Happenings & Stories
College Living Experience Summer Residential Camp
Mar 28, 2017 | College Mentors
The College Living Experience’s (CLE) Summer Residential Camp is a great way for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to transition from high school to post-secondary education. The students have a support system so they are not alone when they...
Dan Marino Campus and Open House
Feb 10, 2017 | Calendar Events
This month, the Dan Marino Campus will be hosting two open houses. The Dan Marino Campus provides post-secondary education for young adults aged 18 to 28 with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. There are two campuses, both located in South...
BRIDGES Community Networking Event
Jan 25, 2017 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
The BRIDGES Program was created by The HDS Foundation as a community partnership for high school students with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, who are on a standard diploma track. The program addresses both mentoring, financial tools/education...
THRIVE Christmas Party
Dec 1, 2016 | College Mentors
College isn’t just about going to class and writing papers. The full college experience includes meeting new people, making great friends, and having a blast. Social life is an essential and fun part of college, and that is no different for the Project THRIVE...
Second Community Based Instruction at Publix
Sep 29, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
On September 29th, the students of the BRIDGES Social Skills class at Cypress Bay had their second community based instruction. This one was similar to the first community based instruction at Office Depot, but there were lots of notable differences. This time the...
Cypress Bay BRIDGES Students Graduate 2016
Jun 5, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
Cypress Bay High School’s class of 2016 officially graduated on June 5at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center. With a class of 1,100+ and a stunning graduation rate of 95%, it is no surprise that the social skills class seniors all received diplomas; some were...
Michael Marino Guest Speaker
Apr 25, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
At the 2016 Dan Marino WalkAbout Autism at Sun Life Stadium, Team Cypress Bay raised the most money for the cause, having brought in $12,780. Because of their success, the Team was to be gifted a prize of their choice. They all chose to invite Michael Marino, Dan...
Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center Gala
Apr 9, 2016 | Calendar Events, HDS Cares
On Saturday, April 11th, 2016, the HDS Foundation participated in the Night of Stars, a 20th anniversary celebration for the Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center. This Recovery Center assists a defined group of people who generally need assistance; that is,...
WalkAbout Autism 2016
Feb 10, 2016 | Calendar Events, HDS Cares
On Saturday, January 23, 2016, Team Cypress Bay participated in the Dan Marino WalkAbout Autism at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. The HDS Foundation and Cypress Bay High School (CBHS) teamed up and began participation in this fundraiser a...
BRIDGES Takes a Trip to Weston Regional Park
Mar 22, 2017 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
This month, the BRIDGES class took a trip to the Weston Regional Park. The purpose for this trip was to do a team building exercise outdoors. The students all had a great time, and were excited to get out of their usual classroom setting. Everyone enjoyed the fresh...
BRIDGES visits City Hall
Feb 9, 2017 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
This month, the BRIDGES students got the opportunity to visit City Hall, specifically the City of Weston Emergency Operations Center, or EOC. The EOC building was just recently completed, and houses the EOC, IT Department, Fire Marshal, Police, and other safety...
Team Cypress Bay Top Fundraiser at 2017 DMF Walkabout Autism
Jan 21, 2017 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S., Calendar Events
The Dan Marino Walkabout Autism fundraiser is one of the best activities that this community puts on. Not only are the participants exposed to the many community celebrities, and provided different fun family activities, music and food; they do so with the backdrop of...
Second Annual Halloween Party
Oct 31, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
October 29th marked the Second Annual Halloween Party for the Cypress Bay BRIDGES program. Both Parents and HDS Foundation staff members were invited to celebrate with the class. HDS Foundation was very happy to be invited to this party and were ready to have some...
First Community Based Instruction: Office Depot
Sep 21, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
On September 21st, the students of Cypress Bay’s Social Skills class, sponsored by HDS Foundation’s BRIDGES grant, had their first community based instruction. The students went to Office Depot with a mission. They were instructed to work in groups to purchase items...
BRIDGES at Cypress Bay Prom 2016
May 28, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
The night of May 28th, 2016, is one Cypress Bay High School's BRIDGES’ graduating class will not soon forget. The whole gang suited up in their finest attire to attend their senior prom. After a pre-prom party of refreshments and picture-taking at Foundation President...
The First Tee End-of-Program Luncheon
Apr 24, 2016 | SAP
On April 24th, 2016, The First Tee of Broward program concluded for the year at the end-of-program luncheon. Officially, the mission of this organization is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill...
BRIDGES – Social Skills Class at HDS
Apr 7, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
On April 7th, 2016, the Social Skills class from Cypress Bay High School traveled to the Housing and Development Software main office in Weston, Florida for a tour of the grounds and a professional presentation given by HDS employees. This presentation aimed to give...
BRIDGES Visits the Fire Department
Feb 22, 2017 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
Being a first responder is no easy task, but it is definitely an exciting profession to learn about. This month, the BRIDGES class was able to visit the Fire Department and learn about what it takes to be a firefighter. The BRIDGES students seemed very intrigued by...
BRIDGES visits A Painting Fiesta
Feb 1, 2017 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
This month, the BRIDGES class took a trip to A Painting Fiesta Art Studio for a social skills opportunity and fun outing. This trip allowed the students to explore their creativity through specific guidelines set forth by the studio. The social skills they used were...
Holiday Luncheon and Secret Elf 2017
Dec 16, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
On December 15th, the students of Cypress Bay High had their annual Holiday Luncheon and Secret Elf gift exchange. The wonderful luncheon took place at Chili’s for a second year. The HDS Foundation staff was able to join the classes festivities. The students picked...
Opening Bank Accounts with Bank of America
Oct 1, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
On October 1st, all the students of the Cypress Bay BRIDGES Social Skills class and their parents, who came to Cypress Bay for the day, met with a Bank of America representative. The Bank of American representative spoke to them about opening bank accounts for...
Our HDS Foundation Interns – Summer 2016
Aug 11, 2016 | Summer Interns
Over the course of this summer, the HDS Foundation has had two interns on board – Hope Sotolongo-Miranda and Benny Elfont. Hope and Benny have been incredibly helpful in their work at the HDS Foundation. Hope has been successful in putting...
End-of-Year BRIDGES Party – Midtown Athletics
May 5, 2016 | B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
On May 5th, 2016, the Cypress Bay High School BRIDGES class closed out the year with an HDS-sponsored party at Midtown Athletics. Although the main event of the day happened to be the party, the students also concluded their Social Skills curriculum with a tour of the...
The HDS Foundation Participates in CLE Mock Interviews
Apr 18, 2016 | College Mentors, HDS Cares
The HDS Foundation, which is known to have strong ties to the special-needs community, was asked by the College Living Experience (CLE) to assist in giving mock job interviews at the CLE Fort Lauderdale location to individuals with disabilities looking to soon become...
Light It Up Blue 2016 #LIUB
Apr 1, 2016 | Calendar Events, HDS Cares
World Autism Awareness Day fell this year (2016) on April 2. Each year, HDS joins others around the world in celebrating Light It Up Blue, a campaign designed to spread awareness about and celebrate autism. Those involved “light it up blue” by showcasing and promoting...