Hope International Church Buddy Break

08/10/2026

🎒✏️ Happy 1st Day Back To School, VIP Families! 
🎒✏️ Praying for continued and new bonds of learning, patience, compassion, love, and safety to be established between every educator, therapist, staff, and anyone interacting with a VIP student. 
🎒✏️ Praying for successful goals, IEP meetings, resolutions to be achieved, and most importantly, happiness and health to abound this school year for VIP families, caregivers, and educators! 

08/06/2026

Bikes & BBQ 4 Autism, Inc. is a wonderful trusted resource for VIP Families!

Bikes & BBQ 4 Autism and Splash of Style Kids Salon in Minneola, FL have teamed up to offer a limited amount of haircuts for children with sensory issues. Here is the booking link (Choose Sensory Safe Haircut and put "Bikes & BBQ" in the notes) https://www.vagaro.com/splashofstylekidssalonllc/book-now

Additional children in the family will get their haircuts that day for 50% off. Here is a link to their page: https://www.facebook.com/Splashofstylekidssalon :)

07/28/2026

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07/28/2026

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06/24/2026

Effective July 1. Register at the link: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/mepic/alerts/spectrum-alert

・・・
Florida’s new Spectrum Alert is an important step forward for autism safety.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing Persons and Offender Enforcement Division is launching (effective July 1, 2026) the Florida Spectrum Alert, established by Florida law in 2025, to help quickly mobilize the community when a child with autism is missing and believed to be in danger.

Wandering and elopement can happen quickly, silently, and without warning — and in Florida, where water is everywhere, the risk can become deadly in minutes. This is why faster alerts, community awareness, and immediate search response matter.
If a child on the spectrum is missing, search nearby water first — pools, ponds, lakes, canals, retention ponds, creeks, and any water source nearby. Every second matters. 💙

When issued, Spectrum Alert information will be distributed by Florida’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse (MEPIC) to citizens who have signed up to receive the alerts and displayed on dynamic highway message signs when applicable. The alerts will also be posted on the FDLE’s public website and social media accounts.

Learn more about Florida’s new Spectrum Alert and sign up for alerts through FDLE. Link in the comments.

04/03/2026

🐣

🐣 Egg-citing news! As part of Easter celebration at Cherry Lake Park, the City has partnered with our own , led by our Special Needs Pastor , to host two sensory-friendly Easter egg hunts! These free hunts are designed for VIPs (children and individuals with sensory or special-needs sensitivities), so registration is required.

🐣 Register here: https://bit.ly/sensoryeastercityofgroveland

🐣 VIP Hunt Times: 10:00 AM & 10:30 AM – VIP only
🐣Age-Based Hunts
11:00 AM – Ages 0–1
11:10 AM – Ages 2–3
11:20 AM – Ages 4–5
11:30 AM – Ages 6–7
11:40 AM – Ages 8–9
11:50 AM – Ages 10+

Visit the City of Groveland website for details: https://groveland-fl.gov/.../Easter-Celebration-Egg-Hunt...
Questions: Text Pastor Joscelyn at (352) 405-6163
🐣 Hope to see you there!

03/13/2026

🐣 We are THRILLED to announce that Hope Torchlighters have partnered with the City of Groveland, FL on their 1st SENSORY FRIENDLY EASTER EGG HUNT!

📲 Register here: https://bit.ly/sensoryeastercityofgroveland

🐣 Egg-citing news! As part of Groveland's Easter celebration at Cherry Lake Park , we’ve partnered with HOPE Torchlighters to host two sensory-friendly Easter egg hunts! These hunts are designed for children with sensory sensitivities and are VIP experiences, so registration is required.

🕒 VIP Hunt Times:
10:00 AM & 10:30 AM – VIP only

🕒 Age-Based Hunts:
11:00 AM – Ages 0–1
11:10 AM – Ages 2–3
11:20 AM – Ages 4–5
11:30 AM – Ages 6–7
11:40 AM – Ages 8–9
11:50 AM – Ages 10+

🐣 As Chairperson and now Vice-Chair of the City of Groveland Recreation Advisory Committee for the past five years, and having led Hope Torchlighters & Hope Buddy Break for eight years, I can attest that making sure our VIP (special needs and neurodiverse) families are seen, heard, and included in their own community is truly wonderful! 🙌

🐣 This event has been made possible through the ongoing efforts of the City of Groveland Department of Recreation, Parks, Facilities, and Community Services team, including local advocates Kandi Alexander, Tania Santos, Luzel Garcia, Principal of The Dream Academy.

For more details, visit the City of Groveland website: https://groveland-fl.gov/719/Easter-Celebration-Egg-Hunt---44

12/25/2025

🎄

🎄 Christmas can look different for VIP (special needs and neurodiverse) families.

🎄 For us, the best way to celebrate is by finding joy in each moment and cherishing what happens around us.

🎄 Whether it's something as simple as taking a stroll in the neighborhood to see the Christmas lights (without any instances of elopement or sensory processing distress) or sitting at the table with cousins and actually making eye contact when they speak, these are the moments that truly define a family.

🎄 No matter how happiness and joy manifest for your family, remember to celebrate every single win!

🏆👏 You all deserve it!

🎄 Merry Christmas! 🎄

12/15/2025

🎅🤶🎄

🎅 🤶 🎄Santa and Mrs. Claus want to say a very special THANK YOU to our Hope International Church Sr. Pastors, Dr. Tony & Jodie McCoy, (on the right) for all their continued support.

🎅🤶🎄 THANK YOU to two of our VIP care champions, Mary Vega (in the middle) and Patricia Doyle. Extremely grateful for their faithful help and the assistance of other care champions!