Surfers for Healing – Honoli’i Paka Surf Gathering and Surf Camp

The Surfers Healing Foundation – Hawai’i Island Chapter will be hosting a 2 – day event for children with Autism and other disabilities.  The first event is scheduled for Friday, November 25th at Hilo’s Palace Theater from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  The public is invited to meet the founders of Surfers Healing, register for the surf camp and enjoy a  short documentary surf filmed titled “Clay Marzo: Just Add Water”, produced and directed by Strider Wasilewski and Jamie Tlerney.  An inspiring surf movie featuring Clay Marzo- a 22 year-old professional surfer from Maui who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism in December 2007.  Admission is free. Marzo is currently on the World Surfing Tour.

On Saturday, November 26th, the Honoli’i Paka Surf Gathering and Surf Camp for children with Autism and other disabilities will be held on at Honoli’i Beach Park beginning at 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.  This alcohol and tobacco – free family event is sponsored by the Hawai’i Island Chapter of Surfers Healing, a national organization started 13 years ago in Malibu, California to share the unique experience of surfing with children with autism.  An estimated 300 people are expected at Honoli’i, including approximately 75 children. Worldwide, over 2,000 children per year participate in Surfers Healing Camps.

Families with children with autism or other disabilities are invited to spend a day surfing and enjoying the beach. Boards and safety vests will be provided. The event is made possible through a partnership of the Hawai’i County Department of Parks & Recreation, Basic Image Productions and Hulakai Surfboards.

Surfers for Healing

Kalani Kahalioumi, who has been a surf instructor at Surfers Healing events on the East and West Coasts, said the experience of surfing makes the youngsters “glow,” and they ask to go back out to surf the waves over and over.  “Something magical happens when they ride a wave,” said Kahalioumi. “Once you get them standing on the wave, standing up, they light up. Part of it is the surfer, but most of it is done by Mother Nature, the surf.  What is really touching is when one kid brings 30 family members to the beach. They all support this one child, and when they see their child surfing, when you bring the kid to the beach when they finish the ride, the parents are in tears,” Kahalioumi said.

For more information or to sign up for the event, visit www.surfershealing.org.

Big Island Resident Len Horowitz Responds to the Wakefield Autism and Vaccine Fraud Claims

Autism study and research efforts into vaccines are nothing new – as concerns about Autism have always been linked by concerned parents. Today though, an investigative journalist says the former physician whose study purported to find a link between autism and toddler vaccines created an “elaborate fraud…”

Read more here :

Autism Study: Autism Study Determined to be “Elaborate Fraud”

Horowitz actually tries to still defend his claim… even though the facts have now shown that this is a big fraud!

In the following video… we see former County Council Aid RJ Hampton talking with Horowitz about vaccines… I can’t believe so much wasted time and county money has been spent on this fraud so far!

Working With Special Kids… Everyone Should Do It

Part of my new job, is that I’m rotating between many different classes and subject matters. I’ve gone from some of the things that are easy for me like Language Arts and Literature, since I have a little background in writing although you wouldn’t know it by reading my blog, to subjects that I never in my lifetime thought I would be teaching like MATH!

Anyone that knows me, knows I suck at math and really basically FEAR it. I mean I can do the basics and what not, but when we start getting into the complex stuff… I’d just much rather stare out a window or something.

On occasion, they will have me substitute during a class period for “Special Kids” where I literally will monitor a child that needs a little more attention and I basically keep them on focus and give them a little more help understanding what the teacher is trying to explain to the rest of the kids.

The other day, my supervisor told me I needed to report to the “Band Room” where I would be assisting a “Special Needs” student with “Band Practice”. Anyone that knows me, knows that I also have no musical ability whatsoever and I doubt I could even play the friggin triangle if I wanted too.

I was dreading this class thinking that I was going to have to help this “special child” learn how to play an instrument. Man oh mighty, I was so pleasantly surprised by this child that they not only knew how to play their instrument, they new how to play it pretty good for the age of the student. This student even knew how to clean their instrument as well as tune it. I didn’t have to do a thing during the entire class. It was so enjoyable! I literally sat their and listened to the kids play music for an entire period. It was like listening to a symphony or anything great and most of the time, the kids were off on their playing… but it was so enjoyable.

Today, I also got the privilege to work with an Autistic child for about a half an hour. This child although he has the body of about a 13 – 16 year old, he is literally about the age of a 2-3 year old because of his Autism. This boy was so much fun to work with as I chased him around the school on his “GIANT TRIKE” that I just had a blast trying to teach him just the littlest things like GO and STOP… Things like Left and Right didn’t comprehend to him… but things like… Grass and Rain and other things did. While I understand that he probably didn’t understand much of what I was trying to say to him, I do feel that the little bit of talking I did with him … made his day… which in turn made my day.

Working with the special children is almost as fun as working with the other children. At least most of the Special Children don’t attempt to smart off on purpose!!!