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Balance 180 Gymnastics and Sports Academy
Balance 180 Gymnastics and Sports Academy
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About this organization
Mission
BALANCE 180'S MISSION IS TO DEVELOP A NEW MODEL FOR RECREATIONAL AND COMPETITIVE SPORTS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY THAT SERVES CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH VARYING ABILITIES AND NEEDS.
About
SPORTS INSTRUCTION - WE OFFER A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AS WELL AS PROGRAMS THAT INTEGRATE CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT SPECIAL NEEDS. THE PROGRAMS ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. SPECIAL OLYMPICS YOUNG ATHLETES PROGRAM: WE HAVE DEVELOPED A STRONG PROGRAMMATIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS FLORIDA TO OFFER THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS YOUNG ATHLETES PROGRAM (YAP). YAP IS AN INNOVATIVE SPORTS PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AGES 2-7, WITH AN INTELLECTUAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY, AND THEIR PEERS. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE CHILDREN'S MOTOR, COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL SKILLS (HTTP://WWW.SOFL.ORG/YOUNG-ATHLETES- PROGRAM/YOUNG-ATHLETES-OVERVIEW.HTML). THE CURRICULUM INCORPORATES FOUNDATIONAL MOTOR SKILLS, JUMPING, RUNNING, KICKING, STRIKING, BALANCE, AND AN OBSTACLE COURSE. ACTIVITIES ARE ADAPTED TO THE ABILITY LEVEL OF EACH CHILD AND PEERS SERVE AS ROLE MODELS. THE FIRST PROGRAM WAS OFFERED IN THE SUMMER OF 2012, WITH 14 CHILDREN. THE PROGRAM HAS PROGRESSIVELY EXPANDED AND IN FISCAL YEAR 2016 WE ENROLLED 36 ATHLETES, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OVER 100 VOLUNTEERS. THE PROGRAM WAS OFFERED IN BOTH THE FALL AND SPRING SEMESTER. THE CHILDREN THAT WERE ENROLLED HAD A RANGE OF DIAGNOSIS (IE. CEREBRAL PALSY, SPINA BIFIDA, DOWN SYNDROME, ADHD). TRAINING SESSIONS (1HR LONG) ARE OFFERED ONCE A WEEK. THE VOLUNTEERS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY COLLEGE STUDENTS, ARE TRAINED TO WORK WITH CHILDREN IN A RATIO OF 2:1, OR 1:1. THE CHILDREN, VOLUNTEERS AND PARENTS ARE VERY SATISFIED WITH THE PROGRAM AS EVIDENCED BY THE HIGH ATTENDANCE AND LOW ATTRITION RATE. THE CHILDREN MAKE GREAT GAINS IN BOTH MOTOR AND SOCIAL SKILLS, AND THE PROGRAM IS OFFERED COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. ALL VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE FREE TRAINING/EDUCATION (SEE BELOW) AND TRAINING AND REFERENCE MATERIALS ARE DISSEMINATED. EACH YEAR A CULMINATING EVENT IS ORGANIZED, WHICH SERVES AS A PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE (SEE BELOW). THE YAP CURRICULUM IS PLANNED, ORGANIZED AND COORDINATED BY AN EDUCATOR WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT. THE YOUNG ATHLETES PROGRAM COORDINATOR IS ASSISTED BY VOLUNTEER PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, AND AN ADAPTIVE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER - BRINGING BROAD EXPERTISE TO THE PROGRAM AND ALLOWING US TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS. THE YOUNG ATHLETES PROGRAM IS MADE AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN IN THE GENERAL COMMUNITY. OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS TO RECRUIT CHILDREN FOR PARTICIPATION INCLUDE DISSEMINATION OF FLYERS THROUGH THE ALACHUA COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM AS WELL AS TO PEDIATRIC CLINICS IN THE GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY. THE PROGRAM IS OPEN TO ALL CHILDREN AGES 2- 7 YEARS. ADAPTIVE GYMNASTICS CLASSES: THESE CLASSES WERE STARTED IN SPRING 2013, AND ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. THE PROGRAM IS OFFERED YEAR ROUND AND CURRENTLY APPROXIMATELY 50 CHILDREN ARE ENROLLED, DISTRIBUTED ACROSS 2 CLASSES. WE OFFER BOTH A CLASS FOR 2-8 YEAR OLDS AND A CLASS FOR 8-16 YEAR OLDS. THE CLASS IS SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTEER PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, EDUCATORS, AS WELL AS GRADUATE STUDENTS IN HEALTH CARE RELATED FIELDS (TOTAL VOLUNTEER BASE ~120 STUDENTS). THE VOLUNTEER COACH TO CHILD RATIO IS 1:1 OR 2:1 DEPENDING ON THE NEEDS OF THE CHILD. CHILDREN ENROLLED IN THE ADAPTIVE GYMNASTICS CLASSES LEARN MOTOR SKILLS USING THE TRADITIONAL GYMNASTICS EVENTS: BARS, FLOOR, VAULT AND BEAM. THE ATHLETES ALSO WORK ON BUILDING ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND OVERALL COORDINATION. A NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN ENROLLED IN THE ADAPTIVE CLASSES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITION TO THE RECREATIONAL CLASSES DESCRIBED BELOW. RECREATIONAL GYMNASTICS CLASSES: THE RECREATIONAL CLASSES ARE STRUCTURED, SO THAT CHILDREN WITH A DISABILITY CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO THE CLASSES ONCE THEY HAVE REACHED A CERTAIN LEVEL OF MOTOR AND SOCIAL SKILLS. CURRENTLY APPROXIMATELY 35 CHILDREN WITH VARIOUS DISABILITIES HAVE BEEN INTEGRATED INTO THE RECREATIONAL CLASSES. COLLECTIVELY, OUR GYMNASTICS CLASSES ARE OFFERED TO APPROXIMATELY 450 CHILDREN AND FURTHER GROWTH IN THE OVERALL PROGRAM IS EXPECTED DUE TO LOCAL NEEDS, ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. WITH A TEAM OF COACHES, ASSISTANT COACHES, VOLUNTEERS, AND INTERNS WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR PROGRAMS AND NOW OFFER OUR CLASSES SIX DAYS PER WEEK. IN DECEMBER 2014, WE HOSTED OUR FIRST EVER WINTER CLASS SHOW FOR THE ATHLETES IN OUR RECREATIONAL AND ADAPTIVE GYMNASTICS CLASSES TO DEMONSTRATE THE SKILLS THEY HAVE BEEN LEARNING TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THE CANDY CANE CLASSIC WAS ORGANIZED AGAIN IN 2016, WITH MORE THAN 100 ATHLETES PARTICIPATING. ALSO, 20 OF OUR ATHLETES, HALF WITH SPECIAL NEEDS PERFORMED IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AT A GATOR GYMNASTICS COMPETITION IN 2016 TO RAISE AWARENESS AND PROMOTE ACCEPTANCE IN THE COMMUNITY. SUMMER CAMP: IN AUGUST 2013 WE ESTABLISHED THE FIRST INCLUSIVE GYMNASTICS SUMMER CAMP IN ALACHUA COUNTY. WE OFFERED THREE WEEKS OF FULL DAY CAMP FOR CHILDREN 5 YEARS AND OLDER NEEDING MINIMAL ASSISTANCE AND A HALF DAY CAMP FOR CHILDREN REQUIRING ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT. ACTIVITIES INCLUDED GYMNASTICS, OBSTACLE COURSES, ARTS AND CRAFTS AS WELL AS DANCE AND GAMES. EVERY WEEK UP TO 25 CHILDREN ATTENDED, OF WHICH 50% WERE CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. WE ALSO HOSTED ABOUT 50 VOLUNTEERS AND 10 SENIOR ADVISORS WITH BACKGROUNDS IN EDUCATION, PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY. THE CAMP HAS BEEN WIDELY SUCCESSFUL AND WAS OFFERED AGAIN EVERY YEAR SINCE. IN 2016, THE 3 WEEK INCLUSIVE SUMMER CAMP WAS ATTENDED BY 60 KIDS EACH WEEK (TOTAL 150 KIDS ACROSS 3 WEEKS) AND WAS SUPPORTED BY OVER 65 VOLUNTEERS, CONSISTING OF HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS AND SENIOR ADVISORS AS ABOVE. COMPETITIVE GYMNASTICS CLASSES: IN JUNE OF 2014, WE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST GROUP OF 10 PRE-TEAM ATHLETES WHO WORKED HARD TO BECOME OUR FIRST COMPETITIVE TEAM IN 2015. THIS TEAM HAS PARTICIPATED 2016 IN 5 COMPETITIONS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AS WELL AS A LOCAL MEET. THE TEAM HAS EXPANDED TO A TOTAL OF 36 COMPETITIVE ATHLETES, RANGING FROM LEVEL 1-LEVEL 4 USAG. THESE ATHLETES TRAIN BETWEEN 2 AND 6HRS PER WEEK. ALL CLASSES AND CAMP ARE OFFERED AT REASONABLE TUITION RATES OR FOR FREE. THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS PROGRAM IS OFFERED FOR FREE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS AND REDUCED RATES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PARTICIPATION IN ALL OF THE PROGRAMS (RECREATIONAL CLASSES, ADAPTIVE CLASSES, CAMP, ETC) TO CHILDREN OF LOW INCOME FAMILIES. DEPENDING ON THE FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE ATHLETE'S FAMILY, THE TUITION CAN ALSO BE WAIVED IN ITS ENTIRETY.
Interesting data from their 2017 990 filing
According to the filing documents, the non-profit's mission is defined as “Balance 180's mission is to develop a new model for recreational and competitive sports within our community that serves children and young people with varying abilities and needs.”.
When referring to its tasks, they were referred to as: “Balance 180's mission is to develop a new model for recreational and competitive sports within our community that serves children and young people with varying abilities and needs.”.
- The non-profit's state of operation has been legally reported as FL.
- According to the latest filing, the non-profit's address in 2017 is 3119 NW 57TH TERRACE, GAINESVILLE, FL, 32606.
- The total number of employees reported by the non-profit on their form for 2017 is 3.
- Does not operate a hospital.
- Does not operate a school.
- Does not collect art.
- Does not provide credit counseling.
- Does not have foreign activities.
- Is not a donor advised fund.
- Is not a private foundation.
- Expenses are between $100,000 and $250,000.
- Revenue is between $250,000 and $500,000.
- Revenue less expenses is $96,483.
- The CEO compensation package within the organization is not determined through a thorough evaluation and endorsement by a neutral source.
- The organization has 10 independent voting members.
- The organization was formed in 2012.
- The organization has a written policy that addresses conflicts of interest.
- The organization is required to file Schedule B.
- The organization is required to file Schedule O.
- The organization pays $60,253 in salary, compensation, and benefits to its employees.
- The organization pays $3,536 in fundraising expenses.
- The organization provides Form 990 to its governing body.
- The organization has minutes of its meetings.
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