Turtle Wing Foundation "A Year in Review" REMEMBER~REJOICE~RENEW

TURTLE WING SUPPORTERS PLEASE JOIN US !!

In the "spirit" of community and Halloween, we bring you the 1st annual MONSTER DASH.

This Halloween themed 1 mile or 5K Run/Walk & costume contest will be held at Railroad Park (535 N. Main St. Schulenburg, TX) on October 6, 2012 at 5:00PM. This event is dedicated to bring people together and create camaraderie while being dressed in the funniest, spookiest and silliest costumes. Tons of shenanigans and family fun guaranteed! Pets and strollers welcome!

Proceeds will benefit the Turtle Wing Foundation in honor of Jack Hooper’s LOVE for Halloween. The Turtle Wing Foundation helps children sprout wings and fly academically and socially, allowing them to become the best they can be. 

Registration forms can be picked up at The Schulenburg Chamber of Commerce, Grahmann’s True Value and Hatch. Please contact us at monsterdashrun@yahoo.com and/or 979-966-7402 for an electronic registration form or if you are interested in volunteer or sponsorship opportunities. 

Event Committee Co-Chairs areErin Wotipka, Kim Wellborn, Kristin Haver and Roxanne Stoever

REGISTER BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST TO GET YOUR T-SHIRT!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

JACK'S TURTLE WITH WINGS

I just wanted to share this drawing.  Last week, Pam Vrazel, Jack’s 2^nd grade teacher, was getting her classroom ready for the new school year and found some of Jack’s papers (these papers were from 2009).  If you can’t read it, it says: A turtle with wings I call it a turtle breed and it fly and it swims and it likes me and it likes to play a Nintendo DS and it likes to eat bugs.  The name turtle wing came to me while driving home one day, almost a year ago…it stems from Jack’s love of turtles and “wing”  for heaven and our mission to help children become the best they can be.  This wonderful drawing is a gift from God, telling me Turtle Wing Foundation is divinely inspired and that I have to keep it going.  After Will (Jack's younger brother) read it, he said “God told Jack”….smart boy J  GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!  Thank you all for your support and continue to keep Turtle Wing in your prayers.

Turtle Wing Foundation ~ Ready to Fly

Turtle Wing Foundation is looking to turn a $20,000 day into a priceless benefit for families with children who struggle with learning differences and to help all children reach their full potential. The 1^st Annual Jack Hooper day at the ballpark and Homerun derby held on Saturday, April 28 was a community wide event attracting hundreds of people, promoting Autism awareness and to remember Jack Hooper who would have turned 11 years old on Tuesday, May 15.

With an established operating budget Turtle Wing Foundation plans to put that money back to work into the surrounding rural communities with focus in the following community outreach areas:

•             20% --COMMUNITY EDUCATION & ADVOCACY: assist with professional training, parent education, formation of local parent support group, providing information regarding the rights of parents and children.  One example of this might be area schools or organizations who would like assistance in providing training to staff that assist children with learning differences.

•             40% -- EARLY INTERVENTION:     provide services and strategies to families with children age 2-5 to facilitate the acquisition, maintenance and generalization of an effective communicative system, play and social skills, primary school readiness. Children who have challenges communicating wants and needs appropriately, responding to questions, accepting “no” and waiting, or transitioning between activities, just to name a few could benefit from these kinds of programs.

•             40% -- SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES:  provide scholarships or tuition assistance for board approved private tutoring, camps or therapies. Students who need additional work or summer resources can apply.

These categories were formed based on the mission and vision of the foundation and in conjunction with current research.

                For summer 2012 Turtle Wing Foundation has already awarded a variety of scholarships to local area students. Two scholarships to Camp Invention hosted at Hermes Elementary school in La Grange were awarded to local area 3^rd and 4^th grade students. The week long camp reinforces and supplements school year learning in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math. Additionally, four summer scholarships to the Grow Wise summer Learning Academy at Hatch in Weimar will be awarded. The academies are open to children in preschool through 8^th grade. Students will have the opportunity to learn and practice essential reading, math and social skills.

In order to request services or scholarships for fall contact DeeAnn Hooper, Turtle Wing founder via email deeannhooper@turtlewingfoundation.org  Any individual, school, business or organization can contact the foundation to submit a request form in any of the three community outreach categories. Requests will then be submitted for board approval. Submitted requests will need to include a brief description of services beings sought, as well as contact information for the individual or organization making the request. Additional applications may need to be completed for those requesting financial assistance and/or scholarships. Visit the Turtle Wing website for updates and information www.turtlewingfoundation.org

DeeAnn Hooper, A Carino's Autism Champion

DeeAnn Hooper is a mother who has not only faced the challenge of raising two boys diagnosed with autism, but she tragically lost one of her boys to a brief, unrelated illness in 2011. Jack was just shy of his 10th birthday. Jack's parents wanted to do something to honor the life of their son, and the Turtle Wing Foundation was born. 

Having two children with autism is a challenge even in the best of circumstances. Following Jack's diagnosis, DeeAnn and her husband, Chris, quickly learned that their challenge was made more difficult because the resources they needed were hard to come by in their rural community. Following the unexpected loss of her son, DeeAnn founded Turtle Wing to help families just like hers. Not only to help the families affected by autism, but all families with special needs who find limited resources in their smaller communities. Whether it's a child with ADHD, dyslexia, Aspergers or Down Syndrome, or even a child who just needs extra help in math, Turtle Wing aims to make the resources required to address their needs more accessible. 

Turtle Wing's first fundraising event is a 5k Fun Run and a Home Run Derby on April 28th. Learn more about Jack, DeeAnn and the mission of Turtle Wing in the touching video "Jack's Story". 

Check out the Carino's Blog Post here. 

Turtle Wing Fun Run April 28th 2012 @ 9AM is just around the corner. Don't forget to sign up!

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Turtle Wing Foundation presents "Jack's Story"

Turtle Wing is a non-profit organization aimed at helping children and families in our rural area. In a special event held on Thursday, Jan. 19 at Senglemann Hall, Chris Hooper along with his wife DeeAnn, founder of Turtle Wing Foundation, and its board of directors shared “Jack’s Story” with a crowd of nearly 200 people. The 20 minute documentary created by DeeAnn Hooper and Trent Heady tells the story of Jackson Allan Hooper who died suddenly on April 5, 2011. The autopsy report concluded that the cause of death was “a viral-like syndrome of unknown etiology”. Please view “Jack’s Story” under ABOUT tab.   The movie chronicles Jack’s challenges with autism and the ways his family was able to persevere and overcome its own challenges to get Jack everything he needed to succeed.  It also explained the mission and purpose of Turtle Wing Foundation.

Turtle Wing has been founded to help families, not only families affected by Autism, but all families who struggle with learning differences.  The proposed counties of service include: Fayette, Colorado, Lavaca, Victoria, Gonzales, Lee, Washington, Austin, Ft. Bend and DeWitt.

Since the movie premiere event, Turtle Wing Foundation has received over $6,000 to help start work for children and families. Numerous businesses and community members have generously contributed to this worthy cause but more help is needed to successfully assist the countless families.  On April 28, 2012, the foundation will host the First Annual Jack Hooper Day at the Ballpark and Homerun Derby at the Schulenburg Sports Complex. This event will start with a 5k Walk/Run beginning at 9 a.m. and opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. There will be a homerun derby hitting contest for baseball fans of all ages, a “fun zone” for the kids, music, silent auction and plenty of food, drink and snacks.  Mark your calendars for a full day of family fun for a great cause!