Was this email forwarded to you?

Student Spotlight: How Kylen is Learning to Communicate & So Much More

Kylen Marrero is an active 15-year-old boy who was diagnosed with autism early in life. His family tried several schools while looking for a good fit for him, but traditional schools didn’t work. They found Connections and eagerly waited for a spot to open. While on the waitlist, they decided to homeschool Kylen.

“Homeschooling was ok, but he needed to integrate with other kids,” explains his grandmother Zory Marrero, who is one of his primary caregivers. She says that Kylen lacked the ability to communicate and, when he was upset, he couldn’t tell his family why, making it very difficult to find solutions.

“Within one year of him starting at Connections, we saw a big difference in his communication skills,” says Zory.

During Autism Acceptance Month, We're Working to DRAW THE LINE ON DROWNING

This Autism Acceptance Month, we're raising awareness about the urgent need for individuals with autism to learn to swim to combat drowning, which is the No. 1 cause of death for children with autism. We're sharing helpful information with the community, and our parents are leading a peer-to-peer fundraiser to help fund Connections' adaptive swim lessons.

Learn more about our Draw the Line on Drowning Campaign here and help us by donating and/or sharing the campaign with others who want to help keep kids safe near water. We're beyond grateful for a generous donor who is providing a 2x match to help us reach our goal!

This campaign culminates next week when our students will compete in an aquatic obstacle course while demonstrating the key swim skills they've learned. Follow us on Facebook to see highlights from each day!

Florida Panthers Bring Hockey to Connections!

Florida Panthers staff members visited Connections recently to share their love of hockey with our students and young adult clients.

​

Panthers staff members led a special, hands-on clinic using floorball equipment tailored for our students to teach them more about the game of hockey and show how it can be part of an active lifestyle. Our kids loved it!

See more about this special event in news coverage by WPBF 25.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Visits Connection During Autism Acceptance Month

This week, members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office visited Connections to talk with students and clients about how they work to keep us safe. The officers and their therapy dogs met with students in small groups to discuss their duties as first responders and answer questions.

Students also learned about how the therapy dogs were adopted and trained for their important roles as well as how they help officers connect to the community.

See more pictures from this special event on our Facebook page.

Connections Students Learn Job Skills at Mint Eco Car Wash and Detail Center

This month, staff at Mint Eco Car Wash and Detail Center taught some of our high schoolers how to wash cars and donated supplies for us to use in the future.

This incredible business employs special needs adults and uses a systematic approach that caters to their way of learning and working while producing excellent results for customers!

See more photos from this fun and educational event on Facebook.