NHA Field Days Announced

Mark Your Calendar!

With the end of the school year fast approaching, New Horizons Academy (NHA) has announced its 2023 Field 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 12 (Rain Date—May 15)
Wauseon Campus & Career Center
May 17 (Rain Date—May 18)
Springfield Campus

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

NHA Year-End Awards Assemblies

New Horizons Academy (NHA) parents, caregivers & family members are warmly invited to celebrate our students’ accomplishments at the 2023 Year-End Awards Day assemblies on:

May 15 at 1:00 p.m.
Springfield Campus’ Sensory Room
May 16 at 1:00 p.m.
NHA Career Center’s Gym
May 17 at 1:00 p.m.
Wauseon Campus’ Hope Center Hall

These are always very special (and emotional) events. We look forward to seeing you there! For questions or more information, please call the NHA School Offices at 419-335-7272 or 567-703-1322.

Support Sara’s Garden through GoodShop

Amazon recently ended their AmazonSmile charity program. While this is very disappointing, we are so thankful and appreciative to everyone who has supported us through this program over the years.

If you would like to continue to support Sara’s Garden through your ongoing online purchases you can still do so through GoodShop.

Head over to GoodShop and choose Sara’s Garden as your charity of choice:

SIGN UP TODAY

2023 NHA Graduation Planned

New Horizons Academy (NHA) is so pleased and proud to announce its LARGEST graduating class yet with 11 students, graduating on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at the NHA Career Center, located at 854 S. Shoop Ave., Wauseon, OH 43567. The community is welcome to attend! All graduates are asked to arrive by noon.

NHA’s 11 graduates from the Class of 2023 include—Luke Chambers, Tony Conti, Tyler Davidoff, Hannah Engler, Gabe Hobby, Arek Jadwisiak, Noah Nagel, Logan Parker, Josh Parran, Cadince Ramirez, and Jackson Snider.

Luke Daniel Chambers—Is the son of Kirk and Carol Chambers. He has attended NHA for the last 10 years. Luke lives in the Liberty Center School District, plays on the Henry County Special Olympics Basketball Team, and works hard in the Special Grounds Kitchen. He has earned his Science and Community Service Graduation Seals, and he plans on exploring community work opportunities after graduation.
Anthony (Tony) Charles Conti, II—Is the son of Anthony and Priscilla Conti. He has attended NHA for the last nine years. Tony lives in the Wauseon School District, works in the Special Grounds Kitchen and Home Restaurant, is a gifted artist and space enthusiast (Check out his mural at the Fulton County Humane Society.), and enjoys playing with his dogs—Mordecai and Lacey in his spare time. He has earned his Science and Community Service Graduation Seals, and he plans on exploring work opportunities after graduation.
Tyler Robert Davidoff—Is the son of Patricia Hogan and is currently living with his Aunt Theresa Wehrle in the North Central School District. He has attended NHA for the last three years. Tyler works in the Special Grounds Kitchen, appreciates his work study placement at Pizza Hut, and enjoys reading and gaming in his spare time. He has earned his Citizenship, Science, and Community Service Graduation Seals; and he plans on exploring community work opportunities after graduation.
Hannah Lakota Engler—Is the daughter of Brian and Kristin Engler. She has attended NHA for the last six years. Hannah lives in the Archbold School District, has worked in her family’s Home Restaurant and The Barn’s kitchen, and enjoys playing with her dog-Hallie in her spare time. She has earned her Citizenship and Community Service Graduation Seals, and she hopes to work at McDonald’s after graduation.
Gabe (Gabriel) Alexander Hobby—Is the son of Shannon Hobby. He has attended NHA for his four years of high school. Gabe lives in the Pike-Delta-York School District, works in the Special Grounds Coffee Shop behind the counter and at the drive-thru window, and enjoys gaming in his spare time. He has earned his Science and Community Service Graduation Seals; and since he is good at finding flaws in computer programming, he hopes to enroll in a tech school in computer science in the future.
Arek Jason Jadwisiak—Is the son of Jeffrey and Christina Jadwisiak. He lives in the Springfield Local School District, has attended NHA’s Springfield Campus for the last four years, and is the third Springfield Campus graduate. In his free time, Arek enjoys reading, role playing games (RPG), and video gaming. He has earned his Citizenship and Science Graduation Seals, and he hopes to enroll in a tech school for coding in the future.
Noah Alan Nagel—Is the son of Lory and Greg Nagel. He lives in the Pike-Delta-York School District, has attended NHA for the last five years, is active in scouting, constructed benches for his community service project, and is currently finishing his Eagle Scout Award. Noah worked part-time at Chief Supermarkets, over the summer as a camp counselor at Camp Lakota, and at Special Grounds Coffee both behind the counter and in the Flavoring and Bagging Room. Noah has earned his Citizenship, Science, Community Service, and Student Engagement Graduation Seals; and he is considering attending a trade school in either electrical or welding in the short-term while still considering a career as a youth pastor.
Logan Kayle Parker—Is the son of Kristine and Paul Dick. He attended NHA for six non-consecutive years. Logan lives in the Patrick Henry School District, participates on the Henry County Special Olympics Bowling and Basketball Teams, and practiced his work skills at the NHA Career Center and Chief Supermarkets. He earned his Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals, enjoys visiting Kaitlyn’s Cottage, and plans on exploring community work opportunities after graduation.
Joshua (Josh) William Parran—Is the son of Rick and Brenda Parran. He has attended NHA for the last 10 years. Josh lives in the Wauseon School District, has participated on the Fulton County Special Olympics Basketball and Track Teams, and practiced his work skills at the NHA Career Center and Ace Hardware. He earned his Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals and plans on returning to NHA’s Career Center in the fall to continue honing his daily living and vocational skills (Students may stay at NHA through their 21st birthday.).
Cadince Amara Ramirez—Is the daughter of Tamina and Anthony Wright. She has attended NHA for the last eight years. Cadince lives in the Napoleon School District, has participated in the Soaring Arts Program, practiced her work skills at the NHA Career Center and Season’s Eating, and enjoys dancing and listening to music in her spare time. She earned her Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals and hopes to work at Soaring Arts after graduation.
Jackson Timothy Snider—Is the son of Timothy and Jackie Snider. He has attended NHA for the last three years. Jackson lives in the Millcreek-West Unity School district, is active in his Wednesday Night Church Youth Group, and practiced his work skills at the NHA Career Center, Special Grounds Kitchen, Home Restaurant, and Chief Supermarkets. He earned his Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals, plans on returning to NHA’s Career Center and Special Grounds Coffee in the fall to continue honing his vocational skills, and hopes to work at Marcos in the future making pizzas.

Congratulations to all of our graduates! We truly wish you the best, and we hope that everyone, who is able, will come out on Sunday, May 21 at 1:00 p.m. to celebrate their accomplishments at the NHA Career Center on S. Shoop Ave. in Wauseon.

2023 Summer Programs Reminder

Don’t forget! Our 2023 Summer Enrichment programs are quickly approaching and we are currently taking registrations for both our Wauseon and Springfield locations.

2023 Summer Program Dates:

Wauseon: June 5-30 (Registration deadline is May 1)
Springfield: July 10 – August 4 (Registration deadline is June 1)

If you are considering either of these programs, now is the time to register and arrange funding.

Sara’s Garden offers amazing summer intervention programs for children with disabilities. These month-long programs deliver inclusive therapies that provide interventions for individuals with a variety of conditions and disabilities.

Our caring and experienced staff of licensed therapists, conductors and paraprofessionals create unique, intensive therapy-based programs that are tailored to the needs of each participant and are designed to enhance your child’s developmental skills. This approach not only helps your child to work towards greater independence, it also keeps the regression of skills and development that typically occurs over the summer months at bay.

Goals of these programs include:

Improving Interpersonal Skills:

Relationship building
Responding to his/her name
Learning the names of peers
Basic conversation skills
Behavioral skill development

Improving Fine and Gross Motor Skills:

Range of motion
Sitting and standing
Walking and transfers
Self feeding
Independent living skills

Improving Language Skills:

Vocabulary knowledge and understanding
Basic concepts
Following verbally presented directions
Improving story comprehension
Improve Reading/Writing Skills

Improving Social Skills:

Greetings
Turn Taking
Initiating communication
Informing and directing others
Requesting

Our summer intervention programs also provide support for children who use augmentative communication systems (low tech or high tech) who have language and literacy skills and need more experience with peer to peer social skills.

We serve clients with (but not limited to): ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, CDKL5, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Near Drowning, Seizure Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Spina Bifida, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Additional information is being compiled on potential funding and grant options for families in need of financial support.

For more information, please contact Ronda Rupp at 833.668.7272 or via email at [email protected].

Support Butch Kline

As many of you are aware, Butch went from being in good health to barely functioning in a matter of weeks. Just this past November, Butch received a clean bill of health from his doctor. His well check was normal. He was normal. There were no signs of any problems or concerns. Butch has always been a very active, busy person that never wanted to just sit still.

Everything changed a month later. From mid-December to mid-February, he lost 40 pounds. On February 24, 2023 he started losing his balance, having tremors, experiencing confusion and delusions and sleeping almost constantly. The doctors are all puzzled as to what is causing the rapid changes, and have no explanation as to what or why this is happening so fast. It is so hard to watch someone fail so quickly with no reason. We’ve been married going on 50 years in June and he is a totally different person and now, for his safety, needs constant supervision.

While inconclusive, all of the tests Butch has had are pointing to Lewy body dementia. Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. Protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in nerve cells in the brain regions involved in thinking, memory and movement (motor control). Lewy body dementia causes a progressive decline in mental abilities. People with Lewy body dementia might have visual hallucinations and changes in alertness and attention. Other effects include Parkinson’s disease signs and symptoms such as rigid muscles, slow movement, walking difficulty and tremors.

We were recently reminded about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and learned that it has been successful in treating people who suffer from dementia. Inside a pressurized hyperbaric chamber the body begins to receive a healing dose of oxygen through the body’s fluids and plasma even if the blood vessel system to the needed tissue is compromised. When oxygen dissolves in the blood stream, it travels wherever the blood travels, effectively saturating all tissues. The delivery of oxygen using pressure does not require the use of red blood cells. As pressure increases, more oxygen is pushed into the cells and has been shown to reduce cognitive impairment.

Unfortunately, in the U.S. insurance companies do not recognize HBOT as being therapeutic for treatment of many conditions for which it is beneficial, including dementia, and will therefore not cover the cost of the treatments. That is why we could really use your help. We would like to take Butch to Sara’s Garden for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. HBOT for his condition is only $100 per treatment at Sara’s Garden (as opposed to $1,500-2,500 per treatment at a hospital). However, since our plan is for him to receive at least 40 HBOT treatments that cost adds up quickly.

If you could assist us with the cost (or even just part of the cost) of a single $100 treatment it would help reduce our overall expenses greatly. 100% of the funds received will go into an account in Butch’s name and will be used for his treatments. Any contribution made would be considered a tax-deductible donation as Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)(3) non-profit facility. Checks can be made out to Sara’s Garden with Butch’s name on a sheet of paper accompanying the check. Please do NOT write his name directly on the check. You can also donate online via credit card by clicking on the DONATE NOW button below.

Thank you so much for considering to support Butch’s treatments at Sara’s Garden!

Butch & Vicki Lynn Kline

DONATE NOW

Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your charitable contribution is tax deductible under 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, to the extent allowed by law. A receipt will be sent to you after your pledge has been received to use for tax purposes.

Support Jolie Heberling

I think you all know by now that I have this fun little condition called MS, or Multiple Sclerosis. While it is different for everyone, for me it has been causing exhaustion, difficulty finding words, and most recently, stability problems, walking issues and a spreading numbness on my right side. Fun, right?

I was diagnosed in January of 2007, and it has admittedly been a huge struggle. I try to have a good attitude about everything that has happened, so I don’t know if you all realize how much this has affected my life. The worst parts for me are the invisible symptoms; the frequent headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and occasional blurry vision have made things much more challenging and have kept me from being able to work or drive long distances.

I had settled into this “alternate reality,” as Erik and I have called it, and accepted my fate as a young, disabled woman who looks better than she feels. I didn’t think there were any other treatment options for me besides the injections that I have been giving myself to slow the progress and the occasional steroid treatments when things get really bad.

There is some good news though. I discovered Sara’s Garden and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy while doing research on possible holistic treatment options. HBOT has been shown to reduce symptoms and slow the progression of conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis. HBOT accelerates the formation of blood vessels and nerve endings, reduces inflammation and swelling, and increases the production of stem cells by eight fold. I have tried a number of different treatment solutions over the years, but the most effective has always been Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Whenever I go in for these treatments, it always relieves my symptoms.

HBOT is used commonly for treatment of Multiple Sclerosis in other countries around the world. Unfortunately, in the United States insurance companies do not recognize HBOT as being therapeutic for the treatment of MS and therefore will not cover the cost for treatments. That is why we could really use your help. HBOT for MS is only $150 per treatment at Sara’s Garden. We try to take care of this financial responsibility ourselves. Recently, I went in earlier because the numbness and stability issues were getting worse than ever, so I went in sooner than we could afford.

If you could assist us with the cost (or even just a small part of the cost) of a single $150 treatment it would help reduce our overall expenses greatly. 100% of the funds received go into an account in my name and will be used for my treatments. Any contribution made would be considered a tax-deductible donation as Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)(3) non-profit facility. Checks can be made out to Sara’s Garden with my name on a sheet of paper accompanying the check. Please do NOT write my name directly on the check. You can also donate online by clicking on the DONATE NOW button below.

Thank you so much for considering the support of my treatments!

God’s blessings,

Jolie Heberling

DONATE NOW

Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your charitable contribution is tax deductible under 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, to the extent allowed by law. A receipt will be sent to you after your pledge has been received to use for tax purposes.

It Takes a Village

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child & It Takes Community Partnerships to Support Sara’s Garden & Its Families!

They say, “It takes a village to raise a child;” and Sara’s Garden believes that it takes a community and community partnerships to support its children and adults with disabilities and other special needs, as well as their families. Sara’s Garden wants to thank and recognize its many community partners and partnerships for all they do for our clients and their families!

Through fundraising efforts, vocational partnerships, organizational collaborations, community partnerships, and the love and support of our volunteers and donors, Sara’s Garden, New Horizons Academy (NHA), its Career Center, and its latest venture—Special Grounds Coffee impact the lives of so many in need from across Northwest Ohio. Through these community partnerships, Sara’s Garden is able to support and lift up so many children and clients with disabilities and their families with the power of hope, help, and healing!

Sara’s Garden believes that when a child with special needs is given the opportunity to become as independent as he or she can possibly be and to fulfill his or her full potential, families and communities are changed forever! Among the many community partners and partnerships, which bring hope, help and healing to our clients and families are: Anderzack-Pitzen Construction, Andres O’Neil & Lowe, Arrow Tru-Line, Auto Images, Babcock Flooring Installs, Beck Insurance, Blue Layne Boutique, Car 1, Circle K, Continental Plaza Car Wash & Drive Thru Carry Out, Cordy Insurance Agency, Creighton Electric, Csehi Family, Defiance Moose Family Center, Edward Jones, Everence, F&M Bank, Gearig Flooring, Golf Graphics, Grieser Transportation, Guy O’Connor, Haas Door, Hite Concrete Equipment, Holthues & Associates, Ironwood Golf Club, Kinsman Propane, Krauss-Lane Electric, Meijer, Meyer-Badenhop Insurance, Miller Brothers Construction, Nagle Companies, Pettisville Grain, Reinbolt Family, Reitzel Ag Equipment, Returning American Warriors (RAW), Riley Tractor Parts, Rupp Seeds, Rychener Seed, Schuette Construction, Subway, Swanton Welding & Machining, Terry Henricks Auto Group, The Image Group, The Leaf and Seed Café, Tomahawk, Wauseon Chamber of Commerce, Wauseon Machine & Helping Hands, Weeping Willow Florist, Winzeler & Bok, and Wolf Creek YMCA.

Through community health and educational partnerships, Sara’s Garden is able to provide the highest quality of medical and educational programming available and empowers individuals with disabilities to reach their full potential. According to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, over 80% of NHA families are considered low-income with 63% considered very low-income. Our special needs students and their families are dealing with multiple medical, mental health, and financial issues and concerns. NHA students are from over 25 Northwest Ohio public school districts with many of them participating in Special Grounds Coffee fundraisers and other activities to help support vocational skills training for youth and young adults with disabilities. Among the schools working with NHA, Sara’s Garden, its students, and Special Grounds Coffee are– Bryan City Schools, the Delta Parent Athletic Club, Evergreen Local Schools, Liberty Center Schools, Millcreek-West Unity School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA), Pettisville Local Schools, Stryker Local Schools, and Wauseon Exempted Village Schools. Through its medical and health care partnerships, Sara’s Garden also works closely with numerous medical providers including Dermatology Associates and the Fulton County Health Center (FCHC).

Special Grounds Coffee works closely with its local school partners and other organizations through coffee fundraisers to help provide meaningful vocational opportunities for NHA’s special education students. Those that have been a part of the coffee fundraising program have seen a great return on their investment both financially and through hands-on product preparation, bagging, and delivery. Among Special Grounds Coffee community partners are: Christy’s Corner, Continental Plaza, Crossroads Church, Diamond Jim’s Pool Hall, Enviroscape ECM, the Fulton County Commissioners, Fulton County Humane Society, Fulton County Sharp Shooters & Showman, Johnston Fruit Farms, Lange Bakery, Living Word Galena, Lugbill Supply Center, Marigold Market, New Hope Community Church, Pathfinders, Penny Crest, Pettisville Missionary Church, Redemption Church, RAW, True North Church, and Wyse Guys.

NHA and its Career Center also work with numerous community partners to provide vocational skills training and community work study placements. Among these work study partners are: Ace Hardware, Chief Supermarkets, the Fulton County Airport, Goodwill Industries, Home Restaurant, and Triangular Processing with additional community work sites coming on weekly.

If you, your business, or organization are interested in partnering with Sara’s Garden, New Horizons Academy, Special Grounds Coffee, or its new Career Center, please call or email Sara’s Garden’s Community Outreach Coordinator Tara Dumas at 419-335-7272 or [email protected].

Again, “it takes a village to raise a child” and community partnerships to support children and adults with disabilities and their families. Sara’s Garden wants to thank and recognize all of its many community partners and partnerships. If we have missed anyone, please know that we are grateful and appreciate everything that you have helped Sara’s Garden and its clients with. Only through these very valuable community partnerships is Sara’s Garden able to support and lift up so many children and clients with disabilities and their families with the power of hope, help, and healing!

2023 Special Events Schedule

Below is a list of the upcoming special events and fundraisers that we have planned for 2023.

The 2023 “Drive Fore Hope” Charity Golf Scramble is scheduled for Friday, May 26. 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, May 26, 2023
Event Location:	Ironwood Golf Course, Wauseon, Ohio
Event Cost:	$75 per Player \| $300 per Team

Event Registration & Sponsorship: CLICK HERE

The 2023 Wheel of Purses is scheduled for Thursday, July 13. Ladies, you’re not going to want to miss this fun-filled night out! Enjoy and evening with your friends while playing for fabulous purses from the designers you love. Win designer handbags by Coach, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren and Dooney & Bourke. Over 30 handbags are available to win!

Event Date:	Thursday, July 13, 2023
Event Location:	Founder’s Hall at Sauder Village, Archbold, Ohio
Event Cost:	$50 Single Ticket \| $400 Reserved Table of 8

Event Registration & Sponsorship: CLICK HERE

Our 2023 NHA Family Fun Run/Walk is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, September 17. We had such a fun time at last year’s inaugural event and are very excited for year two. Participants will be able to run, walk, push and pull strollers, wagons and wheelchairs in both a 1K walk and 5K run.

Event Date:	Sunday, September 17, 2023
Event Location:	New Horizons Academy, Wauseon, Ohio
Event Cost:	$30

Event Registration & Sponsorship: COMING SOON

For more information or questions on event participation or sponsorship, please contact Tara Dumas at 419-335-7272 or via email at [email protected].

Vocational Coffee Cart

We are thrilled to announce an exciting new addition to our life skills vocational program.

Last year, we received grant funding to purchase a mobile coffee cart. This cart will allow us to expand the work-study training opportunities for our students at New Horizons Academy.

We’ve been patiently waiting for it to arrive. Well the wait is over! Our coffee cart is finally here… and it’s amazing!

This powered coffee cart will allow us to expand our student work placements even further out into the community and provide more chances for our Springfield campus students to participate.

Our beautiful coffee cart features:

Food-grade stainless steel countertop
Coffee grounds knockbox
Sink with water tap
Water pump
12V gel battery
Fresh and waste water tanks
Interior storage compartments
Folding roof and folding side panels
Folding countertop merchandise extensions
Solar panel and electrical system kit
Pitcher rinser
Electric powered E-mobility kit

We are so excited to be able to have students take our coffee and treats to neighboring business. We will also be able to use the cart at special events and farmer’s markets.

We will be unveiling this coffee cart on Saturday, February 18th at the Taste of Wauseon Gala. We can’t wait to serve you!