For the second straight year the employees of H. J. High went “charity camping” at Quest’s Camp Thunderbird in Apopka. The project this year was designing and building a pavilion on the observation deck overlooking the lake for the camp’s physical and behavioral challenged summer campers. Since 1969 Quest’s Camp Thunderbird has been dedicated to providing a real summer camp experience for people with special needs.

Under the direction of H. J. High’s chief estimator and camper at heart Randy Carroll a plan was designed, materials were purchased and the H. J. High campers cut, hoisted and assembled a beautiful new lakeside observation platform roof structure. For those less crafty, we also helped by adding a new coat of paint to the restroom facilities in one of the many buildings on site and cleaned and organized various areas in need of some TLC. It was a hot spring day, but our team managed to beat the heat and finish our projects with a smile.

Because of the physical and behavioral challenges associated with Down syndrome, autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities, these children and adults aren’t typically eligible to attend traditional camps. Camp Thunderbird is their chance to learn new skills and focus on the remarkable things they can do, while making new friends and unforgettable memories.

H. J. High encourages our employees to participate in local community organizations and contribute to local charities. H. J. High’s charitable involvement as a company is employee driven: selected, organized, and executed by the employees donating time to worthy organizations while at the same time uniting us behind a good cause. To learn more about Quest, Inc. and Camp Thunderbird in Apopka, please visit:  http://www.questinc.org/

H. J. High employees gathered on January 6, 2012 for our First Friday celebration and to hear presentations for charitable organizations which H. J. High may be involved in for 2012. Each year employees are welcomed to nominate a charity and give a small presentation on why H. J. High should lend our services and how we can help. We then vote on which charities we would like to participate in.  The three charities with the most votes are our sponsored charities for the year. We heard some great presentations this year, even some familiar charities we have elected to help in the past. After taking in all the information, we cast our votes and here are the results:

Hailey’s Hopes & Hugs Foundation - This 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization provides spiritual and financial assistance to families of children between the ages of 2 and 18 who have cancer. It is their goal to minimize the stress of the financial strain related to unexpected out of pocket expenses caused by this disease. With the support and services of the foundation, families can focus on the healing process.

Hailey’s Hopes & Hugs Foundation was founded in June of 2010 by family and friends of Hailey Brynn Collins as a result of the overwhelming community outreach for her and her family during their time of need. Hailey lost her fight with cancer at the age of seven, but the hearts and lives she has touched will continue to live so that they can help others like her.  Please visit this charity’s website to learn more or to donate.

The Nature Conservancy’s Oyster Reef Restoration Program - The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Oyster reef restoration is one of The Nature Conservancy’s many programs to accomplish this mission. H. J. High participated in the program as one of our charities last year and saw such a benefit that we voted to participate again this year. The Oyster Reef Restoration Program restores oyster habitats from North Carolina to Texas using a variety of methods. Last year H. J. High’s participation included building specially designed “oyster mats” and laying them in the knee-deep waters of the Indian River Lagoon.  To read more about this unique program, visit the Nature Conservancy’s website.

Quest’s Camp Thunderbird - Quest inspires and empowers Central Floridians with disabilities by offering choices and opportunities to learn, live, work and play. Camp Thunderbird is dedicated to providing a real summer camp experience for people with special needs. H. J. High also participated in this charity last year by getting out of the office and becoming construction workers for the day by building laundry room additions to some of the camp’s cabins along with storage cubbies for camp participants. This year we are excited to lend our services again. To learn more about Quest and Camp Thunderbird, please visit their website.

Check back to our Events Blog throughout the year to see how H. J. High helps build our community.

H. J. High chose Pet Rescue by Judy as our third charity of the year.  Pet Rescue by Judy is a local nonprofit, no kill, animal shelter dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding homes for cats and dogs that have been abandoned and are without the loving homes they deserve.

After meeting with Judy, it was evident that her greatest need was monetary.  With vet bills, the cost of animal care, and a company van with no A/C and on its last legs, we made a commitment to help her raise the money she so desperately needs.  We decided to organize and sponsor a Dash for Dogs 5K and Pet Festival which was held in Sanford’s Fort Mellon Park on October 29, 2011.  Our employees assisted in putting this event together from the very beginning.  We have helped with soliciting sponsors, creating a website, marketing and organizing every last detail that goes into an event this size.  On the rainy race day, our employees weathered the storm and were out in full force helping run the many activities scheduled that day:  5K race, 1-mile doggie dash, Halloween costume contest for pets and their people, raffles, silent auction and entertainment. 

It was our goal to make this the most profitable event for Pet Rescue by Judy this year.  Through the hard work of our employees and the volunteers of Pet Rescue by Judy, the event was able to raise over $10,000 – all of which goes directly to saving the lives of our four-legged friends.

To learn more about Pet Rescue by Judy or if you’d like to adopt a rescue, please visit their website at www.petrescuebyjudy.com

H. J. High and other volunteers from UCF, the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida and the Nature Conservancy spent the day in the waters of Mosquito Lagoon for one of our most unique charity days yet – Oyster Reef Restoration.  After working a few hours at the office preparing “oyster mats” it was time to complete our journey by deploying these mats into the water. 

The day started with a boat ride through the inner harbor where we passed numerous reefs which had been restored by this dedicated group of volunteers.  We arrived at our reef and quickly began work:

Step 1:   Break up and disperse the “dead” oyster shells at the reef to make room for the new mats.  Pick axes, rakes and shovels were in everyone’s hands as we gave it our all. 

Step 2:  Lay our previously prepared mats down side by side in the water creating a new blanket of oyster shells.

Step 3:  Tie the mats together with concrete “donuts” to keep them in place.  No boat’s wake is going to move these little guys!

Step 4:  Sit back and admire our newly created reef.

Hard work?  Definitely!  But, well worth the effort when you think about how integral a role these oysters play in our ecosystem.  Our brand new reef was even named “ Reef Kaley” after our office mascot and four-legged helper for the day.

To learn more about the Nature Conservancy’s Oyster Reef Restoration Project, please visit their website.

To see a video on the process of Oyster Reef Restoration and other ways to stabilize Florida’s eroding coastline, please visit Field & Stream’s Turtle Mound Video.

The Nature Conservancy’s Oyster Reef Restoration project restores oyster reefs by laying “oyster mats” in the knee-deep water of the Indian River Lagoon.   We lent a hand by creating small mesh mats which were “sewn” with exactly 36 oyster shells attached vertically with zip ties.  Each oyster shell was previously drilled with one hole through which the zip ties were threaded and affixed to the mesh.  The mats are later attached to each other in the Lagoon’s water, forming a large quilt-like structure and providing a stationary place in which oyster larvae will settle and grow.

You see, oysters are not just a great treat steamed at your local bar, they actually filter our water and stabilize eroding coastlines.  Today, more than 85% of oyster reefs have been lost and are considered the planet’s most imperiled marine habitat.  The Oyster Reef Restoration Project has restored 42 reefs since the end of 2010 by deploying more than 19,000 of these handmade mats. 

On June 24^th, H. J. High will carry out the second phase of our journey by heading out to Mosquito Lagoon to deploy our mats into the waters and see our work in action. 

To learn more about the Nature Conservancy’s Oyster Reef Restoration Project, please visit their website.

H. J. High participated in our first charity event of 2011 on Friday, March 11. The opportunity was the chance to help Quest – a charity that inspires and employs Central Floridians with disabilities by offering career choices and opportunities to learn, live, work and play. This day-long event meant closing the office for that Friday with most of the staff able to join in the activity – to say we were excited would be an understatement! We started the day early at Quest’s Camp Thunderbird – a beautiful wooded lakeside camp in the Apopka area. Camp Thunderbird provides a real summer camp experience for adults and children with special needs. One of our team’s projects was to build covered porch areas for two larger cabins where campers learn the task of processing their own laundry as a way of becoming more independent. We also had a team to construct “cubbies” or organizers which hold the campers’ belongings in their own personal areas. The H. J. High teams really had a great time working together for a great cause. Check out our pictures – we think they speak for themselves.

If you’d like to learn more about Quest and Camp Thunderbird, please visit their website at www.questinc.org.