Island Dolphin Care

Target demographics: Teaching marine science education, helping children , veterans, & families. Our programs provide animal assisted therapy to individuals & families with special needs.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 4,000 visitors , over 2,000 students , 250 families with a child needing therapy, over 600 veterans & their families

Geographic areas served: Key Largo, Florida

Programs: Island dolphin care provides recreational & educational animal assisted therapy programs utilizing atlantic bottle nose dolphins to a wide range of participants. Island dolphin care programs support children, and adults with disabilities, chronic & terminal illnesses, participant's family members as well as veterans & military personnel that have been injured while in service to our country. The island dolphin care center provides marine science education to school children on field trips as well as to all visitors from the general public to the center. Our mobile touch tank brings an interactive learning lab that teaches students about invertebrates to school children of all ages. Additionally the mobile touch tank is brought to fairs and introduces invertebrates to the general public. All of our marine science education programs provide knowledge about conservation, protecting our oceans, its inhabitants and resources for future generations. Idc programs enable participants with disabilities to discover, achieve their goals, strengths, and to reach toward their fullest potential. All of the therapeutic programs at island dolphin care are implemented by trained therapists, and special education teachers. The program utilizes traditional treatment methods and pairs them with the extraordinary experience interacting with dolphins. This creates a unique and motivating therapy. The programs provide participants and their families with new resources, tools and techniques. All idc programs educate & inform participants, their families and the general public about the benefits of the animal assisted therapy provided at island dolphin care. Our achievements: time -out five day programs: these programs provide 5-day intensive therapy programs to participants that have a disability or illness and their family members. An average of 8 families per week attend the five day family program from march until november. Five day programs - 243 families attended the 5-day therapy program. Families (117) unable to afford to pay for this program received scholarships in order to attend. 37 additional programs were provided to children and families that were in need of a specialized private program due to circumstance or illness. Camps - (one -day camps) 18 one day camp programs were provided to children that have a disability, special need or illness. Family members or staff caring for them also attend. Ten of the nineteen camp programs were provided at no cost to the participants, family members or staff. These programs were funded through philanthropic support. Dolphin talks: (half day programs12 were provided to children with a disability, special need or illness, their families and staff all attended at no cost. These programs were funded by philanthropic support. Veterans & military personnel: veterans that have a disability or special need, attended 39 programs that have provided peer support and therapeutic benefits to those returning injured in combat. These programs were provided at no cost to the participants, their family members or caregivers and were funded through philanthropic support. 25 (adult) one day programs were provided to those in need of specialized programs. Community swim programs- community members from monroe county florida having a disabled or ill family member have attended a recreational swim program each fall since 1990. 150 community members were invited to participate in this program. All swimmers attend at no cost. Approximately 40 swimmers were provided swims through this program. Each year we estimate that approximately 4,000 visitors come to the center to participate in public education programs. Idc provided 61 marine science education programs at our facility. The portable touch tank program was brought to school students throughout south florida. The touch tank was also brought to many street fairs where thousands of individuals from the general public were introduced to invertebrates idc participates in florida surfers for autism events bringing art activities and the portable touch tank to the beach during the summer months throughout the state of florida. The event provides a day at the beach for children and their families having a member with autism. Children that wish to learn to surf are provided with surf experiences. Our staff volunteer to be a part of these terrific weekend events. At each event beachgoers from the event as well as the general public were introduced to invertebrates in our touch tank and enjoyed learning about them.