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…

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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!

NHA COVID Update

New Horizons Academy (NHA) is committed to the health and safety of our students and staff, and we will do everything in our power to keep them safe! As we begin the second nine weeks of school, we continue to follow the recommendations of the 2021-22 COVID-19 Health and Prevention Guidance for Ohio K-12 Schools from the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Education.

This school year, we have continued to work extremely hard to minimize in-school coronavirus transmission and to keep our students in-person at NHA. We have instituted a mask-recommended rather than a mask-mandated environment along with continued social distancing, frequent hand washing, hand sanitizing, rigorous cleaning, and grade-level pods. We have been remarkably successful with just 6 individuals testing positive for COVID-19:

1 student and 1 staff member at our Springfield Campus
2 students and 1 staff member at our Career Center
1 staff member at our Wauseon Campus

Recently, the state of Ohio has seen a decline in new coronavirus cases, and we would like to see that trend continue. To do that, we are asking you to continue to:

Keep your children home when they are sick
Remind them to wash their hands often with soap and water
Encourage them to carry and use hand sanitizer
Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
Socially distance at community and group events

With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, we want all of our families to celebrate together and celebrate safely. Thank you for helping us to keep our students and staff healthy and safe this school year!

NHA Parent-Teacher Conferences

For our New Horizons Academy (NHA) parents, parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner on November 1-2. If you haven’t already scheduled one with your child’s teacher, please do so today.

Parent-teacher conferences are a great way to develop or deepen the partnership between parents and teachers. You both want your child to learn, grow, and become as independent as he or she possibly can. Use this opportunity to find out how your child is doing in school and what you can do to help.

Before the conference:

If you haven’t already, schedule a time to meet. Please send back your parent-teacher conference sign-up form with any requests to meet with specific teachers, staff, or specialists.
Review your child’s progress reports and grade card.
Talk with your child and other family members about how they think the school year is going and what your child’s strengths and needs are.
Make a list of questions to ask during the conference.

During the conference:

Remember that it is a two-way conversation and that it works best when both teachers and parents talk and listen.
Share your questions and concerns with the teacher.
Celebrate your child’s accomplishments, and work with the teacher on ways to help your child grow and improve.
Ask what you can do at home to help your child learn and grow.

While talking with the teacher, please keep these basic principles in mind:

—BE HEARD—
Best intentions assumed
Emphasis on learning

Home-school collaboration
Examples and evidence
Active listening
Respect for all
Dedication to follow-up

For more information on how to make the most of your parent-teacher conference and how to strengthen the relationship with your child’s teacher, log onto the Global Family Research Project at globalfrp.org.

Even Small Injuries Can Lead to Big Problems

It has been said that little problems often become big problems if you don’t take the initiative to correct them. Unfortunately, when it comes to our bodies and injuries, little injuries can lead to big problems even when we take the initiative to correct them. There are times when complications from surgery can lead to even bigger issues than what the original surgery was even attempting to fix.

Andrew enlisted in the Army after graduating from Wauseon High School and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 2-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, Charlie Company, 3rd Platoon. Andrew found great fulfillment serving his country and his hard work paid off as he was recognized for his initiative and efforts and promoted to serve as Team Leader and Squad Designated Marksman in his division. While preparing to go through selection for Special Forces he suffered what he thought to be at the time, a minor setback when a pilonidal cyst formed on his tailbone.

A pilonidal cyst is an abnormal pocket in the skin that usually contains hair and skin debris. It is almost always located near the tailbone at the top of the cleft of the buttocks. Pilonidal cysts usually occur when hair punctures the skin and becomes embedded. If a pilonidal cyst becomes infected, the resulting abscess is often extremely painful. The cyst can be drained through a small incision or removed surgically.

Andrew’s seemingly harmless cyst did indeed become infected and started causing significant pain. When the cyst continued to grow, doctors advised Andrew that an operation was necessary to prevent it from getting worse. So, on November 2, 2015, Andrew underwent surgery at Fort Bragg to remove the cyst.

The resulting surgical wound needed to be packed and cleaned daily by a wound care team at the hospital. When a wound is deep, or when it tunnels under the skin, packing the wound can help it heal. The packing material soaks up any drainage from the wound, which helps the tissues heal from the inside out. Without the packing, the wound could close at the top. This would trap fluid and possibly bacteria in the deeper areas of the wound, impede healing, and lead to infection. Andrew was forced to wait for the wound cavity to heal before he could resume selection training.

After a month, Andrew’s wound had still not healed. His doctors stopped treating him because the healing time was taking longer than expected. They simply gave him a bag of supplies, instructed him to pack the wound himself and told Andrew to follow up with them in three months.

Not only did the wound not heal, it became infected and started causing Andrew incredible pain. On December 14, 2015 doctors surgically reopened the wound site to remove the infection, resulting in an even larger wound cavity, over 1 in. deep, 2 cm. long and 1 cm. wide.

Andrew was not about to endure another “wait and see” healing period. Thankfully, Andrew had received Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden back when he was in high school recovering from a stress fracture in his foot. He remembered how it had helped to speed up his healing process then and believed it could help him once again.

As soon as his surgery was over, Andrew left Fort Bragg and headed home to Wauseon to start hyperbaric treatments at Sara’s Garden. The high concentration of oxygen at increased pressure allowed Andrew to increase his healing efficiency. After only a few days, his pain level was significantly reduced and could feel the infection begin to subside. Over the course of the next three weeks, Andrew received 16 HBOT treatments. With the help of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Andrew was able to beat the infection and successfully close the wound that he had been dealing with for the past two months.

Andrew felt grateful to have been able to finally heal and get back to his previous level of operation. He stated that he was pain free and had a renewed confidence to return and complete his military operations. Andrew went on to deploy with the 82nd to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Without hyperbaric treatments at Sara’s Garden, Andrew is convinced that his infection and wound would have continued to deteriorate due to the lack of care he was receiving from the Army Medical Corps.

Andrew is now out of the Army and in his last year of a BSN-RN program. He is hoping to continue his education to the provider level and is looking for an opportunity to provide health services to people in need such as veterans or individuals with special needs.

No matter what you’ve been told, there is hope… for this and many other conditions. HBOT is treatment without drugs… without surgery… without pain.

Special Grounds Project Update ~ July 2021

We want to keep everyone informed on the status of our exciting new project, Special Grounds Coffee Shop.

We are SOOO CLOSE to being done with construction. The past month saw a tremendous amount of work completed.

Drywall is done and the walls have been painted.
Our new awnings over the drive up window and front entrance have been installed.
Counters have been installed and plumbing is being hooked up.
Ceiling grid is in and lights are being installed.
The kids have been hard at work helping our staff create delicious pastries to sample

Until we officially open, you can still order our delicious, locally-roasted coffees online for pickup or delivery right to your door! Our e-commerce website (SpecialGroundsCoffee.com) is up and running and ready to connect you with the most delicious coffee you will ever taste!

If you would prefer to purchase your coffee in person, we’ve got you covered for that that as well. We have been attending various Farmer’s Markets in the area and have received great response from these events. Below are the events we are currently scheduled to attend over the coming months:

July 15 – Perrysburg
July 15 & 16 – Wauseon Tent Sale
July 22 – Perrysburg
July 29 – Perrysburg
Aug 5 – Perrysburg
Sept 12 – Monarchs & More Family Fun Day (Sauder Village)

We are so grateful to the Roach Family Foundation for their amazing $10,000 grant for the purchase of equipment needed for the coffee shop!

Come out for some delicious, FREE samples and pick up a bag (or bags) of your favorite Special Grounds coffee!

2021 “Drive Fore Hope” Reminder

Don’t forget! The 2021 “Drive Fore Hope” Charity Golf Scramble is this fall. Do you have your team signed up yet? We have put together a fun-filled day at Ironwood Golf Course in Wauseon, Ohio and hope to see you there!

Event Date:	Friday, September 24, 2021
Event Location:	Ironwood Golf Course, Wauseon, Ohio
Event Format:	4-Player Team Scramble
Event Cost:	$75 per Player ($300 per Team)

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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

Below is a list of the past golf outing sponsors that we would like to honor. Thank you for your support!

Platinum Title Sponsors

Gold Event Sponsors

Bronze Meal Sponsors

Creighton Electric
D&G Welding
Grieser Transportation
North Star BlueScope Steel
Schuette Construction
Swanton Welding & Machine
Worthington Industries

For additional information regarding team registration for the Sara’s Garden “Drive Fore Hope” Charity Golf Scramble please email Jackie Rice or Tara Dumas or via phone at 419.335.SARA.

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!

Not Your Ordinary Summer Camp

EXTRAORDINARY SPECIALIZED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Over 75 special needs children and youth have flocked to Sara’s Garden in June and July for individualized skill development, specialized therapeutic intervention, intensive behavioral modification, and vocational job training. The Summer Intervention Program in Wauseon and Springfield Township worked with the children and youth on targeted behaviors, interventions, or activities that their parents or public schools requested.

With COVID-19 closing many schools and forcing others into online, virtual learning, many special needs students fell behind academically, socially, and behaviorally this past year. The Summer Intervention Program offered parents and schools, through their Extended School Year (ESY) Services, a way to intensively address these regressions and meet the requirements set by Governor Mike DeWine to offer compensatory, special education services. Sara’s Garden offers summer intervention programming each year; but this year, it filled an even bigger need for therapy services and intervention programming.

The summer services included conductive education (CE), speech/language pathology (SLP), occupational therapy (OT), applied behavioral analysis (ABA), group socialization, academic intervention, life and vocational skill development, and job training for preschool children to high school youth. Sara’s Garden was proud to offer all of these extraordinary services in a fun, structured manner with an underwater theme, which promoted individual development, growth, and independence.

One of the summer highlights for the younger children was getting to see, pet, and enjoy Squirt and Stripz, the Striped Turtles. They were brought in and shared by Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Amanda Grubb, who just loved listening to the kids ask if the turtles were real and if they could touch them. The turtles helped the children work on their sensory issues, behavioral plans, and socialization needs.

Another summer highlight for our middle school and high school youth was getting to work in our Special Grounds Coffee Company’s Roasting and Processing Rooms at our new Career Center (854 S. Shoop Ave., Wauseon). The kids got to measure coffee beans, label bags, create thank you notes for our customers, stamp coffee sleeves, and literally fill online coffee bean and ground coffee orders. In addition to these vocational skills and job training opportunities, the youth also worked on daily living skills like cooking special recipes, running the washer and dryer to do laundry, cleaning the career center and skills labs, and working on vocabulary development, communication techniques, customer service, and social-emotional interactions, explained a very proud Speech/Language Pathologist Katie Nelson.

To place your roasted bean or ground coffee order, log onto www.specialgroundscoffee.com. All proceeds help to support the vocational development and job placements of our special needs kids. Sara’s Garden also hopes to have its Special Grounds Coffee Shop open to the public soon, so our youth can personally serve you that fresh cup of coffee. Stay tuned for our upcoming Grand Opening!

But our special needs children and youth could not access these extraordinary services and programs without you, so we want to take a moment and thank as many schools, organizations, and groups as we can, who helped make this Summer Intervention Program another success. They included:

ESY through the following school districts—Archbold, Benton Carroll Salem, Liberty Center, Maumee, Perrysburg, Springfield, Stryker, Washington, and Woodmore,
Family Sponsorship Program through Sara’s Garden
Post Adoption Special Services Subsidy (PASSS) Funding
Henry County Family and Children First Council (FCFC)
Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD) in Fulton, Henry, Lucas, and Williams Counties
Downs Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo (DSAGT)
Community Fund Ohio
Anne Grady Center
Avenues for Autism
Project iAM/Acoustics for Autism
Northwest Ohio Apraxia Support
Ohio Elks
The Megan Weisenbach Foundation
University of Toledo’s SLP Program and all of its dedicated graduate school students
And of course, many, many family and friends

THANK YOU SO MUCH for caring about and supporting our special needs kids as they work to become more and more independent, working to reach their full potential!

Michelle Nagle, director at our Springfield Campus, stated, “As usual, the Summer Intervention Program this year did not disappoint! After being involved in this program for the past five Summers, it never ceases to amaze me just how quickly the kids make positive gains and benefit from services over the Summer. Our staff has done a great job implementing our plans for each of the kids and developing relationships with those that are new to us. Both the kids and the staff had fun!”

For more information on our Summer Intervention Program, to register a child, or to find out how you can help support special needs children in Northwest Ohio, please call Admissions Coordinator Ronda Rupp at 419-335-7272 or log onto our web site at https://sarasgarden.org/support/