2024 Drive Fore Hope Recap

2024 Drive Fore Hope Recap

This year’s Drive Fore Hope charity golf scramble was a huge success! That could not have been possible without the support of all who participated, donated or volunteered their time to be a part of this incredible event.

Thirty five (35) teams of golfers were able to play the event under absolutely gorgeous, sunny skies. We were blessed to receive 43 sponsorships from our generous partner organizations. We’re so thankful to the staff, volunteers and students who helped make the event run so efficiently.

One of the most exciting surprises of the day was having special guest Lance Parrish, retired catcher from the 1984 Word Champion Detroit Tigers, in attendance (pictured above) at the event and awards dinner!

This year’s winning team was from Riley Tractor Parts. Pictured to the side (from left to right) was: Dana Riley, David Scarpino, Renae Scarpino and Tony Scarpino.

A commemorative brick will be created for them and placed in the patio of our playground at NHA.

Thank you everyone for making this event possible.

Platinum Title Sponsors:

  • 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics, LLC
  • Everence Financial
  • F&M Bank
  • In Memory of John, Kevin and PJ
  • Returning American Warriors
  • Rupp Seeds, Inc.
  • USA Pole Barns
  • Winzeler & Bok, LTD

Silver Contest Sponsors:

  • Arrow- TruLine
  • Babcock Flooring Installations
  • Callan Photography
  • Continental Plaza Car Wash & Drive Thru Carry Out
  • DR Ag & Construction
  • Fitzenrider
  • Haas Door
  • Holthues & Associates
  • K & L Farms
  • Meyer-Badenhop Insurance
  • OmniSource
  • Pettisville Grain
  • Riley Tractor Parts, Inc.
  • Sonit Systems
  • Subway of Archbold, Delta, Swanton, Waterville & West Unity
  • Wayne Dalton Garage Doors
  • Western & Southern Life

Gold Event Sponsors:

  • ACE Hardware – Wauseon
  • Circle K

O2 Tee Sponsors:

  • Aquatek Water Conditioning
  • Archbold Main Stop
  • Beck Insurance Agency
  • Bill & Marlo Hanak
  • BNI – Westside Power Partners
  • Car 1
  • Comparion Insurance – Andrew Duncan
  • Creighton Electric
  • Edward Jones – Kim Baker
  • Golf Graphics
  • Ironwood Golf Course
  • Justin & Traci Thompson
  • Kinsman Propane Inc
  • OK Electric
  • Rychener Seed
  • Tomahawk Printing, LLC

 

Thanks to the staff, volunteers, Ironwood Golf Course, Lance Parrish, Samuel Mancino’s Archbold, sponsors, NHA students and golf participants for making this such a great day.

Photos from the day can be found on our Facebook page by clicking HERE.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

Hyperbaric Center Open House

Hyperbaric Center Open House

In 2004, Sara’s Garden – The Sara Joy Rychener-Burkholder Hyperbaric Center was founded on the belief that when a child with special needs is given the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential, families and communities are also changed forever. Our founders dreamed of serving families who, like us, were emotionally, physically and financially strained trying to ensure that their loved ones were given every opportunity for increased independence. We continue this vision to this day.

You’re invited to an anniversary open house! Come celebrate 20 years of hope, help and healing with us.

  • What: Tour our facilities & talk with Executive Director, Matt Rychener, Clinic Director, Lori Fredrick and Community Relations Director, Tara Dumas
  • Date: August 9, 2024
  • Times: 8:00 AM tour or 12:30 PM tour available with a time for Q&A and light refreshments following
  • Where: Sara’s Garden, 620 W. Leggett Street, Wauseon, OH 43567
  • Who: The event is free and open to the public. 

Do you have questions, comments, ideas or just want a chance to see our hyperbaric facilities? Feel free to come by yourself or bring a group of family or friends. We’ll have plenty of time to talk and provide you with  a fully individualized experience!

For more information, email Tara at tarad@sarasgarden.org or call 419.335.7272. 

Thank You to our Generous Donors!

Thank You to our Generous Donors!

Sara’s Garden is SO blessed by caring, generous Northwest Ohio organizations and donors! A big thank you goes out to the Ohio Elks Cerebral Palsy (CP) Fund, the Delta Eagles, the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD), and the Dollar General (DG) Literacy Foundation!

Thank You to the Ohio Elks CP Fund and the Toledo-Sylvania Elks Lodge #53! The Ohio Elks CP Fund donated $13,400 for rehabilitative lifts, slings, and stretchers for our special needs students with CP and other neuromuscular disorders at our New Horizons Academy (NHA)-Springfield Campus. These lifts and slings will be used to meet the therapeutic, treatment, and independent care needs of our special needs students and Summer Skills Camp participants. Every year, Ohio Elks Lodges from across the state raise money to support organizations, which provide care, treatment, training, and rehabilitation for individuals with CP. We are so grateful to the Ohio Elks Association, the CP Fund, and the Toledo-Sylvania Elks Lodge #53 for this grant!

We are so grateful for the ongoing support from the Delta Eagles and the Ohio Auxiliary Eagles. We recently received a generous grant of $5,000 for New Horizons Academy and $5,000 for Special Grounds Coffee. These grants will be used towards the purchase of vocational training materials and equipment at our career center as we continue to provide much needed vocational experience for our students at NHA. Thank you so much Eagles! You truly are a social club that helps the community.

All of our Springfield Summer Campers want to thank the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD) for its $6,000 Mini Summer Camp Grant to help support art, music, vocational, and mental health activities and social-emotional learning. The mini-grant will be used to fund the Emotional ABC’s Curriculum, art and music supplies, vocational transportation, social stories, and books. Thank you, Lucas County DD, for supporting our campers with autism and other behavioral and emotional needs!

With Dollar Generals across Northwest Ohio participating in the Summer Literacy Grant Program, Sara’s Garden is so grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for supporting the development of its social-emotional library section with a $2,000 grant. The literacy focus is on meeting the educational and intervention needs of students with social-emotional needs from preschool to high school. They will be utilized for one-on-one, individualized reading intervention, small group story time activities, reading comprehension, and social storytelling.

Thank you to our very generous donors, the Ohio Elks CP Fund, the Delta Eagles, the Lucas County Board of DD, and Dollar General’s Literacy Foundation!

Thank You Good Bears of the World

Thank You Good Bears of the World

Have you ever felt sad, anxious, or alone?

Many special needs children have. They have struggled to cope with and overcome their medical and mental health diagnoses, chronic illnesses, physical impairments, orthopedic conditions, behavioral and emotional challenges, and academic and developmental delays. And sometimes, those feelings and emotions are so overwhelming that they can get our kids down and even steal the smiles from their faces.

On those days, the teddy bears from Good Bears of the World (GBW) delivered by Jan Tropf offer them hugs, hope, and healing. Thank you, Jan and GBW, for putting smiles back on the faces of our children, receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), conductive education (CE), and other special therapies!

Thank You, Good Bears of the World, for offering support & healing!

Back to School Dates

Back to School Dates

We are so excited to welcome back to school our New Horizons Academy (NHA) students and parents. Please save these back to school dates and activities:

August
14—Springfield Campus Open House from 4:30-6:00 p.m.
15—Wauseon Campus Open House from 4:30-6:45 p.m.
16—Career Center Open House from 4:30-5:15 p.m.
19—First Day of School

September
2—Labor Day—No School
3—Fair Day—No School

For more information on NHA, please call the school offices:
Wauseon: (419) 335-7272
Springfield: (567) 703-1322

But You Look Fine

But You Look Fine

When you are suffering from debilitating symptoms, there is nothing more frustrating than receiving inconclusive test results and no answers as to what is going on with your body, all while being told “…but you look fine”. Individuals living with Lyme disease know this all too well.

In August 2018, Greg was on a motorcycle trip in British Columbia when he started feeling sick. To be safe, he decided to return home to Connecticut, where strange things started happening. Blisters would appear at various places on his body. He was becoming more and more fatigued and would frequently wake up drenched in sweat. Sometimes, he had to change his clothing twice in one night.

Based on his symptoms, Greg was tested for Lyme disease, but tests came back negative. His doctor continued testing him for many other conditions, but all those tests came back negative as well. Unfortunately, Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose and can be even tougher to treat. Testing for Lyme disease can be very challenging. In fact, many patients receive several false negatives and suffer for years before being correctly diagnosed. Thankfully Greg did not have to wait that long as he decided to see a new doctor who had extensive knowledge and experience with Lyme disease.

The doctor listened to Greg’s story and stated, “I have one of three possibilities… Lyme, Lyme or Lyme.” Because only a recent infection shows up on the rudimentary tests that Greg had already received, the doctor ordered more extensive tests for Lyme, and they indicated that he had been infected for some time.

Lyme disease gets its name from the small coastal town of Lyme, Connecticut. In 1975, a woman brought an unusual number of pediatric arthritis cases to the attention of researchers at Yale University. In 1977, the researchers identified and named the clusters “Lyme arthritis.” By 1979, the name was changed to Lyme disease, when additional symptoms such as neurological problems and severe fatigue were linked to the disease.

Eventually, scientists discovered that the disease was caused by a spirochete transmitted by the bite of an Ixodes tick and determined that short course of antibiotics would resolve the issue. Unfortunately, the divide between what the medical community says about Lyme disease and what the chronically ill patients who suffer from it say they are experiencing has remained a wide chasm for decades.

The highest incidences of Lyme disease in the United States are typically reported in the Northeast and Midwest. However, more recent research indicates Lyme disease-carrying ticks are present in all 50 states and approximately half of all U.S. counties, making it the fastest-growing vector-borne disease in the country. The 30,000 cases reported annually to the CDC by state health departments represent only a fraction of the cases diagnosed and treated around the country.

Greg started antibiotics in September 2018. At first, he felt better, but he soon regressed and became increasingly worse. It turns out he had a “co-infection” of Lyme called Babesiosis, caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells. It went undetected because Greg had only been tested for the common strain of Lyme found near his home in Connecticut. He began taking Atovaquone, the same drug prescribed for Malaria. A year later, he began having severe mental problems and tested positive for another co-infection, Bartonella, requiring yet another medication.

For three years, Greg was off and on antibiotics, yet many of his symptoms remained; fatigue, joint pain, neuropathy, and mental issues such as cognitive disfunction, anxiety and depression. With no relief in sight, he began seeking alternative treatments in hopes of feeling better. He went to Germany for whole body hyperthermia treatments, tried a “Lyme diet” and did frequent infrared saunas. All had helped to some extent, but his bad days were still really bad, and he wanted more relief.

Greg had heard about hyperbaric oxygen therapy being used to treat Lyme disease at Yale University back home in Connecticut but had never considered trying it himself. He stumbled upon Sara’s Garden by sheer coincidence… or divine intervention. He had traveled to Northwest Ohio to attend the Wauseon National antique motorcycle event and struck up a conversation with our staff at a tent sale unveiling the new Special Grounds coffee truck. He immediately rode over to Sara’s Garden to learn more about HBOT treatments.

Greg felt this was something he had to try. He started noticing benefits after his first week of treatments. Most notably, he was sleeping better, had more energy and his joint pain began to dissipate. On weekends, Greg would take trips or ride home on his motorcycle. His friends would repeatedly make comments that he was looking and acting much better. He is relieved to feel that he has reached a much more comfortable level of living in his battle with Lyme.

He stated, “I know that the Lyme I have is chronic, so it is a matter of suppression, rather than cure. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy helped me reach a higher level of well-being. Because of this I am planning to return to Sara’s Garden to help me maintain and possibly get even better. I’m so thankful for the staff at Sara’s Garden. From top to bottom, they couldn’t have been better. I feel like I left Wauseon with many new friends!”

Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Greg now has hope for a pain-free future. 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.

Wheel of Purses Reminder

Wheel of Purses Reminder

Round and round and round it goes, where it stops, no one knows! SPIN THAT WHEEL!

It’s time to register to attend our 2024 Wheel of Purses Event. Enjoy an evening filled with fun, food, friends, games and a chance to win a designer purse by Coach, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren & Dooney & Bourke.

  • Date: Thursday, June 20, 2024
  • Where: Founder’s Hall at Sauder Village, Archbold, OH
  • Time: Doors open at 5:30pm, Event starts at 6:30pm
  • Cost: $50 single ticket, $400 Reserved table for 8 (includes mini dessert tray) and we also have several sponsorship opportunities as well.

Head over to the event page HERE for compete registration and sponsorship details!

Follow us on Facebook for any updates and please contact Tara Dumas at 419-335-7272 or email at tarad@sarasgarden.org for any questions regarding the event. We hope to see you at our event!

Special Thanks from Handcrafted Hope

Special Thanks from Handcrafted Hope

We want to take this opportunity and thank everyone who came out and supported our students and the Handcrafted Hope Event on March 28, 2024.

As we took this time to celebrate Developmental Disabilities Month, our Handcrafted Hope Program gave our students the opportunity to display their creative sides with the items they made for the sale. At the event our students all had special tasks they were in charge of that day, allowing them to work on their customer service skills & product delivery along with working together as a team.

This event was successful because of all the support given by family, friends, community members, our students and the staff team that worked alongside the Handcrafted Hope Program.

NHA Field Days & Awards Days Announced

NHA Field Days & Awards Days Announced

With the end of the school year fast approaching, New Horizons Academy (NHA) has announced its 2024 Field Days and end of school Awards Days. We wanted to make sure that all parents were aware of the dates, put them in their calendars, and made sure that their students were appropriately dressed for the weather (including sunscreen).

  • May 10 (Rain Date—May 13): Wauseon Campus & Career Center Field Day
  • May 15: Career Center Awards Day
  • May 16: Wauseon Campus Awards Day
  • May 17 (Rain Date—May 20): Springfield Campus Field Day
  • May 21: Springfield Campus Awards Day

Be on the lookout for a schedule from the office for when your child’s awards program is taking place so you can be sure to attend.

If you have any questions or concerns about your students’ participation in the Field Days or Awards Day assemblies or would like additional information about them, please call the NHA School Offices at 419-335-7272 or 567-703-1322.

Have You Tried our Sugar Scrub?

Have You Tried our Sugar Scrub?

With only FOUR simple ingredients (our own Special Grounds coffee, brown sugar, coconut oil, and peppermint essential oil), this scrub will make a GREAT gift (for a friend or YOURSELF – no judgment here)! Coffee is not only delicious to drink, but the benefits from this scrub are numerous. Here are a few:

  • It Reduces Inflammation
  • It Improves Blood Circulation
  • It Removes Dead Skin Cells
  • It Prevents Premature Aging
  • It Reduces the Appearance of Cellulite
  • It Depuffs Swollen Areas
  • It Helps Reduce Body Acne

Not only that, the sugar that is included in this scrub helps exfoliate the skin and the coconut oil locks in moisture. Did we mention – IT SMELLS DELICIOUS???

We do not recommend you eat, although you technically could!

Our sugar scrub is available for purchase in the cafe at Special Grounds!