When Brittany started skating, she couldn’t balance on skates. She needed a walker to move on the ice. She now skates without any assistance and is in the advanced group. Brittany has been able to due a few duets in the ice show. She has encouraged some of her friends to join. Gliding stars has given my daughter confidence in herself.
I love going to skating every week. I didn't know how to skate last year and now i am off skating on my own and able to help others too. I look forward to attend every week and can't wait until our show in March.
We are so lucky to have such an amazing program in our area. My son has benefited from this program and now we are able to enjoy it as a family as well.
Gliding Stars is a wonderful organization who has motivated my child to skate! The volunteers are so positive and patient with each individual child. My child went from not being sure he wanted to get on the ice, to asking daily is it time to go to ice skating. We have seen huge success with this program even in the short period of time he has been skating. We are so thankful that we found something our child likes and gets excited about!
Gliding Stars is a great program that creates some magic in the lives of some amazing kids. Our daughters are competitive skaters and volunteer with the local program. It's great that they get to see/assist the progress of the Stars. It's also amazing to see how much our girls are learning about coaching and working with others through their work with this program, and they are remembering the pure joy of the sport that first got them hooked.
Our daughter loves this program! She has come so far & I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in the future. The staff and volunteers are amazing with the kids and fully committed to making Stars a great organization!
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I was with Gliding Stars as a volunteer first and saw the difference in the lives of the people touched by this organization. When my daughter needed help, I joined again this time as a parent. The support my daughter receives and how she has been encouraged to try new things, believing that she can do them, has been amazing. The support we as her family receive from the other families is a benefit I couldn't imagine in my role as a volunteer. People here understand your life and can offer encouragement to get through the day to day nitty gritty.
I started volunteering with Gliding Stars from the first day of their existence. When I first arrived at the rink, I have to admit that all I saw were children who had problems walking or communicating. I left crying because I felt so bad. The next week, I looked at what they could do. They were on skates and making their way around the rink. I had problems doing that. They were excited with every new thing they tried. The excitement that I saw on their faces, brought tears of joy to my heart. I have seen such growth and success over the years. Helping them achieve their goals and try for more is the best part of my week.
I have four children that skate with Gliding Stars and two more that are volunteers with the program. Gliding Stars is a wonderful program that has helped my children to overcome physical challenges, but more importantly it has helped them grow socially and feel self confident and proud of who they are!
I started out fifteen years ago by being a star, now I am a teacher and love every Saturday watching the kids excel!!!
I am currently in my second season with Gliding Stars, and WOW, what an amazing program for those with special needs! This is the first activity I have come across that brings together individuals of ALL ages with challenges in a fun and supportive atmosphere. It is so wonderful to see that those who started skating as toddlers are still with the program as adults! The smiles on the skaters' faces say it all - Gliding Stars truly changes lives and I look forward to many future skating seasons to come!
Gliding Stars is an amazing organization that assists children with various disabilities. Through teaching them to skate, they develop physical strength, coordination and socialization. As a volunteer, it is rewarding to watch out skaters develop skill and grow as wonderful people! Often overlooked is that the volunteers also benefit from this program, developing patience and kindness.
What a neat program! Ice skating is challenging enough, but some of these kids make it look so easy. Everyone with the program does a great job. They really care about the students learning, improving, and achieving.
Gliding Stars as an organization has helped my son move from a beginner ice skater to an advanced ice skater in one year! As the new Chapter Coordinator for the Central Florida program I am more than a client served, I am a mom with a son with special needs that can do this!! Gliding Stars has made the impossible ... possible!!
Gliding Stars is an excellent program to help those with disabilities improve and develop mobility skills. In addition to the skills learned, it is also a great social and volunteer opportunity.
Great opportunity for kids with special needs to be involved in a sport. My son was scared at the beginning and is now skating independently!
We were introduced to Gliding Stars four years ago by a parent of a skater who volunteered for Gliding Stars. Our daughter has Down Syndrome and the program appealed to us because we thought that it would help her with her balance and foot alignment. It did that and much more. Our daughter loves to skate and has gained some self confidence that was lacking in her life. This program has taught her a huge lesson. She can do it. Now that she can skate she can apply the lesson to many other areas in her life. She takes skating classes privately now but she loves her time on the ice with Gliding Stars each week. The people that run the program have made us feel like we are all a big family. It's a very organized program and we are so lucky to be a part of it.