Making Great Progress For the Kids
Sensory Garden Memorial
The Garden was a major undertaking started last summer by Annie, Brooklyn and Dena clearing rocks then by Jonathan Higgins who constructed the wood planters. The scope of the project grew from there involving grading of the hill, building a retaining wall system, pouring concrete then building the canopy frame with the guidance of Josefina’s father followed by the hard labor of putting together the frame and covering it with fabric by Johnny. Students in the classrooms gave a hand with Agustin taking on leadership with the middle school students. Even younger kids with cerebral palsy like Yolanda got in on the action. Then there was the celebration with volunteer musicians, custom T-shirts, refreshments and ribbons. It was quite an undertaking!
This grand opening ceremony included Valentina’s grand parents (Lizeth’s parents) as well as other family members and friends. In addition His Wings staff and students and their parents enjoyed time together in their honor.
Live music under the shade of the Garden canopy featured our own Jorge playing alongside pastor
Arya, Liam and Jazmine are more than just enjoying the garden. For autistic kids like these spending time watering plants regulates their nervous systems resolving a host of otherwise disruptive or nervous behaviors that make it hard for them to sit still or socialize. After 10 minutes in the garden their attention span in the classroom and rapport with others improves dramatically. The garden was installed as a therapeutic tool for the increasing number of autistic kids joining the His Wings program.
Azusa Pacific University
27 team members from Azusa Pacific University’s College visited the ranch to provide health screening, dental hygene, haircuts and de-licing. The group included student nurses faculty and alumni from the Health Sciences (specifically Nursing, Public Health and Kinesiology Programs). We are guests of Baja Bound, and have worked with Bethany on every trip since 2022. They were introduced to Sue and His Wings in 2024 and have been coming twice per year since then.
Leah shares why she comes to His Wings Ranch as a medical Spanish professor where she translates and helps kids at the Ranch communicate their medical needs.
Leaders of this Health Ministry include Koy Parada (Professor of Nursing and Public Health); Dr. Amanda Thurman (Professor of Nursing and Director of the Advance Practice Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner Program); as well as Bethany Vinalay (Project Coordinator for Baja Bound)
Other faculty include Lydia Lozano (Professor of Medical Spanish for the School of Nursing), Dr. Mauricio Martinez (Professor of Kinesiology), and Joy Ericson (Professor of Nursing). Other nursing students include the brothers, Arsalan and Sohaib Hafeez.
Call for Prayer Warriors
We have been blessed with a volunteer to lead our prayer warrior group. Marlena Sprague will be hosting remote online prayer meetings for His Wings Ranch approximately once a month. If you’re interested in finding out more or know you’d like to be included in her zoom invite, let me know by replying to this email and I will share your email with her.
Agustin has taken on the challenge of instructing these students as well as nearly a dozen more kids whose academic progress got derailed. Some kids are products of our primary school while many kids in the areas find themselves far behind grade level as they’ve been unable to attend school at all. Agustin is tasked with catching them up so they can pass their primary and middle school proficiency exams.
He and Josefina transformed our community room into a middle school classroom.
He’s also expanded after school offerings to include a chess league where the kids work on their strategy and build camaraderie.
His program includes physical activity for the middle schoolers.
Nothing like some friendly competition to recharge the kids between academic sessions.
This one room school house for middle and high school age students also has the only bocchi ball team in Maneadero. It’s a great sport for kids at various levels of physical mobility because it can be played in wheelchairs on our new basketball court outside the community room.
As our our full time instructor hired this past fall, Agustin has taken it upon himself to start a high school program starting with 8 local kids working on their high school proficiency exam.
Michelle Estrella Provides Workshop
Ms Estrella came out to the ranch to talk with the moms who have autistic children. She provided very informative information on how they can better communicate with their children and comprehend what their children are trying to express.
She shared simple visual communication tools such as picture boards as well as other creative ways to communicate with autistic children and techniques to help the children regulate their behavior.
We are blessed to have her expertise at the ranch. Thank you Michelle!
Inspired by what we do?
You are invited to partner with us whether that be financially or by coming down to build and repair, or perhaps work with the horses or offer services to the kids. We always have a need for educators, therapists and medical providers.
