara Behnfeldt, that is exactly what Shali found. “She grew in confidence; and she developed people skills, as well as, being able to express her thoughts and feelings. Shali thrived in a one-on-one, quiet, supportive classroom environment, where she felt valued.” At NHA, Shali felt that she learned “how to get along with people,” which helped prepare her for her new retail job at Walmart in Napoleon.

Shali may have improved her communication skills and work skills while at NHA and its Career Center; but as Ms. Kara recognized, “Shali is a hard worker who strives to do the best she can.” And she does it through humor and with a smile on her face. “I loved seeing and hearing Shali laugh. When she did, it was always pure joy.” Shali agreed that one of her favorite memories was of one of her classmates making her and her other Career Center classmates laugh all the time.

That laughter continued this fall through the Special Grounds Coffee Shop. After socially graduating last May, Shali returned to the Career Center to bake for the coffee shop. Her favorite thing to make was the breakfast burritos, which her job coach Ms. Renate Benjamin made the work fun and exciting. “During the burrito making, we made up a song called, The Burrito Song. One of my favorite memories is Shali telling me in fun, ‘Ms. Renate, Please don’t sing the burrito song any more’ with a huge smile on her face and laughing as hard as she could.”

The Burrito Song is just one example of the fun, educational tools used to help Shali and her Career Center classmates and coffee shop co-workers “learn how to follow a recipe and measure ingredients in grams and ounces,” shared Renate. Through her work study at the Special Grounds Coffee Shop, “Shali also learned to be part of a team and gained a lot of confidence.”

In addition to breakfast burritos, Shali also learned how to make oatmeal sandwich cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and yogurt parfaits with fresh fruit and homemade granola; but her all-time favorite coffee shop treat is of course the huge, ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies. Stop by the Special Grounds Coffee Shop, and try one for yourself. They are great with coffee or hot chocolate!

The Special Grounds Coffee Shop and the Career Center Skills Labs offered Shali the chance to practice her communication, social, customer service, and other work-related and vocational skills needed to be successful at her new retail position. They and her job coach also helped allay her fears and reduce her anxieties about starting a new job. Initially, Shali was worried “about being able to do everything the job required,” and now, she is able to enjoy “making new friends.”

Shali has just joined the world of work, and she still has a whole lot of dreams for her future. She wants to “try new things like photography, modeling, and learning more about fashion.” Ms. Kara and the rest of the NHA staff are just so proud of her and “wish her a life of happiness and confidence in whatever she chooses to do and hope she stays in touch.”

This Thanksgiving season, we want to join with Ms. Kara in congratulating Shali on her new job opportunity and celebrate how far she has truly come in making her dreams of independence come true! We also want to take a moment and thank all of the Special Grounds Coffee Shop, NHA, and Career Center teachers, staff, and job coaches for helping Shali to become more confident, independent, and a part of the world of work.

This holiday season, please stop by the Special Grounds Coffee Shop, and celebrate the accomplishments of Shali and our other special needs students! Thank our staff for everything they do to help our students’ dreams come true and for helping them to become as independent as they can possibly be. Remember that all of the proceeds of Special Grounds Coffee support the vocational skills and work study needs of our special needs students.

If you are looking for a caring school environment for your special needs student, an individualized vocational-based program for your high schooler, a Summer Camp where your middle school or high school student can gain valuable work study skills, or a place where your special needs student can grow, thrive, and become as independent as he or she possibly can, then please consider calling us at 419-335-7272 to set up a tour of our Career Center or NHA school campuses in Wauseon or Springfield. New Horizons Academy…Where Kids Come First!

Special Grounds Coffee Co. was born out of a desire to provide a meaningful vocational experience to individuals with disabilities by creating delicious, high quality products and a welcoming environment. For more information on Special Grounds Coffee, to explore our menu, or to order our freshly roasted and blended coffees right from Wauseon, Ohio, stop into our cafe and see us at 845 S. Shoop Avenue or log onto SpecialGroundsCoffee.com to order online. Special Grounds Coffee… Hope Brews Here. Changing Lives One Cup at a Time.

Special Grounds Project Update ~ Oct. 2021

Special Grounds is officially open!

It look well over a year for us to finally say that, and we could not feel more blessed!

As with everything else in the world recently, complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic made this such a challenging project… from supply chain issues to contractor scheduling and availability. While these unforeseen factors may have caused delays in our progress, they couldn’t temper our excitement and joy for what this facility will provide to our students.

Our grand opening celebration was on Tuesday, September 14 and we are still in awe at the outpouring of support we’ve received from the community. Our students continue to stay busy putting labels on cups, stamping logos and writing thank you notes on coffee sleeves, baking the pastries and making the sandwiches and salads we are serving in the cafe.

Our drive through and indoor dining in the cafe are open from 6:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Stop in and see us at 854 S. Shoop Avenue in Wauseon! We can’t wait to serve you!

2021 #GivingTuesday419

This year we will once again be joining Everence and other amazing local nonprofits and community members to maximize charitable giving at #GivingTuesday419!

Tuesday, Nov. 30
Founder’s Hall – Sauder Village
22611 State Route 2, Archbold

Come together to celebrate #GivingTuesday419.

5 p.m. – Doors open
5:15 p.m. – Difference Makers Expo
6 p.m. – Dismissal by table for dinner
6:30 p.m. – Difference Makers panels begins and giving platform opens
8:30 p.m. (approximately) – Grand total announcement
8:35 p.m. (approximately) – Check out begins. Please hold checks until the program ends.If you’re giving through your Everence donor advised fund, you do not have to stay to check out.

No gift is too small to help inspire change in Northwest Ohio!

The countdown to Northwest Ohio’s biggest day of generosity is on…

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

EVENT HAS PASSED

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

It’s a simple idea: whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give.

Register for #GivingTuesday419 today!

Registration for #GivingTuesday419 is open and will remain open until Nov. 15 or until we reach capacity, whichever comes first.

Don’t delay registering, seats are filling quickly!

REGISTER NOW

Can’t Attend #GivingTuesday419? No Problem!

If you’re not able to attend #GivingTuesday419 you can still participate in Giving Tuesday and support our mission here at Sara’s Garden. Simply visit our Support page to make a one-time or recurring donation.

No gift is too small to support Sara’s Garden and help inspire change in Northwest Ohio!

Save the Date for the 2022 Drive Fore Hope

Thank you so much to everyone who was a part of the 2021 Drive Fore Hope Charity Golf Scramble!

The weather wasn’t ideal or what we envisioned for this year’s event… but we were so blessed by the amazing men and women who turned out to play in and volunteer for this year’s event. Thank you for being so patient and understanding with the adverse conditions! We are truly grateful for your support!

Next year’s event is scheduled for Friday, May 27, 2022. Don’t forget to get it on your calendar and save the date. We hope to see you at the 2022 Drive Fore Hope!

Save the Date for the NHA Christmas Musical

Save the date for Tuesday, December 14! You’re not going to want to miss this ye mateys!

The kiddos at NHA’s Wauseon campus will be presenting their annual Christmas musical: A Pirate Christmas!

After missing last year due to unfortunate COVID restrictions, this year’s musical will be an Elves vs. Pirates event as they try to figure out what Christmas is all about!

Please get this date on your calendar and plan to be available from approximately 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. that evening. The musical will once again be held at Pettisville Missionary Church. Obviously we will be monitoring the ever-changing state and health department COVID guidelines and keep everyone informed of any potential issues in scheduling.

If you are new to the NHA family and aren’t familiar with our musicals, ask someone who was here in either 2018 or 2019 – they have been a huge success and our students absolutely love them!