HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses were in Surfside, Florida, recently where therapy horses Sweetheart and Magic comforted families and first responders involved in the aftermath of the June Champlain Towers South collapse.

The horses and their trainers, Debbie and Jorge Garcia-Bengochea, left for south Florida on July 16 after they had been contacted by several families with loved ones involved in the building’s collapse. The couple and their mini horses had been conducting summer outdoor reading programs for Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership and sheduled their trip between the two weekly Thursday reading sessions.

“We had to fit it in somehow,” said Debbie Garcia-Bengochea. “It was tight, but we really wanted to be there for those families and the emergency personnel involved.” The pair and their horses returned to north Florida the night of Wednesday, July 21, in time to do the reading program in Ocala the day after.

Describing the situation in Surfside Debbie Garcia-Bengochea explained, “The whole scene is a crime scene. Emergency personnel have come in from other places to help with the work and trucks are in and out of the area all the time removing debris to other locations.”

When the horses were not meeting with people, they had a private place to stay so they could have some quiet time. “The people were great. The beach is a place where they normally don’t allow animals, but they allowed our horses to run on the beach at Surfside to help them get some exercise,” said Garcia-Bengochea. “Although parking is at a premium in that area, people made sure to leave room for our van.”

While Garcia-Bengochea didn’t know the exact number of people or families they met with, she said it was a lot. “We met with a lot of first responders more so than the impacted families.”

The couple went to Surside with bags of stuffed horses for the children. As it turned out, first responders’ families were not on the scene, and they sent the stuffed horses home to the families, making sure they provided for each child in the family. Jorge Garcia-Bengochea and Magic also left a stuffed horses at the Memorial Wall in tribute.

After their poignant visit, horses Magic and Sweetheart are taking a few days off. “They are running around and playing with the other horses,” said Garcia-Bengochea.

As for the other horses, they will continue visiting assisted living outdoor programs, hospice programs in the courtyard and outdoor reading programs in outlying libraries in Live Oak and Perry. “

“We have been at this for more than 22 years now,” she said. “We do all we can to help promote reading, kindness and other good qualities.”

One of the ways the organization earns money to continue their program is through the sale of books they have written about the miniature horses. They use the books during the reading programs and bring along the horse the story is written about to make the stories even more exciting for the children.

The latest book, “Mini Horse, Mighty Hope: How a Herd of Miniature Horses Provides Comfort and Healing” is available nationally through Amazon for preorder now, but will officially be released on Oct. 19. And in 2022, a documentary film about Magic is slated to premiere.

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ALACHUA COUNTY - Due to increased infection rates, the Alachua County COVID-19 Dashboard has returned with the latest COVID-19 infection and vaccination information. The link will be available on the home page of the Alachua County website and will be released weekly on social media. The source of the data is the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Weekly Situation Reports. This report replaced the daily reports on June 11, 2021.

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GAINESVILLE - Due to rapidly rising COVID cases in the community and among employees, Alachua County Public Schools will require indoor masking by all employees, vendors and visitors at district facilities. The requirement will be in place regardless of vaccination status.

The requirement will take effect Tuesday, August 3 and last through Friday, September 17. The district will then reassess the COVID data to determine if the requirement should remain in place.

Florida recently recorded the highest number of COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The state also has the nation’s highest hospitalization rate. Cases among ACPS employees have risen significantly over the last two weeks, and one individual passed away this past weekend due to COVID-related complications.

“With rates as high as they are, I felt the district had to take action to reduce the spread of COVID in our community and schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Carlee Simon. “The state has taken some options out of our hands, but this is something we can do to protect students and staff.”

The district will continue to work with the Health Department to offer free vaccinations for students and staff. That includes vaccine clinics at schools during the school day. The district is also working on an agreement with the Alachua County Education Association, which represents district employees, to offer a $100 incentive for employees who are already vaccinated and those who get vaccinated by September 17.

“By taking these steps, I believe we can keep more of our students in school and more of our employees at work,” wrote Simon in an email to employees. “More importantly, we can reduce the number of people affected by COVID. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can get back to normal.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Summer can be hard on parents trying to balance work and accommodate time for young children. Pastor Adam Joy of the Deeper Purpose Community Church is offering parents of nursery and pre-school children an all-day program at the church called the Kid's Academy for toddlers and preschoolers ages 1-5.

Parents needn’t worry this is just a babysitting situation. In addition to meals and play time, youngsters will also receive educational assistance. Children will be helped to prepare for the Florida Department of Education approved Pinnacle Program curriculum, which offers a wide range of both secular and faith-based age-appropriate lesson plans and activities for children ages birth to 5.

The Academy is available Monday -Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The church also offers transportation by bus for parents who can’t bring their children to the church. While the program currently is for children over 1 year old, there are plans expand it to accept ad enroll infants in August according to Pastor Adam Joy.

“We feel it’s vital that we have the best teachers, assistants and childcare workers assisting us in ensuring your child is always able to play, learn and grow in a safe, caring and loving Christian environment,” Joy said. “We believe it is important to offer educational opportunities and socialization with other children to help children grow and expand their abilities.” Joy said the preschool is a member of Green Apple Accreditation of Children Services that licenses and accredits childcare centers and preschools nationwide.

In addition to the Kid's Academy program, the church also offers a summer camp for kids age 5-12, with educational classes in math, art, social studies, English and writing. The summer camp runs Monday -Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesday evenings they also offer a youth services for kids ages 12 to 18, which provides teens an opportunity to learn about the bible, play games and hold group discussions about issues involving their age group. It also includes a free dinner.

The church may also be offering a Head Start Program and an Early Head Start Program this fall that will start Aug. 18. In addition, there will also be before and after care for school aged children in the upcoming 2021-22 school year.

Joy said the church also plans to offer programs to families during the Alachua County Public Schools Thanksgiving break, and spring and winter breaks, based on the school calendar.

“We have also decided that since we now have the room, we will do our own pre-kindergarten program for this coming school year beginning Monday, August 16,” said Joy. This program will have 20 spots for students who are turning 4 no later than Sept. 1. Unlike VPK, which is only a three-hour program, this will be a full day for students to better prepare them for kindergarten.

“We really feel that three hours just isn’t enough,” said Joy. “Children are our future, and we have a responsibility to provide as many opportunities as we can to help them build successful lives.”

Deeper Purpose Community Church is located in High Springs at 19930 N U.S. Hwy 441. Additional information and registration can be discussed at 386-454-5300 or at https://www.facebook.com/KidsOfPurpose.

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