INDEPENDENT CIRCLES

FLORIDA-

Happy Hearts Circle

As one of their many projects, the Happy Hearts Circle of New Smyrna Beach, FL serves dinner to a Celebrate Recovery Group there. Celebrate Recovery is a Christian twelve-step program for anyone with hurts or hang-ups. It covers all addictions and co-dependency issues. Jesus Christ is the only "Higher Power." The Happy Hearts Circle serves dinner to this group every 5th Friday during the year.

Above, the circle members are getting ready to serve dinner. From L to R: CeCe Thomas, Doris Dauer, Judy Cooper, Katie Dixon, Irene Pyster, and Betty Thompson

Circle members from L to R are CeCe Thomas, Katie Dixon, Nancy Grooms, Doris Dauer,and Judy Cooper are in the kitchen preparing the food.

Circle President: Arlene Tilison, 386-428-4351, atilison@cfl.rr.com

WISCONSIN -

The Wisconsin Circles provide Kids with Autism Apple iPod Touches

Eight iPod Touch devices boost communication

From The Appleton Post-Crescent

APPLETON — A charitable society born in the 19th century is providing 21st century technology to assist Appleton middle and high school students with autism disorders.

A $2,000 grant paid for eight Apple iPod Touch entertainment devices and accompanying software that will help students with autism disorders communicate better, track incentives for good behavior and know what the day ahead holds for them.

The grant came from the Wisconsin Branch of the King's Daughters and Sons Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

It was among $16,745 in grants awarded from the Wisconsin Branch fund in November and $4 million awarded from various Community Foundation charitable funds to 276 charitable organizations during the last quarter of 2009.

"I am very excited," Sarah Hall, a speech and language pathologist with the Appleton Area School District, said of the support for a pilot project using iPod Touch technology.

The devices can use 34 software applications specific to assisting with autism disorders, and more sure to be written by therapists, teachers and parents, she said.

Devices costing at least $2,000 have been required to translate a nonverbal child's keystrokes into spoken words. They can be replaced by a $200 iPod Touch, which also does many other functions, Hall said, among them, a compact way to provide students with a record of their day's schedule.

"Kids on the autism spectrum do better if they know what's coming," Hall explained. Many carry around bulky binders that reassure them about their schedule, but make them stand out even more as different. The binders can be replaced with a device popular with their peers. "The 'socially appropriate' factor is huge," she said.

The Wisconsin Branch of the King's Daughters' endowment fund supports Fox Valley charitable organizations that provide services related to autism and literacy.

While the national organization dedicated to children's causes still may carry the image of a "ladies' aid society" of old, Erin Mielke, president of the Wisconsin Branch, said it is active and relevant in the Fox Cities. Members come from a variety of occupations and range in age from 20s to late 70s, she said.

The Wisconsin membership consists of eight circles — six in Appleton, one in Neenah-Menasha and one in Kaukauna — plus a Junior Circle with members from Appleton's public high schools and Xavier High School.

"We are stewards of a large amount of money and we take that responsibility seriously," Mielke said.

"The Community Foundation has been a tremendous asset for us. Their expertise in managing our funds and our grant and scholarship distributions is invaluable. We are very satisfied and proud to be able to do this kind of charity work."